Chapter 8: Threat
Lara explained to me that the reason I was in her room was because she saw me faint on the road in the midst of heavy rain. During that time, she noticed that I had a high temperature and a severe fever.
Gradually, I began to recall the events. I remembered that Lara was the last person I saw before collapsing in the rain. She mentioned that she had to lift me up because my fever would worsen if I stayed exposed to the rain for too long.
The reason for my change of clothes, she said, was due to my soaked attire. Lara decided to replace my clothes since they were drenched. "Don't worry, I didn't look," she assured with a slightly embarrassed laugh. "Just a little, hehe," she added, teasingly, making my face even redder with embarrassment.
Shortly after, I noticed Lara blushing as well. I made an effort not to look at her and said, "Can you change too? I can't handle seeing you just wrapped in a towel like that."
She hadn't realized she was still in that attire. She explained that she hurriedly came out of her shower room when she heard me scream upon waking up. She excused herself and quickly grabbed some clothes from her cabinet.
I suggested that I should be the one to leave since it was her room and all her belongings were here, but she insisted that I should rest and she'd change downstairs. She jokingly warned me not to peek, teasing that she'd give me a good scolding if I did.
Lara is quite attractive—short-haired, a redhead, wearing glasses, fair-skinned, and just the right height. I only really noticed her overall appearance now because, more often than not, I don't pay much attention to my colleagues. After finishing work, I usually head straight home without engaging much with them.
Thinking about it, I'm not too bad myself. I have a kind face, I'm tall at 5'11", and I maintain a decent physique with some exercises I do in my apartment, plus the regular walks home.
"You can come down now! I'm done changing!" Lara shouted, calling me to come out of the room. I learned that she had prepared some hot soup, and I could smell the delicious aroma, making me quite hungry.