Divorce and Desire: Love with My Boss

It had already been two days since Ethan left. During this time, Noah hadn't had any contact with him, but tomorrow was the day they had agreed upon.

In the pitch-black night, Noah curled up in his blanket like a shrimp.

He pressed his hand tightly against his stomach, which was now in so much pain that cold sweat was breaking out. His hair, soaked in sweat, stuck together in messy clumps.

Noah's experience told him that taking medicine wouldn't be enough to relieve the pain this time.

Helpless, Noah swallowed two painkillers. After a while, when he started to feel a little better, he got up and pulled on a black down jacket.

The jacket was large enough to envelop him entirely.

Since it was already the middle of the night, he went straight to the emergency room.

Without hesitation, Noah described his condition to the nurse. "I have acute gastroenteritis. It was caused by irregular meals, alcohol, and spicy food. But it hasn't flared up in six months. I took two of these before coming here."

He pulled out the box of medicine from his pocket and handed it to the nurse.

The liquid in the glass bottle flowed coolly through the IV tube and into his veins.

Noah leaned back in the chair, unsure what kind of medicine it was, but his mouth was filled with the bitter, astringent taste of the medication.

He swallowed several times, but it didn't seem to go away.

The heating in the hospital was strong, but despite wearing a thick down jacket, Noah still felt cold.

He used his free left hand to rub his arms, trying to get rid of the goosebumps that had formed.

The emergency room was nearly empty at 3 a.m.

He was the only one there, and the overhead fluorescent lights seemed especially harsh in the dark, bright enough to make his eyes feel sore.

Noah glanced at the full glass bottle and closed his eyes.

It wasn't until he heard a soft creak that he opened his eyes again, only to see a blurry figure standing beside him.

It seemed like someone else shared his suffering, so Noah closed his eyes again.

That was when a piece of candy brushed against his lips, and the refreshing scent of orange wafted into his nose.

Noah turned his head and was met with a pair of familiar almond-shaped eyes.

He took the candy into his mouth, letting his tongue swirl around it to fully wrap it in sweetness.

"Why are you back early? Were you waiting for me?"

The sweetness of the candy cut through the bitterness in his mouth, making him smile and narrow his eyes in contentment.

Ethan's deep, magnetic voice, combined with a faint chill in the air, sent goosebumps rushing back over Noah's skin.

"Mm, I wanted to see you."

Noah froze for a moment, and then his heart started to pound wildly, faster than it ever had before.

He bit his lip, not daring to speak. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, the pounding of his heart would spill out from his throat.

"Can I hug you?"

Noah looked at Ethan. The man's hair was slightly messy from the wind, and if Noah looked closely, he could see a hint of red at the corners of his eyes.

But his gaze was bright as he looked at Noah, like the stars twinkling in the night sky.

"Yes." Noah could barely recognize his own voice—it was hoarse and strained.

He frowned slightly, as if he wanted to clear his throat, but before he could, he was pulled into a warm embrace.

The hug was light, almost as if Ethan had just come inside from the cold. His body felt hot, though it wasn't overwhelming.

Noah could feel the heat of Ethan's chest through the fabric of his own clothes, and the skin around his eyelids grew warm from the closeness.

Neither of them spoke. They simply embraced in the silent night, in the empty emergency room, with only the hum of the air conditioning filling the space.

" Nurse, someone needs a dressing change."

Perhaps because the night was unusually quiet, the nurse's voice was soft and gentle. "I saw you were asleep earlier, and I was just thinking of watching over you."

Noah smiled at her. "Well, I didn't expect him to come back so early. He said he'd be back tomorrow, but here he is, today."

Knowing that Ethan wasn't supposed to return until tomorrow, Noah had been anticipating it ever since Ethan left.

But just as he was about to reach happiness, it had already knocked on his door, impatient to arrive early.

He looked at Ethan, tall and upright beside him, and for the first time, felt like maybe this was a shoulder worth leaning on.

"Do you feel any better?"

Noah still had two more bags of IV fluids to go.

"A little better, but it still feels uncomfortable."

"You're covering your stomach with your coat, I can't feel anything through that."

Noah looked down at Ethan's hand resting on his abdomen and couldn't help but laugh a little.

Ethan cleared his throat twice, preparing to quietly withdraw his hand.

"Rub it, but make sure it's clockwise." Noah placed his hand over Ethan's, tapping it twice.

Ethan began to rub with more intensity, and even through the thick layers of clothing, Noah could feel the gentle pressure of his palm.

Noah wasn't sure how long Ethan had been rubbing, but he knew he had emptied another bottle of medicine.

"Aren't you tired?" Noah asked, feeling his wrist ache just from watching.

"No."

Ethan was stubborn, and Noah wasn't naive—he could feel the change in pressure on his lower abdomen.

"Alright, it doesn't hurt anymore. Can I ask you one more question?"

"Are you going to ask me how I knew you were here?"

That answer was easy to guess, so Noah wasn't asking that.

Noah shook his head, staring at Ethan with unwavering eyes. "I want to ask why you like me. Don't try to fool me."

There wasn't really a special reason. In this world, people either fell in love at first sight or developed feelings over time.

Ethan belonged to the former.

It happened when they were waiting for the light to change. Ethan was watching the pedestrians, and in the midst of the noisy crowd, his eyes caught sight of a man quietly crying, his tears falling like autumn leaves.

Although he thought the man looked beautiful even when he cried, like a daffodil in the early morning dew, he still felt that this face would look even better with a smile.

He shamefully felt his heart stir, because of that crying face.

"There's no special reason. I just looked at you, and I liked you."

Noah squinted. No matter how he looked at it, Ethan didn't seem like the type to fall in love at first sight.

But strangely, he couldn't shake the feeling that Ethan's answer wasn't all that surprising.

"Didn't you think about what would happen if I didn't like you back?" Of course, this hypothetical situation was starting to fall apart.

"If you don't like me, that's your right and freedom. If I can make you like me, then that's my skill."

Noah nodded in agreement. "So, how about we go watch a movie together tomorrow?"

"No, thanks."

The answer caught him off guard—it was a rejection. He had expected Ethan to agree immediately.

"You probably didn't sleep well tonight. Since you've agreed to watch a movie with me, there's no rush."

It was true. Noah had been woken up by the sharp pain in his stomach. At first, he thought it was just a stomachache from food, but after a few trips to the bathroom, there was no relief.

That's when he realized something was wrong, but as time passed, the pain only worsened, and in the end, he had to take two painkillers.