Tonight, it's chocolate pudding. Nevaeh made me a chocolate pudding.

I've never tasted a dessert so good. I think it's a better cure than any medicine I've ever taken -- OK, maybe I'm exaggerating.

Or maybe it's the fact that she's spending time here again with me that makes me happy.

I don't even remember being sick. I feel like a dog wagging its happy tail whenever she's around, and I don't even care how fucking pathetic that sounds.

"I'm so happy that you like it." Nevaeh grins as she finishes eating her pudding.

She puts her empty plate next to mine on the nightstand before sitting back on the bed. I lean back against the headboard, watching her.

"The first time I made a pudding was when I was around 10 or 11." The smile doesn't leave her face as she talks. "My Dad was the very first person who tried it."

"What did he say?"

"He loved it. Like, really did," Nevaeh says. "That made me eager to do more experiments. In the end, I made so many different flavors of pudding. He called me Princess Pudding, and being the young kid I was, I felt so honored by that title." Small laughter escapes from her lips.

I chuckle, feeling like I can hear her talk all night and won't get bored of it. It dawns on me that spending time here in my room with her is way better than burying myself in work every night. What the hell have I been doing all this time?

Maybe Mom is right. Dad is right. Luna is right.

I'd worked too much that I forgot to enjoy simple things.

Like laughing with someone. Talking about something that doesn't involve a multi-year business contract.

Nevaeh's phone buzzes. She reads a message, and a smile creeps on her lips.

I feel a sudden curiosity building up inside me. I don't know why, but I'm suddenly curious about what the message is about, why reading it can put that big smile on her face, and who has sent the text.

"Something good?" I ask in a small voice.

"It's my friends." She shakes her head in amusement. "These girls are so excited for our field trip tomorrow. They think of it as a vacation rather than a project."

I'm still trying to digest what she said."A field trip?"

Nevaeh nods. "We have to collect data from some companies in LA for our project report, and we plan to go tomorrow. We're going to spend a week there."

"A week?" I stutter in disbelief.

Hold on. Did I just stutter? Fucking stutter?

I stare at her with a lost expression, and she mirrors it. Confusion begins to skate on her face. She must have not expected this reaction from me.

But really, a week? As in seven days?

"Excuse me," Ian suddenly interrupts, arriving in my room out of the blue, just like the last time. "May I take the plates and tray?"

I watch as he collects them back, and I notice him trying to bite his smile. I shoot a glare at his back when he walks away.

Why the hell does he seem so happy nowadays? It's fucking irritating.

I return my attention to Nevaeh, who looks like she still doesn't know how to respond to me. She might be wondering what was wrong with the information she just delivered.

"Collecting data from a company shouldn't last more than two days, at the most," I say.

Why the fuck would someone take seven days to collect data from a company? Unless they want to figure out the family tree of every staff and customer.

I can't think of anything other than the fact that Nevaeh won't be around for a week.

"It's supposed to be two days collecting the data, Tuesday and Wednesday," Nevaeh mumbles. "But this Thursday will be a public holiday and we don't have any classes to attend this Friday, so the three of us plan to extend our stay and return next Monday."

Fuck public holiday.

"We're excited to go to the beach and theme park," Nevaeh continues, unaware that her words make my childish heart sink. "And we want to explore some places with excellent culinary reviews."

Fuck.

I don't know what to say. I'm not feeling well -- I'm ill. But it's not like I'm dying. I'll definitely survive the next seven days without her, won't I?

One thing for sure is that whatever sickness I'm in right now decreases my brain function more than 50%, because I've never felt this stupid. My head is so messed up that I'm thinking about undergoing a check-up for brain damage.

"Don't you have to inform your parents first that you're going to be out of Seattle?" I ask.

What a stupid question. She's 19, for fuck's sake. And she just wants to hang out with her friends at the beach and theme park.

However, my selfish heart can't help but hope that her overprotective father will change her mind to not extend her stay in LA.

"I did inform them." She shrugs. "And they're okay with that. My dad's okay with that, fortunately. He knows that it's a part of my college project, and I deserve a break once in a while."

What am I supposed to do with that?

Should I expect that her father would disagree with that idea if I call him and say, 'Good evening, Mr. Spencer. I'm Aiden Klein, and I called to inform you that your daughter is planning to stay in LA with her friends for one week. I'm aware that you want to assure the safest environment for her. Therefore, instead of prolonging her stay there, I believe that it's better for her to spend time with me here in Seattle, in my bedroom."

Absolutely not.

'In case you wonder about my credibility, I'm a 28 years old man who will never touch a girl almost a decade younger than me, although I must admit that I recently jerked off while imagining being inside your daughter. I can guarantee that it will never happen in reality.'

Right. Absolutely not the best confession to make.

'For your information, I'm not a total stranger. Your nephew, Max, knows me quite well. He's engaged to my sister, Luna (I can't believe that I've agreed to this nonsense). In short, I am your nephew's future brother-in-law (again, I still can't believe that I'd let that rascal marry my sister).'

The more I allow this conversation to play in my head, the more it sounds ridiculous.

There is no way, no way that Nevaeh's father wouldn't kill me as soon as he knows about what happened.

"I haven't been on vacation for a long time, so I'm really excited for this short getaway." Nevaeh giggles.

My eyes soften as I stare at her. She looks so happy, and I'm fucking selfish. I have no right to keep her here by my side.

Sooner or later, she would leave this house, not only for a week but forever.

The thought of it makes my stomach churn. I can feel the fear building up inside me. I don't know why her existence affects me this much.

After I had a horrible flashback about Olivia again and collapsed in my bathroom yesterday, I would be lying if I said that I didn't need her. I hate this, but I can't control it.

"It's such a relief that you're recovering." Nevaeh sighs.

Will she not go if my condition worsens?

But then, it's not like I'm attached to infusion and oxygen tubes.

You're not dying, you fool, and it's only a fucking week, the voice in my head yells at me.

Yeah, right. I'm not dying. But I can't say that I've been sane these days.

"Do you want to watch the sequel of the movie we watched earlier?" I grab the remote from my bed, straightening up against the headboard.

I just want to spend more time with her tonight before she leaves.

Nevaeh smiles and occupies the space beside me. We watch the movie, and this time, I actually pay attention.

Last time, I was too tired that I fell asleep.

Halfway through the movie, I feel something knock my shoulder. It turns out that Nevaeh is dozing off, and her head falls on my shoulder.

She must have been tired and sleepy. While I've taken a rest earlier during the day, she hasn't.

I return my eyes to the TV in front of me, and a soft smile forms on my lips.

It's strange that such a simple thing like this makes me feel contented.

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