The next day rolled around and Hope found herself bedridden, unable to move with a harsh cough
gripping her chest and nasty fever burning her whole body. There was obviously no option of going to
the college since she had caught the flu for walking too long under the sun and because of the fatigue it
had caused.
She remembered that at night her phone had kept ringing with calls and messages but without looking
at the screen she had turned off the phone and avoided everything that bounded her to the outer world.
Her mood was ruined so badly and she did not think she could talk to anybody without snapping in
anger.
She had had dinner with her parents and then after coming back to the room, she had fallen asleep like
the dead. Her feet had burn marks and cuts from the sandals that she had successfully hidden from her
parents by wearing long trousers.
But as the morning sunshine hit the window she realized that she was sick to death. Bile kept rising her
throat, making her run to the bathroom every ten minutes.
When she did not go down to have breakfast, her mom came up to check on her and immediately got
worried after seeing her red face, runny nose and baggy eyes. She immediately rushed down to get
medicine and some soup for Hope while Hope went back to the bed to hide under her duvet and avoid
the sunlight.
As her mom came back, she made Hope take the medicine with water and some soup. In the middle of
it suddenly the doorbell rang.
Hope's gaze immediately shot to the wall watch seeing the time. Nine am. She knew who was at the
door this early.
As her mom stood up to go down, Hope grabbed her arm and said,
"Mom?"
Her mom immediately turned to her, "Yeah, honey?"
"If it is Damon or Hector at the door, please do not let them come up here. I do not think I will be able to
talk to anyone right now." She requested softly.
Her mother, obviously taking it as a mood of sickness nodded her head in acceptance and ushered her
to quickly finish the soup and go back to the bed and then went away to check the door.
Putting the soup on the bedside table she gently moved to the window while taking the duvet over her
head and dragging it along covering her body.
Her guess was right. She could see Varys' car standing outside at main gates of her home. After a
while, she saw him moving out from her doorstep and walking back towards his car with swift, angry
strides.
Suddenly he turned back to look at the window that she was standing close to. she immediately pulled
back, hiding behind the heavy curtains of the window to avoid him.
A couple of minutes later when she was sure that he had gone away she came out of the curtains to
look outside and saw his car was gone.
Despite no reason at all disappointment filled her deeply. Seeing him here was a momentum relief that
she did not know she needed so desperately. But she did not think it was going to last longer. She had
decided to distance herself from him. Her attachment to him was becoming too unhealthy and deep
and she was not sure that he felt the same for her. So before she got hurt and humiliated, she was
going to pull herself out of the trap that Varys had cast upon her.
Two more days passed by like that. Varys did not miss even one. He would come to the door, request
Hope's mom to let him meet her, but she always refused, not giving her mom even a chance to budge.
Her days went by watching the TV shows and scrolling through channels aimlessly. She had still not
turned on her phone in fear of being expected to give back a response. She wanted to enjoy some
solace away from all the chaos. Stella had called Hope's mom when she had not answered, and her
mom had explained her sickness to her. When she had insisted on talking to Hope, Hope told her mom
to say that she was sleeping and tired from all the vomiting.
When the fourth day came she was all good as new. The sickness had finally passed and it was time to
return to the real world.
But she was still not ready to face Varys. She knew he will be here at nine to pick her up so she left for
college at eight-thirty. It gave her time to grab a bus and ride to the college while listening to the music
all the way for the next half an hour.
Upon reaching college she met some classmates and caught up with all the missed classes. She saw
Stella as well and let her know that she was alright.
After catching up with everything it was time to do the thing that she was dreading the most.
She turned on her phone.
Uncountable rings and chimes of notifications and msgs filled her ears until she turned the vibration on
to avoid the annoying sounds.
When the hurricane stopped she started to go through all of them one by one. The most messages and
missed calls were from the person that she wanted to avoid the most.
Two hundred and five messages and fifty calls were covering her phone screen from Varys alone.
"Where are you?"
"Are you alright?"
"How are you feeling now?"
"Why did you tell your mom that you do not want to meet my right now? I would have made you feel
better. Do not suffer alone. You must be getting pretty bored."
"Are you too sick? Should I bring you anything?"
"I will come back tomorrow. Please tell your mom to let me in."
"Come on, Hope! Where the fuck are you? Why aren't you replying?"
"Are you still upset about what happened between us at the college? Please let me know and fucking
talk to me!"
"You are driving me crazy! Have you left the fucking country without telling me?"
And just when the bell for the classes rang, she lifted up her face only to come in front of a seething
Varys striding towards her.
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