Chapter 28

Kiefer was now lying on the bed with his eyes closed, his breath still heavy. Jacob, on the other hand, was sitting on the floor next to his bed while looking at the alpha's face from where he sat.

It was obvious that he had a pretty bad fever because of the way he collapsed earlier while changing his clothes.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" Jacob asked without wearing any expression on his face. "Mmm. Denise ordered porridge for me earlier and then I took my medicine after," Kiefer replied in a weak voice.

"Good. Just stay in bed for now and rest. I'm going home now," the omega said as he stood up. But before he could even turn around to leave, Kiefer quickly sat up and grabbed his wrist.

A soft groan left the alpha's mouth, feeling his head spin from his sudden movement. Jacob looked at him and let out a sigh.

"Rest. I won't leave," Jacob said as he cupped the alpha's cheek and rubbed his thumb on it gently.

Kiefer felt his heart thump against his chest. There was a tickling sensation within him that he couldn't quite explain well. All that he knows is that it was a pleasant feeling that he wouldn't mind lasting forever.

"I swear, you're like a little kid. I'm really not gonna leave, so lie back down," Jacob said as he gave him a soft smile.

"I'm sorry."

Kiefer's expression made the omega feel bad for ignoring him before. He looked like a sad little puppy looking up at him with a flushed face.

As if that wasn't enough to shake Jacob's conscience, Kiefer just had to pout at him and then look down.

It was a little awkward because Jacob never really initiates physical intimacy first when they fight, but he put one knee on the bed and gently pulled Kiefer for a hug.

"Apologizing is the least of your worries right now. Rest, Kief," the omega said as he felt Kiefer wrap his arms around him.

'He called me Kief...' Kiefer smiled as he hugged him a little tighter.

They stayed like that a little longer because Kiefer refused to let go of him, but Jacob kind of expected that. After all, Kiefer craves affection a lot more when he's sick, just like that time in the school infirmary when he asked the omega to hold his hand while he slept.

And while Kiefer was hugging Jacob, he couldn't help but feel more relaxed than he had been for the past few days.

'I missed his warmth, his scent, and his thin arms wrapped around my body,' Kiefer thought as he nuzzled his head on Jacob's abdomen.

'I missed him so badly,' he thought as he felt Jacob's hand rubbing his back.

And just like that, after being in that position for a long time, Kiefer slowly fell asleep in Jacob's arms.

The omega gently laid him on his bed and carefully tucked him under his blanket properly.

Staring at Kiefer's flushed face, Jacob felt his heart throb at the sight of the alpha being sick.

"Jake..."

Jacob flinched upon hearing the alpha call his name. Thinking he had woken him up, Jacob raised his brows, waiting for Kiefer to continue talking.

But all he did was call his name and scrunch his eyebrows as if he was having a bad dream.

The omega sighed softly and gently straightened the crease on Kiefer's forehead.

'What is he dreaming about?'

And just like what Jacob promised, he never left Kiefer's side.

Morning came and Kiefer woke up to Jacob resting his head on the bed while still sitting on the floor.

The towel on the alpha's forehead fell on his lap as he sat up and stared at Jacob's sleeping face.

'He nursed me all night...' Kiefer thought, still staring at the omega. He picked the towel up and placed it in the basin that was on the floor right next to Jacob, moving very gently and slowly to avoid waking him up.

Kiefer quickly grabbed his phone and took a few pictures of Jacob sleeping, like he was taking a picture of his pet that was sleeping in a cute position.

'God, he's just sleeping but he looks so darn cute!' He thought to himself as he felt his chest tighten.

He took more pictures and quickly lowered his phone when he saw him move.

Jacob raised his head and tilted his head on both sides, making a crunching sound from his neck. He opened his eyes and stretched his arms while looking at Kiefer who was watching him stretch.

The omega stood up and sat on the bed as he placed the back of his hand on Kiefer's forehead. Jacob smiled and wrapped his arms around Kiefer.

"Thank goodness you're not that hot anymore," he said as he closed his eyes, still sleepy.

"Fuck..." Kiefer mumbled as he felt a tickling sensation in his stomach.

His heart was pounding so loudly that he feared Jacob might hear his heartbeat. He gently pushed him, breaking away from the hug he was locked in.

"Jake, you might get sick too. I don't think it's a good idea to be that close to me," Kiefer said as he lowered his head, afraid that his face might show his true feelings.

Jacob blinked and stared at Kiefer, wondering what was up with him so early in the morning.

"But you were the one who didn't want to let go of me last night," Jacob said and yawned.

Kiefer flinched upon hearing what Jacob said. Honestly, it came as a shock to him when he remembered what he did last night, but he felt even more embarrassed when he thought what Jacob said sounded lewd.

'I wanna die. Why am I like this?' He thought to himself as he clenched his jaw, currently hating himself for having that kind of thought about his best friend.

"That was... I was... I was just not in the right mind last night. Sorry," Kiefer said as he sighed and covered his face with his palms.

Jacob laughed and patted the alpha's head.

"Sure. Let's go get breakfast," Jacob said with a smile on his face.

'God, this is so embarrassing...'