• WATTYS 2022 WINNER •
When Iris Monet married millionaire Jared Darling, she had only one rule - that he could cheat on her with anyone except the household staff. This arrangement of theirs would have gone on quite happily if she hadn't caught him...
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IT'S 9 PM, and I'm sneezing my head off.
Groaning, I pull the blanket a little higher up to my chin. Wads of used tissue litter my bedside table, and my shirt is damp with sweat.
There's a knock on the door. It's probably Anita. With her bedroom being directly opposite me, she's probably heard me sneeze my guts out for the previous half hour and decided she's had enough.
"Come in." My voice is nasal and thick.
The door opens, and I immediately struggle to sit up straight. Fuck, my hair looks like a magpie's nest. My bedroom isn't looking all that much better either.
Akai looks like he's just come out of the shower. He's dressed in what must be his pajamas – a two-piece matching set of navy-blue cotton that reminds me of a kimono. Either way it looks very stately and traditional, and when I look down at my Winnie the Pooh shirt I feel absurdly intimidated.
His eyes roam around my bedroom, pausing for half a second on the bra I've carelessly thrown over a chair, before looking quickly away. For the first time since I've known him, Akai looks uncertain of himself.
He's holding a cup of warm water, and approaching the bed, thrusts it in my general direction.
"Thanks." I'm not sure if my heart is thudding fast from being sick or being near him. "Why are you here? I thought you were Anita."
"Anita's not here; it's her off-day. And I could hear you sneezing from upstairs. You're very loud."
It's an observation, not a complaint. I take a drink of water and wince.
"Too hot?"
"No, it's just – my throat hurts. And I think I've got a fever."
Was that a glimmer of concern I just saw? Akai places the back of his hand against my forehead and the other against his own.
"You do. Wait."
Before I can stop him, he leaves. He's gone for a while, and I've almost fallen asleep when he returns, holding a small glass of what looks like mango juice.
The drink is warm in my hands. I look at him questioningly.
"Tamagozake. Egg sake."
I stare at him. "You're giving me alcohol?"
"Mixed with one raw egg, yes."
I take a sniff. The fermented rice scent of sake hits me immediately. "Are you sure this is fine?"
Akai sits down on the edge of my bed. "Even Chihiro drinks it when she's sick. Unless you're telling me you can't handle as much alcohol as an ten-year-old?"
"Still as acidic as ever, I see," I mutter.
One gulp, and I finish the drink. It slips down my throat easily, all warm and sweet. Beneath the alcohol and the egg, I can taste honey.
