Just seeing her name felt urgent, leaving him worried. Something tugged at him, and without thinking twice, he tapped on the message.
His eyes widened as he read her text.
"Jess, I'm so sick. I think it's fever. It's so bad I feel like I could die. My parents aren't home, and I need you. Please come, urgently, if you can. I can't even see the alphabets clearly to type. Can you save me? If you can't, I will understand."
Bruno froze when his gaze landed on the time the message was received.
Then he jumped to his feet.
"An hour ago?!" he screamed internally, panicking as he rushed to his wardrobe to change.
An hour had passed since she sent the message. Beauty must have been waiting, thinking Jessie was ignoring her.
Not knowing she had accidentally sent it to him instead. Worse, she was home alone.
Without wasting another second, Bruno grabbed his jacket and keys and rushed out the door.
He dialed her number, hoping she would pick up, so he could reassure her that he was on his way.
Unfortunately, it went straight to voicemail.
He tried again, his heart thudding faster with every ring, but still no answer.
---
Beauty was lying in the same position when her phone suddenly started ringing.
She forced her head up and glanced at the door leading to her room. It looked like it was miles away.
"Jessie... please don't tell me you can't make it," she mumbled, too weak to say another word.
---
Bruno sighed.
He had called about 20 times, which made him dead worried. Panic started to grip him, and many frightening thoughts flooded his mind.
What if she was too weak to pick up the phone? What if it was worse than she said? What if she had passed out from the fever?
He clenched his jaw, and cursed feeling useless.
Beauty wasn't the type to exaggerate, and her message had sounded very serious. The fact that she thought she could die left him unsettled. And the realization that an entire hour had passed without her getting any help gnawed at him.
She must be disappointed, thinking the message was delivered to her friend. If her friend got the message, I'm sure she would have done the same as I'm doing now but an ag hour earlier, Bruno thought.
He fumbled with his car door, his hands shaking slightly, both from the cold and his anxiety.
Settling into his car, he took a deep breath and searched for any healthcare facilities open near his location at that time.
He got lucky and found one.
Quickly, he gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white as he sped out of the driveway, the tires skidding slightly on the road heading to the healthcare to purchase drugs.
1:04 a.m.
The empty streets stretched ahead of him, but his mind was full of images of Beauty lying helpless, battling a fever she couldn't handle on her own.
"She must be terrified... her parents aren't even home. Why didn't I notice the message sooner? What if I'm too late?"
He pressed harder on the gas pedal, his heart racing in sync with the speed of the car. He had to get to her. There was no time to waste. He was already an hour late!
Finally, Bruno's car screeched to a halt in front of Beauty's house, his heart pounding in his chest.
He jumped out carrying the medical materials he bought, rushing to the front door. He knocked hard, the sound echoing through the quiet night.
"Beauty?" he called, his voice filled with panic.
No answer.
Bruno pressed the doorbell repeatedly.
Still nothing.
Without thinking, he tried the handle, and to his surprise, it wasn't locked.
He felt a bit of relief, but then a terrifying thought came to his mind.
"Had she been too weak to lock it? Or had she collapsed before she could? What if someone dangerous got here before you?!"
The thought made his heart race even faster.
He shoved the door open and rushed inside. The house was silent—eerily so—except for the faint sound of his hurried footsteps echoing across the corridor.
"Beauty!" he called out.
The living room was empty. He was about to rush up the stairs when he heard a groan from the kitchen.
He glanced in that direction and found Beauty lying on the kitchen floor.
"Beauty!"
He dropped everything he had in his hands and ran to her.
She was burning up. He could feel the heat radiating from her even before he touched her.
Her skin was scalding hot. She was shivering despite the hot body temperature.
"What a fever," he said softly as he carried her in his arms heading to the bedroom.
"Jessie..."
Beauty muttered weakly, her voice barely a whisper.
Her eyelids fluttered, half-open, but she seemed unable to see clearly.
"Beauty, it's me Bruno," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, though his heart was racing. She barely reacted, her eyes half-closed, clearly not understanding what's happening around her.
"You're going to be okay," he whispered, though he wasn't sure if she could hear him.
He got to her bedroom after searching the rooms in the house.
Gently, he laid her down on the bed and took out his phone. He browsed how to reduce a fever home remedy.
"Got it!" he nodded immediately and sat beside Beauty.
He took a closer look at her. Her flushed cheeks, glistening with sweat from the fever, made her look more fragile and, somehow, even more alluring to him.
His mind was racing, but he tried to focus on the instructions he found online. However, the longer he stood there, the harder it became to ignore the tension building inside him.
Thinking quickly, he grabbed a towel from her wardrobe and dashed into the bathroom to dampen it with cold water.
His hands trembled slightly as he wrung it out and rushed back to her.
He carefully placed the cool cloth on her burning forehead, watching her closely as her hot, labored breaths continued.
He soaked the cloth in cool water again, his hands trembling slightly, and carefully placed it back on her forehead.
Every time the cloth touched her skin, he felt a shock run through him, as if her fever was spreading to him too. He wiped her face gently, trying to cool her down.
That caused a few strands of her hair to fall across her face, sticking to her damp skin.
Bruno swallowed hard and gently brushed them away, his fingers grazing her cheek.
Her skin was soft, hot to the touch, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. His hand stayed there longer than it should and for a moment, he forgot everything else.
Then slowly, his eyes fell to her lips, slightly parted.
"Just one kiss, your first kiss you damn virgin, no one has to know," a voice whispered in his mind, pulling him in.
She looked so beautiful, even in her fevered state. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he found himself leaning closer to her, his face just inches away from hers.