Henry’s eyes snapped open as he realized the truth. Hoping it was a misunderstanding, he propped himself up on his elbow to support his body and raised his head.
He saw vivid green eyes quietly looking down at him.
“Wh-why are you here?”
A hoarse voice flowed from Henry’s mouth. Declan, who had been quietly watching him clear his throat in embarrassment at that, answered in a low voice.
“…Your sister asked me.”
“Sister?”
As he searched his memory, he vaguely recalled a phone call with Veronica.
He remembered answering the phone, but he couldn’t recall what he had heard and answered at the time.
Henry hurriedly lifted the blanket and the pillow, trying to find his phone. He was worried whether he had acted unnecessarily childish toward her, who was at the church camp.
“…Looking for your phone?”
Seeing Henry’s urgent behavior, Declan asked. When Henry nodded while looking uncomfortable, Declan held out the phone that had been placed on the living room table.
Did I put it there while half-asleep? At the same time he thought that, Declan explained why he was handing him the phone from the table.
“When I arrived, it was on the floor. So I picked it up.”
“Uh… Thanks.”
He didn’t even have time to have unpleasant imaginings about whether he had opened the phone. As soon as he received the phone and opened it, a low battery notification appeared.
Looking at the pile of missed calls, it seemed the battery had died from his family’s contacts.
They were surely still worried. So Henry decided to leave a simple message for Veronica. It would be impossible to call since it was time for them to be in the middle of service.
Henry, who had been writing a message to send her, suddenly asked in a voice that had become hoarse.
“…Did Iris call you?”
After confirming Declan nodding his head, Henry swallowed dryly and continued writing the rest of the message.
[Sorry for worrying you. I didn’t say anything weird while half-asleep, did I? I took medicine and woke up well. Tell Iris that Russell arrived safely too.]
It was maddening. It wasn’t a situation he liked, but he couldn’t complain to anyone.
His family had only been worried about him when they couldn’t contact him properly, and Declan Russell, who had heard about it, was someone who had come all the way here to nurse him.
Henry wasn’t shameless enough to try picking a fight just because he didn’t like the identity of the person who came to take care of him.
The reason why it had to be Declan Russell of all people was even obvious.
Most of the school friends close to Henry that his family knew were people they had met at church. Joseph, David, and other friends too.
But wasn’t it New Year camp now? This one would be at church, that one would be at church too.
Even if they weren’t at church, spending the year-end and New Year with family would be much more common, so it would have been difficult to find a suitable person.
Henry could predict that the person they had thought of through process of elimination was Declan Russell.
He could understand up to this point. However, wouldn’t Joseph and David have definitely heard the story from nearby?
Henry was feeling a terrible sense of betrayal at the fact that neither of them had stopped his family.
“…And you came because they called you?”
Henry said with a sigh. It had only been a few days since he and Declan had fought.
Even if they hadn’t fought that day, he could assert that they weren’t on terms to casually visit, bring water to give medicine, tuck in blankets, and exchange nursing care.
“…Just. I didn’t have anything to do anyway.”
For just that reason, he thought naturally, but he didn’t bother asking. Because if he did, they would only become awkward with each other.
“…Thanks, though. For coming even though it must have been annoying. Was what you gave me earlier fever medicine?”
“Yeah.”
At his answer, Henry threw off the blanket to get up.
“You bought it, right? How much was it? I’ll pay you. It must have been hard to get medicine since it’s year-end.”
“It’s fine. I already had it.”
Declan pulled Henry back. Henry, who had been about to get up, was made to sit back down on the sofa.
Henry looked at the man, unable to hide his bewildered expression.
“…Didn’t you say you had the ointment on hand too?”
With a face asking what the problem was, Declan quietly looked at him.
“No… The ointment, I can understand. But why were you keeping fever medicine in that cramped dorm? Are you selling medicine at school or something?”
It was behavior Henry couldn’t understand. The school had an infirmary, and if you were sick, you could just go there. Why would he move into the dorm carrying fever medicine?
“I’m at the dorm during breaks too.”
The question naturally resolved itself after hearing Declan’s answer.
“Ah, right. The infirmary isn’t open during breaks.”
Henry admitted his thinking had been short. He had asked without even thinking that the infirmary wasn’t open during breaks.
“But why were you at the dorm during break too? Isn’t New York less hot than here in summer? Though I’ve never been.”
Henry asked Declan with a face that said he didn’t understand at all.
Wasn’t that right?
Unlike himself, Declan Russell was staying alone in a place away from his family. If you counted, he hadn’t seen his family for nearly a year now.
Thinking of Margaret, who wanted him to come home at least once a month, it felt all the more strange. Didn’t he miss his family, or didn’t they call him to come home?
It wouldn’t be as much as himself, whose home was 30 minutes from school, but still, wasn’t New York not so far away that it would be difficult to visit even during breaks?
Moreover, he didn’t seem to be in difficult financial circumstances. Most importantly, if visiting New York even once would be a burden financially, he wouldn’t have been able to enter Platts in the first place.
Platts was a school where, including dorm fees, you had to pay over $50,000 in annual tuition alone.
After roughly understanding the situation, unnecessary curiosity kept arising. About the reason why he had stayed in Texas last summer break, leaving aside New York which was less humid and less hot.
Henry raised his head to hear an answer, and his and Declan’s eyes met.
He didn’t think it was a particularly difficult or personal question. Given the conditions of Declan that he knew, he thought it would be more a matter of preference than a reason.
However, contrary to Henry’s thoughts, Declan didn’t give him an answer for quite a while.
Only then did Henry notice the air that had subtly cooled. To smooth over the situation, he had no choice but to hurriedly add more words.
“…Sorry if that was an awkward question. I asked without any particular meaning. You don’t have to answer.”
Since it hadn’t been an intentional question, the atmosphere that had unexpectedly changed was utterly bewildering.
But if it wasn’t a matter of preference, what kind of reason could there be?
Even trying to suppress it, his imagination kept spreading its wings. Though it wasn’t an area Henry’s mind could fathom.
“Hey. My mom said she made chicken soup and left it, want to eat it together?”
To break the atmosphere, Henry made the suggestion to Declan and got up from his seat. It would have been really nice if he had just gotten up and walked fine like that.
As he stood up abruptly, Henry staggered from the oncoming dizziness. Seeing him, Declan quickly got up and grabbed Henry’s arm.
“I’ll do it, so go sit down.”
“No, I’m just dizzy for a moment. I’m fine.”
“Go sit down.”
“I said I’m fine? Still, you’re the guest…”
Henry tried to be stubborn, but soon gave up. Because Declan didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go of his arm until he went and sat in the kitchen.
What could he do? He, who was a bit more flexible, should give in.
“Alright, alright. I’ll sit quietly and wait, so let go.”
Henry said, pointing to the arm Declan was holding. Only then did Declan release his hand. Henry followed behind Declan and sat in a dining chair.
Even though it was his second time visiting someone else’s home and should definitely be unfamiliar, Declan turned on the gas stove skillfully without wandering around much.
Regarding things he didn’t know well,
“Where are the bowls?”
“In the cupboard right above where you are.”
“Spoons?”
“The thin cabinet next to the oven.”
He asked Henry.
Declan successfully warmed up the chicken soup like that and put it in bowls.
He even took out a spoon from where he was told and brought it directly to Henry, placing it down for him.
“Eat first.”
After saying that, Declan went back, brought his own portion of soup, and sat across from Henry.
“Thanks.”
Henry took a spoonful of the clear soup broth. The savory taste of chicken spread in his mouth.
Chicken soup was also Henry’s favorite among the foods Margaret made. Because she had always made this soup for Henry when he was sick since he was young.
Henry was confident that Declan would like it too.
Not just himself—chicken soup was originally a food loved by countless Americans. It was a food that mothers often made when you were sick, a sentiment commonly shared by everyone in this country. So much so that chicken soup was synonymous with medicine.
Henry, thinking this was finally a topic Declan Russell could relate to, spoke to him.
“You like this too, right?”
“…Chicken soup?”
Declan asked back quietly. At the utterly ambiguous response, Henry spoke again.
“Doesn’t everyone eat this when they’re sick as a kid and grow up? I did.”
“I’m not sure.”
A blunt answer came back. He could have stopped at this point, but Henry tried hard to make up for his earlier mistake.
“Really? You didn’t eat this when you were sick?”
“…Not particularly. I don’t remember eating it.”
Why are you asking me such things? Declan answered with a face that didn’t understand at all.
Henry thought,
I’m screwed.
