A little fluff in between the drama
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It was dark in her room when Cora woke up. She reached for her phone; it was four in the morning. She was surprised to see it was Sunday, she must have slept most of the Saturday.
Her mouth was dry, but the cup next to her bed was empty. Cora got up, put her slippers on her feet and wrapped herself in her dressing gown that was lying on the chair next to her bed. With the cup in her hand, she walked towards the kitchen. Passing by her living room, she heard snoring. Then she saw Robert, who was asleep on the sofa.
It warmed her heart that he was still here. For a moment she thought it had been a fever dream that Robert told her he liked her. But seeing him sleeping in her house, told her, it had not been a dream. Cora walked towards him and lowered herself in front of his sleeping figure.
She pulled up the blanket he had draped over himself, to cover him better. This made him stir. “Just sleep, it is alright you can sleep.” She said softly.
But Robert did wake up and he looked at her disoriented, but then he jerked up. “Cora? Are you feeling worse? Do you need something?
With her hand on his upper arm, she pushed him back down, and she made a sussing sound. “I am alright. Calm down.” She noticed that her voice was not as stuffy as it was before, although her nose was still blocked.
“Are you sure?”
Cora put her hand on Robert’s cheek. “Positive. I woke up and needed some water. Then I saw you sleeping with the blanket half on the floor.”
“I hope you do not mind that I am sleeping here. I did not want to leave you alone. You had two very hard days.”
Cora smiled; her thumb was brushing over his cheekbone. “Why would I mind? I can only be grateful you were here to take care of me. I am feeling better now, the fever is gone.”
Robert pressed his hand on her forehead and nodded. “You are warm, but not boiling as you were yesterday. That is a relief.”
“It cannot be comfortable, sleeping on this sofa,” Cora said a bit shy. “My bed is big enough for two people.”
“Are you sure about that?” Robert asked, he rested his hand on her shoulder.
“I cannot imagine you want to make a move on me, while I am this snotty.” It was as if her body wanted to prove her point because she started sneezing.
Robert frowned. “You still sound very congested. I will lie down on the other side of your bed if you promise to try and get some more sleep.
Cora nodded before she turned away to clear her nose. She wished she was feeling better, she wanted to know how Robert’s lips felt. It was a good thing her face was not visible for Robert, because that thought made her cheeks burn.
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Robert wanted to stretch, but when he felt a strange sensation in the palm of his hand, he stopped. With only her fingertips Cora’s hand was resting on his. Sunbeams fell on her and he had a perfect view of her face. Her lips were slightly parted, and she was breathing through her mouth. Her face was relaxed, he had to fight the urge to follow the lines of her cheekbones and jaw with his finger.
He closed his hand around Cora’s, who squirmed content. He saw she was waking up, he waited for her to open her eyes. But she did not, instead, she got closer and curled herself up into a ball. Robert hesitated, but then he wrapped his arm around her and rested his hand on her lower back. He felt Cora sigh content.
Who had thought that him making her chicken broth would lead to them cuddling in bed? There was a lot they had to figure out. But for now, he wanted to enjoy this peaceful feeling. It was something he could get used to. Sleeping and waking up next to this beautiful woman.
He felt Cora sneeze multiple times. He chuckled, she tried to sneeze so softly, that he only felt it, and did not hear it. “It does not want to go that cold of yours.” He said, while he stroked over her hair.
“Sorry.” Cora started to apologise.
“Cora!? What for?” He pushed himself back a little so he could look at her.
Cora’s hand moved over his chest; her hand covered with the sleeve of her shirt. “I once again made a mess.”
Robert laughed. “This weekend has a theme: try to get every shirt that Robert has with him dirty.” When he saw how embarrassed Cora looked at him, he quickly pressed a kiss on her forehead. “I am only kidding. Do not worry about that. I will put it in the washer, and it will be clean. Please, do not worry. I am sorry you are still this sneezy.”
“There is one positive note on me being ill.” Cora smiled. “My parents will not book my flight home.”
“They can book what they want, I am not letting you go back to New York. Not yet.”
“It is sweet of you to say, but I do not really have a choice. The collaboration is cancelled between the two companies, the house is sold. I cannot stay here in London without a job and without a roof over my head.”
“The house situation is covered, as I told you, Rosamund made sure it would not be sold to anybody else.” Robert took her hands in his and brought her knuckles to his lips. He pressed a kiss on them. “I will make us breakfast and then we can talk about the rest.”
This melted Cora’s heart. It was such a sweet and gentle gesture. She felt butterflies in her stomach. “Is it alright if I take a shower first?”
Robert pressed another kiss on her knuckles, since he could not kiss her lips, he had to do with this. “Breakfast will be ready when you are.”
Verhalen van Traan 