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and
concentrated on my paper. I wanted to be as well prepared as
possible before meeting him the next day. By the time I had
finished, my eyes were too heavy to stay awake. I barely had enough
strength to brush my teeth and take off my clothes before dropping
my self on the bed.
    3.
    ROMANCE
    That’s
interesting!’
    A familiar voice I could not exactly
identify woke me up. I opened my eyes unwillingly, to see that
Christopher was standing at my bedroom door, leaning his left
shoulder against the doorframe. He could not be there. I was
certain I was still dreaming.
    His beautiful blue eyes were fixed on me, and
his teasing smile sent the sleep instantly away from my swollen
eyes. I drew the sheets up to my chest and sat up with a fast
move.
    ‘What…How did you get in here?’ I asked,
glowering at him. My initial confusion had started to give way to
fury and exasperation.
    He used his hand to shade his eyes, as if he was
trying not to look at me, and walked towards my bed. He reached for
my T-shirt on the chair next to my bed and then came to sit next to
me. His hand was still ridiculously in front of his eyes.
    ‘Kate let me in. She had to rush and she told me
to knock on your door.’
    ‘I don’t believe it!’ I whispered to myself.
What was Kate thinking to let him in just like that? His face
turned more serious.
    ‘Actually, it was my fault. I told her you were
waiting for me. Sorry to let myself in like this, but I’ve been
knocking for more than ten minutes. I was… worried about you.’
    ‘Well, as you see, I’m fine. Quite embarrassed,
but fine.’ I said in a stiff voice. He took his hand from his eyes
and looked at me with his attractive, disarming smile brightening
his face.
    ‘Don’t worry. I am almost as embarrassed as you
are.’ he said, but I doubted that.
    ‘I guess you forgot about our meeting.’ he went
on as he stood up and walked to the door.
    ‘Damn it’! I cursed. I checked at the clock on
my bedside table. It was eleven thirty. How could I have
overslept?
    ‘I’ll make coffee.’ he chuckled, making for the
kitchen.
    How many times can a woman make
a fool of herself in front of the same man and still hope he
fancies her? I asked myself as I got up.
    ‘How can you live on these?’ Christopher
wondered with his head in the almost empty fridge. ‘Do you know
there’s nothing edible in here …besides those oysters?’ He took one
and smelled it before putting it back.
    ‘You don’t have to do it, you know.’ I said
coldly as I walked into the kitchen. I had put on a T-shirt and a
pair of loose shorts now. He turned, slightly irritated.
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘You don’t have to baby-sit me.’
    I was sure he detected the cruelty in my voice
but he could not explain it. I could not either. Lack of caffeine
in combination with humiliation had turned me into a monster.
    ‘Is that what I’m doing?’
    ‘What else?’ I took a long sip of the frappe
coffee he had made for me.
    ‘Taking care of you is much better, I gather.’
he said.
    I looked at him with a frown. ‘And why are you
taking care of me, Dr Auburn?’
    He shrugged. ‘As I said, returning your father a
favor. Isn’t that enough?’
    ‘More than enough. You can tell Daugh next time
you see him, that I’m a big girl now. Big enough to take care of
myself.’
    He closed the fridge door and came to sit on the
chair right across. He raised his hand to touch my chin and made me
look at him. Once again, his eyes were so capturing that kept me
breathless.
    ‘I prefer to think of you as a woman, not as a
girl.’ he said softly, making my heart beat fast.
    ‘Now drink your coffee. We have a lot to do and
it’s almost noon.’ He stood up and walked towards the cupboard.
    ‘I can manage on my own. You don’t have to
change your plans.’ I insisted.
    ‘I didn’t know I had other plans.’ he said
casually, discovering a box of chocolate biscuits in the cupboard.
He seemed to be enjoying my little attack now.