Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3525

After wrestling the window shut and yanking the curtains closed, Marina collapsed onto her bed. She opened her laptop to review some data sheets, but she barely made it halfway through before a heavy wave of exhaustion hit her. Her muscles ached, and her head was spinning. Giving up, she snapped the laptop shut, flipped off the lamp, and burrowed under the covers.

*

At one-thirty in the morning, Carson jolted awake. He glanced at the clock, intent on going back to sleep, but a nagging thought suddenly pulled him out of bed.

He walked down the hall to the guest room. The door wasn't locked. Pushing it open, he navigated through the shadows, guided only by the faint moonlight bleeding through the curtains. He sat on the edge of her mattress and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead.

She was burning up.

His expression darkened. He quickly went to the kitchen, dug through the medical supplies for cold and fever medicine, and poured a glass of warm water.

"Marina."

Carson clicked on the bedside lamp, the soft yellow light illuminating her flushed face. "Hey. Wake up. You need to take this."

Marina shifted, her brow furrowing. Her cheeks were fever-bright. "Take what?" she slurred, barely conscious.

"You're running a high fever. Take the medicine, or I'm dragging you to the ER," he coaxed, his voice impossibly gentle and patient.

She slowly forced her eyes open. Blinking against the light, it took her a full three seconds to focus on his face. "Carson?"

He stroked her burning cheek. "Yeah. Come on, take the pills."

Marina pushed herself up, rubbing her own forehead. Her eyes were still glazed with sleep. "How did I get a fever?"

Looking at her disheveled, vulnerable state made his chest ache. "You were standing out in the freezing rain. It caught up to you," he murmured.

She nodded sluggishly and obediently swallowed the pills. The sudden bitterness made her face scrunch up in disgust.

Carson immediately brought the glass of water to her lips. "Drink. It'll wash the taste away."

She took a large gulp, practically draining the glass, before handing it back.

He set the glass on the nightstand, kicked off his slippers, and slid under the covers beside her, pulling her firmly against his chest. "Go to sleep."

"Sometimes you're amazing. Sometimes you're terrible."

"When have I ever been terrible?"

"When you knew Nocturne was Kai and didn't tell me. And then you called me stupid," she mumbled, her voice thick with residual hurt.

Carson winced, a pang of guilt hitting him. His stubborn girl was still holding onto that.

He let out a heavy sigh, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I was jealous. I hated that the two of you shared this deep connection over your hobbies. I wanted to put a stop to it, but I didn't want to break your heart. I was so conflicted and frustrated that I ended up lashing out like an idiot."

Marina slowly wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tight. "I'm sorry too," she whispered softly. "I shouldn't have said you were worse than Kai."

Carson shifted, looking down at her. "Then say it again. Between the two of us, who's the better man?"

Without a second of hesitation, Marina whispered, "You are. Obviously."