Chapter 281
Felix was hospitalized two weeks ago. Colin had lost a lot of weight from taking care of him, but he had to forge on. His parents were also quite old, so he had to be the pillar of the household.
However, his eyes still sparkled with life when he was with me. He’d grin seductively at me. Like opium poppy, it was beautiful, lethal, and addictive.
He’d coo and ask if I had eaten or why I looked under the weather. Then, he’d feed me the chicken soup Mom brewed personally.
He’d also apologized for not spending more time with me and promised that once Felix felt better, he’d travel with me and bring me to a beautiful place.
I smirked and nodded my head.
Unbeknownst to Colin, he was the most beautiful thing in my world. I didn’t need to see any other tourist sights.
For his stellar performance, I added even more flowers next to his name in my mental note. He was closer to becoming my official boyfriend!
One day, Mom told me during dinner that she had visited Felix in the afternoon. She told me that he refused to talk to anyone or get out of bed. He also refused to eat. Melinda was so worried that she lost a lot of weight too.
I gave no comment, but I had an ominous feeling.
Sometimes, I hated the fact that I almost always jinxed myself.
After dinner, Melinda came to my house with teary eyes. She grabbed my hands as soon as she stepped inside and begged me to talk to Felix.
Colin was right behind Melinda. He kept telling his mom that this had nothing to do with me and that she shouldn’t bother me. He said that they only needed to send Felix to a hospital.
1/3
15 BORUS
But Melinda was headstrong. She grabbed my hands and began dragging me to her home.
Seeing the distraught state of her friend, Mom asked Melinda what had happened in a concerned tone.
We then learned that after Felix was discharged from the hospital, his appetite slowly dwindled. He had not eaten anything for two days, and he looked almost skeletal now. He refused to listen to anyone’s advice, and his breathing had become faint, almost as if he was about to die.
Given how advanced medical technology was and the lack of any pathogens, it had to be Felix’s intention to starve himself.
Melinda then implored while sobbing, “Lulu, forgive me for being selfish. But Felix keeps calling out your name during his sleep. Can you please talk to him and ask him to eat something? Help me.
Colin tried to dissuade Melinda and protested, “Mom, Felix is an adult now. He knows what will happen if he stops eating, but he’s doing it anyway. He should live with the consequences. Why should Lulu help him? No one can help him if he gives up on himself.”
Melinda wouldn’t have any of it. She sat on the couch and expressed her heartache and fear. My mom was touched by the emotions, and her eyes
turned watery too.
Grabbing my hand, Colin continued to argue sternly that Melinda shouldn’t come and ask for my help.
My mom gave in in the end. She couldn’t stand how much Melinda had cried, so she asked me to take a look at Felix. Whether he would listen to my advice or not was up to him.
She said we should do our best to help. “Colin, can you go with Lulu?”
I was forced to go to Felix’s home.
+15 BONUS
Despite his disgruntlement, Colin had no choice but to come with me. I understood that as Felix’s older brother, he had certain familial obligations to uphold.
I last entered Felix’s room three or four years ago, but nothing inside had changed–including the little trinkets on the window frame. Four little tigers sat obediently on his computer desk.
Felix was lying on the bed quietly. We hadn’t seen each other for a week, and
he was already gaunt and haggard. He looked so lifeless. If not for his
eyeballs‘ irregular movement or the minuscule heaving of his chest, he would look no different from a cadaver.