Chapter 38 Sharing a Bed
With her biggest worries now behind her, Sabrina felt elated and even took the initiative to greet Curtis warmly the next morning.
Yet Curtis looked drained, constantly adjusting his neck as if trying to find comfort. Clearly, he had had a restless night.
This made Sabrina feel a bit guilty. She should have let Curtis take the bed last night and slept on the couch herself. After all, the couch was so small that Curtis would have had a hard time getting comfortable. If she had slept on the couch, it would still be uncomfortable for her too.
After pondering for a while, Sabrina blurted out something she had not expected, “You looked like you didn’t sleep well. Why don’t you take the bed tonight?”
The words were out before she realized their implication.
‘Sharing a bed with Curtis? What was I thinking?’ She panicked.
Sure, they would have their own blankets, but it still felt too close for comfort.
Curtis had not overthought the matter. He just felt uncomfortable on the couch and a*sumed anyone else would feel the same. However, it was surprising that he was now able to consider things from another person’s perspective, something he never used to do.
Just as Curtis opened his mouth to reply, Sabrina quickly clarified, “I mean, you use your own blanket, I’ll use mine, and we can split the bed.”
Her shy expression left Curtis momentarily disarmed. Then he thought, ‘This is my room. Why does it matter what she thinks?’
“Fine,” he conceded, seeing no point in further debate.
Sabrina and Curtis gathered their stuff and left for work, taking separate paths even though they worked at the same company.
Their unspoken agreement was to keep their unique marital situation under wraps, so Sabrina usually caught the bus or took the subway. But today, they coincidentally ran into Daniel.
Observing Curtis heading for his car and Sabrina walking away, Daniel sensed something was off.
“Wait a minute,” he called, stopping both of them in their tracks. His eyes narrowed as he grilled Curtis, ” You go off to work alone and ignore your wife?”
This question stumped Curtis because Sabrina had never brought up the matter of commuting together, nor had he given it much thought.
“You two work at the same company,” Daniel continued, visibly irritated. “You look like strangers rather than a married couple. From now on, you are responsible for driving Sabrina to and from work!”
Sabrina tried to object, “It’s not necessary. Sometimes we both work late and waiting for each other won’t work. I can manage myself, Grandpa…”
“But when he’s not working late, he can pick you up, can’t he?” Daniel cut her off. “He can’t be working late every single day.”
Daniel knew Curtis’ job better than anyone else.
Curtis had many responsibilities, but he also had a team who could help him with his work, so Curtis
rarely needed to work overtime. In the end, working overtime was just an excuse.
Unable to retort, both Gurtis and Sabrina fell silent.
Seeing the duo in silence, Daniel angrily slammed his cane to punctuate his displeasure. “You two, are you ignoring what this old man says now?”
The accusation left them with no choice but to concede, whether they were willing or not.
With an air of awkwardness, Sabrina slid into Curtis’s sleek BMW. As for Curtis, he drove in silence.
Midway through the drive, Sabrina finally spoke up. “Maybe you should leave first tomorrow. Grandpa will comment again if he sees us together.”
“If I leave first tomorrow, Grandpa will still find something to criticize. Let’s just keep it as is.”
Sabrina sensed this arrangement was not ideal. She felt Curtis was hesitant about driving her. Although they worked at the same company, being seen together could create issues.
However, Sabrina was reading too much into it. Before they reached the company, Curtis stopped the car two traffic lights away. “You can walk from here. I can drop you off at this spot daily, but I can’t promise a ride back.” It was Curtis’ way of compromising.
Relieved, Sabrina agreed. Sharing daily car rides with Curtis felt stifling. Going their separate ways felt right.
They parted ways, with Sabrina watching the BMW vanish before leisurely making her way to work.
Having a car ride made her daily commute more pleasant. People could tell Sabrina was in a good mood. “You’re glowing! What’s the scoop?” Felicia nudged her playfully. “Hold on, let me guess. You’ve had a romantic encounter, haven’t you? Why else would you suddenly take days off?”
Caught off guard, Sabrina realized her recent days off had fanned the flames of office chatter. Felicia’s guess was innocent enough but did not even scratch the surface of the more outrageous rumors.
“No, actually, my grandpa’s been sick. My brother and I have been on hospital duty, but we got some hopeful news today, so I’m a bit more cheerful.”
“Oh, so that’s why. Can you and your brother manage alone? You both have jobs, right?”
It was a concern Sabrina had mulled over. Barry was job-hunting to help relieve her burden. But when both siblings were working, who would keep an eye on Grandpa during the day?
“We’ll hire a reliable caregiver when the time comes. After all, someone needs to be with Grandpa during the day.”
That was Sabrina’s plan all along.
