Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

The warmth of the tea slid down Sylvia's throat, easing the scratchiness and calming her nerves.

Gradually, she started to relax. The person beside her gently grazed her lips with his thumb, as if he was handling something precious.

He leaned in closer, his breath hot against her cheek.

Sylvia instinctively held her breath. Even though her vision was blurry, she could tell he was inches away-close enough that the slightest movement would close the gap between their lips.

Just then, the meds fully kicked in, and Sylvia's limbs went limp. She slumped onto the couch.

Almost immediately, a strong arm wrapped around her, pulling her close. The steady beat of his heart thudded in her ear-a strange comfort.

Half-conscious, she felt a soft kiss land on her forehead.

"Get some rest."

His deep, gentle voice seemed almost magical, lulling Sylvia into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

When she opened her eyes again, she was staring at a white ceiling. She touched her forehead-no more fever, thankfully. But she still felt as weak as a kitten.

She reached for the glass of water on the coffee table, but her arm just wouldn't cooperate.

A hand appeared, putting the glass gently into her grasp.noveldrama

"You're awake?"

That voice...

Sylvia looked up and froze. "Mr. Sanford? What are you doing in my apartment?"

Lester reached out to help her sit up and take a sip of water. "Don't worry, it's not what you think. I was passing by your studio to ask about a design, but your coworker said you were sick. I got your address and came to check on you. Tried calling and knocking, but you didn't answer. Your neighbor happened to come home-she had your spare key, so we let ourselves in."

Sylvia and Ms. Ward were both single women, and for safety's sake, they each kept a spare key to the other's place.

Clutching her cup, Sylvia mumbled a thank you, feeling embarrassingly awkward. So the person from earlier was really Lester?

She glanced around the room as if expecting to find someone else, but it was just Lester. The realization made her feel a little silly.

Lester noticed her glance. "Feeling any better?"

Sylvia nodded. "Much better, thanks."

"Let's get you something to eat. You'll feel stronger." Lester gestured to the dining table.

Sylvia looked over and was surprised to see a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup, with a plate of warm blueberry muffins-her favorites.

She stood up in surprise, forgetting how shaky she was, and the room spun. Lester caught her before she could fall.

"Easy now," he said. "Let me help you."

"Okay."

He guided her to the table and they sat down.

Sylvia picked up her spoon. The soup was rich and

homemade-definitely not takeout.

He must have been simmering it for

a while. So, it really was Lester

who'd cared for her.

She gripped her spoon tightly, a mix of gratitude and embarrassment twisting her

stomach, leaving her almost without an appetite.

"Not hungry?" Lester asked, watching her.

"No, it's great-thank you. Sorry you had to go through all this trouble."

She managed to eat half her soup and a couple bites of muffin, but couldn't force herself to finish.

When she put her spoon down, Lester handed her a glass of water and a couple of pills.

"Take these with food, or your stomach will be upset."

Looking at how thoughtful he was, Sylvia couldn't help remembering those blurry moments from before-especially the warm kiss she thought she'd felt on he

forehead.

Awkwardly, she began, "Mr. Sanford, I was running a high fever earlier, so if I...”

Before she could finish, the door swung open and Ms. Ward burst in.

"Sylvia! You're up! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, really," Sylvia replied quickly.

But then she noticed the suspicious look Ms. Ward was giving Lester.

Knowing her neighbor's flair for drama, Sylvia silently panicked and tried to intervene too late.

Ms. Ward put her hands on her hips and jabbed her finger at Lester, "Well, well! So it's you, you heartbreaker!"

Lester blinked, caught off guard. "Heartbreaker?"

"Oh, don't play dumb! Just because you wore a mask last time doesn't

mean I wouldn't recognize you.

knew you looked familiar! You've got

some nerve showing up to mess

with our Sylvia again!"