Chapter_4
Tyler sat down beside Naomi’s bed, his usual calm demeanor softened with concern. He looked down at her, his voice gentle.
“Are you feeling better? Would you like to eat an apple?”
Naomi shook her head, her frail figure sinking deeper into the pillows. “I feel terrible. I don’t have any appetite.”
Her eyes then flickered to the door, and she called out eagerly, “Come in, Olivia.”
Olivia hesitated before stepping inside. The room was quiet, the atmosphere strange. She felt like an outsider, standing there as an observer in her own life. Her palms were damp with sweat, her heart pounding in her chest. Tyler, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease. He tucked Naomi in with a soft, almost caring touch, completely comfortable in the role he’d taken.
Naomi’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. “What would you like to eat, Olivia?”
Glancing at her sister, Olivia tried to push away the strange feeling that twisted her stomach. Naomi seemed normal, even cheerful. Olivia was the one who felt off, like she didn’t belong. She forced herself to speak naturally.
“Anything,” she said, the word coming out a little too flat.
Naomi’s smile bloomed, but it was a playful, almost teasing smile. She turned to Tyler and, in a tone that was both light and affectionate, said, “Go wash the grapes, Tyler. Olivia loves them.”
Tyler nodded, his face impassive as he stood. “Sure.”
Without a hint of hesitation, he left to head toward the pantry, leaving the sisters alone. Olivia remained standing, unsure of what to do or say. Naomi waved at her with a soft, almost eager gesture.
“Come here, Olivia. Sit with me.”
They weren’t close—not really. Despite living under the same roof, they had hardly spoken, their relationship distant at best. It felt strange, awkward. But Olivia wasn’t one to refuse, not when Naomi asked her directly. She moved slowly, cautiously, and sat beside her sister’s bed, trying to make herself comfortable.
Naomi looked at her, her expression softened by the illness that drained her energy. “How’s school?”
At the question, Olivia’s chest tightened. Her hands clenched into fists, and she felt her throat tighten. Her heart raced as she tried to keep her voice steady.
“It’s not bad,” she answered quietly, her gaze fixed on the floor. She didn’t want to look her sister in the eye, didn’t want to see the pity in Naomi’s gaze.
The silence that followed was thick, and Olivia felt every second of it. It stretched between them, a chasm she didn’t know how to cross.
Fortunately, the nurse arrived just then, breaking the tension. Naomi turned her head toward the woman with a quiet request. “Get Olivia a glass of milk.”
“Of course, Ms. Naomi,” the nurse replied, walking to the fridge.
Olivia sat in silence, head down, as she tried to find her way through the discomfort she felt in this room. When the nurse handed her the milk, her hands felt unsteady. She kept her gaze low, trying to hide the awkwardness bubbling up inside her.
But in her carelessness, the glass slipped from her fingers, spilling the milk across her lap. The cold liquid splashed on her skin, sending a jolt of surprise through her. She jumped back, startled, while Naomi and the nurse both gasped.
The nurse immediately began apologizing. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Olivia. I didn’t hold it properly.”
Olivia shook her head quickly. “No, it’s my fault. I wasn’t careful. I’ll clean it up.” She rushed to stand, hoping to escape the awkwardness of the moment.
She made her way to the pantry, intent on grabbing a towel, but then froze. There, in front of her, was Tyler, unbuttoning his sleeves. His forearms, strong and muscular beneath the black shirt, were exposed as he bent over, washing the grapes with careful precision. The water flowed between his fingers, and droplets slid down the surface of the grapes, shimmering in the light.
Olivia stood there, paralyzed by an unexpected rush of heat that swept through her. The image of him, bent over the sink with his sleeves rolled up, his hands gliding over the grapes… it made her heart beat faster, made her chest tighten. Her mind flashed to an image of him holding her hand, the warmth of his fingers brushing over hers. The thought sent a strange tremor through her.
She didn’t realize she had been staring until Tyler looked up and caught her gaze. His eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. “What happened?”
Flustered, Olivia pinched the wet part of her denim pants, trying to hide her discomfort. She spoke in a soft, almost inaudible voice. “I spilled milk on myself.”
Tyler didn’t miss a beat. He put the grapes aside and moved aside to make space for her, his tone casual but somehow commanding. “Come clean yourself.”
Olivia nodded, feeling her breath catch in her throat. Her mind was still swirling as she stepped closer. But as she walked into the small space by the sink, her foot caught on something. She didn’t notice the grape that had fallen onto the floor.
Her shoe crushed it, and the purple juice splattered across the white fabric, ruining the shoe. She lost her balance, her body pitching forward in a panic.
Tyler, quick as ever, reacted immediately. He set the plate down with practiced ease and reached out, catching her waist just in time, pulling her into his arms.
Olivia’s face slammed against his chest, and she instinctively grabbed at his shirt to steady herself. The fabric wrinkled beneath her grip. She could feel the heat of his body against hers, the thud of his heart beneath her ear.
They stood there, both breathing heavily, caught in an awkward but intimate embrace. Olivia’s pulse raced in her ears, and she could feel the warmth of his body seeping into hers.
The grapes, forgotten for a moment, bounced off the plate and scattered across the floor once again, now even dirtier than before. Neither of them moved immediately, trapped in the tension of the moment.
The air between them was thick with unspoken things, things neither of them wanted to address but that both felt with every inch of their skin.