“Who is it?” she finally calls out.
Oh, thank God. But the relief only lasts a moment. Her voice is a little off. “It’s me!”
The door opens. Amy stands there, her hair sticking up and pillow creases on the left side of her face. Her cheeks are flushed—but not in a healthy way. Her eyes are glazed, and she’s crossing her arms tightly, hands wrapped around biceps like she’s cold.
“Oh.” She blinks a few times. “Oh crap. I was about to call you. I’m so sorry. I totally overslept.”
I put a hand to her forehead. “You’re burning up. You should be in bed.”
“Uh. I should…?” She looks dazed.
I nod and put my arm around her. She must really be sick to be this messed up. “Mind if I come in?”
She starts. “Oh. Yeah. Sure.”
I walk in and push the door closed.
“I’m really sorry,” she says. “I didn’t mean to make you come all the way out here. I should’ve called to let you know I can’t go. But you can. You should go to Napa and have a good time.”
Just what kind of dick does she think I am than I could “go to Napa and have a good time” while she’s sick? I may be a demanding boss, but that doesn’t mean I’m a shitty human being.
“In fact,” she says, “if you go now, you can still ma—”
I put a hand over her mouth. “I’m not sorry I’m here instead of Napa.”
She stares at me blankly, then pulls back. “But you were really looking forward to the trip.”
“Yes, but with you.”
She continues to stare. But she doesn’t refute what I said, or claim that what we have is just sex like she would if she weren’t sick. She’s scrupulous about sticking to deadlines and parameters. Actually, she’s meticulous about executing plans exactly as laid out.
She has no plans to move us beyond fuck buddies. But I want more, and I’m not above taking advantage of her weakened state.
“Let’s get you back in bed,” I say.
“But I really—”
“Now. Rest.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Since she isn’t moving on her own, I start pushing her gently toward her bedroom.
“But the trip—”
“Canceled. We have new plans for the weekend. Nursing you back to health.”
“But…it’s your time off.”
We reach the bed. I put my hands on her shoulders to have her sit down. Then I move her until she’s lying there with her samurai teddy bear.
“You should use it more productively,” she says. “Or for fun.”
I tuck her in, pulling the sheets all the way to her chin. “It’ll be both, taking care of you.”
“Um…okay. Feels a little weird, though.”
“How come?”