Rachel finally ate her chocolate and soon drifted back to sleep, the medicine pulling her into a peaceful slumber. I turned to Bella, quietly asking about her condition, and felt relieved when she said Rachel was recovering well.
"How long does she need to stay here?" I asked.
"The doctor said she'll be discharged after five days," Bella replied softly. Then, after a small pause, she added, "And about the money you lent me—I'll try to return it as soon as possible."
I looked at her, half amused, half exasperated. "Did I ever ask you to return it? You can pay me back when you have enough, okay?"
She gave a reluctant little nod. "Okay then."
"Well, since there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
I stood, or at least tried to. Somehow my foot caught the leg of the chair, and before I could steady myself, I stumbled forward. I reached out to grab something—anything—for balance, but the "something" I caught turned out to be Bella.
And in the next second, we both fell—her on top of me.
When I opened my eyes, I froze. Her eyes were closed, her face just inches from mine, and something soft brushed my lips.
Oh no. Wait. Did we just…?
My mind went blank for a second before registering the absurdity. Of course. The legendary accidental kiss. Straight out of a romance movie. Not that I watched those, of course. That was all Mark's area of expertise.
But usually, wasn't the woman the one who tripped? Why was I the one lying flat on my back like some clumsy idiot?
A discreet cough broke my daze. The doctor had entered to check on Rachel, and Bella's eyes fluttered open just as I processed what happened.
Her eyes… were beautiful.
I didn't even realize I was still staring at her until she quickly pushed herself away, cheeks flushed a deep pink. She stood beside Rachel as the doctor checked her vitals, refusing to meet my gaze.
The moment had lasted barely a few seconds, yet it was enough to leave her flustered—and me, entirely distracted.
When the doctor left, silence filled the room again. I walked toward her, and she instinctively stepped back with each of my strides. Her back hit the wall.
"What happened?" she asked nervously. "Why are you coming so close?"
I didn't answer. I simply leaned a little closer, unable to hide my smirk.
"Was it that good?" I murmured. "You're still blushing."
"I'm not," she said quickly, fanning her face. "It's just too hot in here."
"Right," I teased. "Because why would you blush over a kiss when you didn't hesitate to do more than that… that night?"
Her eyes widened, and she turned an even deeper shade of red. I had to bite back my laughter. Teasing her was far too tempting.
"Don't you have any shame?" she snapped. "You're talking about this openly!"
"You're still blushing."
"I'm not!"
"Okay, you're not… Ms. Tomato."
She looked exactly like one—bright red and adorably flustered.
"Alright, I'll stop," I said, chuckling. "I'm leaving."
I turned and walked out, leaving behind a very defensive, I'm-not-blushing Bella. Cute.
___
The next morning, Bella was jolted awake by Rachel's soft cries.
"What's wrong, baby?" Bella asked, rushing to her side.
"My head hurts, Mumma," Rachel whimpered.
"Wait, let me get your medicine."
"I don't want medicine," she cried harder, burying her face in the pillow.
Bella finally found the painkiller and gently coaxed her to take it. Once Rachel swallowed it, Bella wiped her tears and kissed her forehead.
"My good girl," she whispered. "You're Mumma's strong baby, right? Try to sleep now. The pain will go away when you wake up."
"But it still hurts… I can't sleep," Rachel murmured weakly.
"Alright, come here," Bella said, pulling her into a gentle hug. She rubbed her back in slow circles until the little girl finally drifted into slumber.
"My poor baby," Bella whispered, brushing a tear from her cheek. "If only I could take all your pain."
She held her like that until dawn, afraid to move in case Rachel woke again. When she finally stirred and found her daughter still sleeping soundly, Bella slipped out quietly to bring breakfast.
By the time she returned, Rachel was already awake.
"Princess, how are you feeling now?"
"The pain's less, Mumma. But I'm hungry," Rachel said, rubbing her eyes.
"Just in time," Bella smiled, setting down the tray. "Look, I brought your breakfast."
They ate together, the room finally filled with peace. Hours passed, and Bella was soon buried in her office work while Rachel lay quietly on the bed. Her leave had only been approved for a week, so she was trying to finish as much as possible.
"Mumma," Rachel called softly.
"Mhm?" Bella responded, eyes still on her laptop.
"Will Mr. Handsome not come today?"
That made Bella pause. She looked up to find her daughter pouting.
"He didn't tell you he'd come every day, did he?"
"No, but I want to see him."
"And why's that? Because he brought you gifts?"
Rachel giggled. "Yes, but mainly because he's funny. He doesn't bore me."
Bella smiled faintly. "It's already noon, baby. He probably won't come today. Maybe tomorrow you can play with him again."
"I'll ask him to come daily," Rachel declared.
Bella sighed. "He's busy, sweetheart. He can't come every day. Now, forget about him. Let's play something."
'Thank god he didn't come today', Bella thought, pressing her palm to her warm cheek. He'll only tease me again about that stupid kiss.
I am not blushing right now, am I? No, surely not.
Then again, why had I blushed after that accidental kiss? It wasn't like it was my first time. She'd shared far more than a kiss with the same man, though that night had been blurred with intoxication.
So technically… yesterday had been my first fully conscious, definitely-not-under-the-influence kiss.
Still, why do I blushed? Because of the kiss? Or because of how close he'd been? Maybe it was the teasing… or maybe the mention of that night.
Yes, that must be it. Definitely his shameless flirting. I couldn't have possibly blushed just because of the kiss. Right?