Page 72 of Unlocking my Boss's Heart

A chair squeaked as he stood and crossed the room to turn off the light switch. He returned to my side.

“Is that better?”

I opened my eyes hesitantly. The room was darkened enough to tolerate looking in his direction now. “Yes. Thank you.”

Outside the window, the sky was dark. I must not have been here for very long since it was still night. I looked back at Anton and noticed Maddison behind him, sitting in a chair in the far corner, watching us with wide eyes.

“How long have I been sleeping?” I croaked.

Anton held a cup with a straw in front of me, and I took a drink of the cool water.

“The entire day,” Maddison replied, coming to the bedside. “You went into anaphylactic shock after eating that tofu.”

“I did?!”

“You didn’t know you were allergic to soy?” Anton asked, surprised.

“I’ve never had soy anything. Dad doesn’t like it.”

“Well, neither does your body,” Anton said. He tucked a stray lock of my hair behind my ear, and my body instantly awakened to his touch.

“The doctors said you’d sleep a lot, and you did,” Maddison continued.

“What happened?”

“You were in pain and agitated when you arrived, and, well, you’ll see when you look in the mirror—and you were covered in hives. They had to give you an EpiPen shot and some medication to calm you down, and they’ve got you on fluids to rehydrate you.” She leaned down and hugged me. “I’m just glad to see you awake and breathing.”

I dropped my head back onto the pillow. “How can something that tasted so good cause so much pain? I guess I won’t be going back to the food truck for tofu, after all.”

“No you won’t.” Anton squeezed my hand. “I echo Maddison’s sentiment—it’s a big relief to have you awake.”

“Phew!” Maddison exclaimed. “Cel, do you think you’ll be okay with Anton if I leave?”

“Yeah,” I answered.

She came and kissed my cheek. “Thanks Hun, I have a long day tomorrow, ending with a rehearsal.” Then she looked at Anton. “Thank you for taking care of her.”

“Of course,” he answered.

She headed for the door.

Anton remained beside me the rest of the night. I wanted him to lie in bed with me and just hold me, I would love to sleep in his embrace. But I contented myself with him holding my hand. We chatted about the most random things. A doctor came in and told us that I would be going home in the morning but would still need a few more days to rest and regain my strength. Relief washed over me—I would be out of the hospital soon. I’d never been hospitalized before and hearing all that had unfolded, this event felt quite scary. Getting out of here couldn’t come soon enough.

When it was time for me to be discharged from the hospital the following day, I refused to ride to the exit in a wheelchair. When Maddison left me with Anton, I didn’t know he was so skilled. A little too skilled in his role of taking care of me. He ignored my opinions.

“Does it look like I can’t walk?” I narrowed my eyes at him as I packed up the things Maddison brought for me.

“You look beautiful. But you’re still weak, Celia.”

“Don’t try to sweeten me up with compliments that you know aren’t true. I saw my face in the mirror, and I’m all puffy….”

He reached for me, taking both my hands in his, stopping my task.

“Hey….” He searched my gaze, and I looked at him through still-swollen eyelids “You look beautiful. All the swelling will go down completely in a few days as the doctor said.”

I leaned my forehead on his chest. “Thank you for saying that. I feel like wearing large eyeglasses and a beanie hat so that no one will recognize me.”

He rested his chin above my head, and I could feel the movement of his mouth as he spoke. “You still can, though the puffiness is so much less than two days ago.”

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