Chapter 13: They Were in the Bathroom

Alexander, barely awake, stumbled out of the bathroom with Ava's help. Ava dried him off, blow-dried his hair, and sat by the bed to feed him some hangover soup.

As soon as she got a spoonful into his mouth, he spat it out like a fussy baby. It splattered all over Ava, who quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe his mouth, frowning. "Why'd you spit it out?"

Putting away the soup, Ava rushed to the bathroom to clean herself up. She stripped off her clothes, turned on the shower, and soon, steam filled the room.

Hearing the water running, Alexander, feeling hot from the alcohol, wandered into the bathroom. He squeezed some body wash into his hands, hugged Ava from behind, and started rubbing circles on her chest.

Ava was startled and screamed, "What are you doing?"

"Helping you shower," Alexander shamelessly replied, his hands busy rubbing and teasing her. Ava tried to stop him, but the body wash made his hands too slippery to catch.

After an intense and passionate makeout, Ava, though somewhat satisfied, was still furious. They were supposed to be breaking up!

"What was that? You wouldn't drink the hangover soup, spat it all over me, and then rushed into the bathroom to grope me. What are we now? Are we still a couple about to get divorced?"

Alexander, eyes closed, seemed to ignore the word "divorce" and mumbled, "It tastes bad."

"You!" Ava was both angry and amused, retorting, "And alcohol tastes good?"

Alexander replied, "Yes."

Ava fell silent. If others saw this childish side of Alexander, his dignity would be gone.

Ava shook her head helplessly and brought another spoonful of soup to his mouth. "Take it. You'll feel much better after drinking this."

Alexander stubbornly turned his head away, refusing to drink, just like a kid refusing to eat. He then collapsed onto the bed, half-conscious.

Ava sighed, worried he'd feel awful after drinking so much. She took a sip of the soup, held it in her mouth, and used her hand to part his lips, leaning down to feed him mouth-to-mouth.

When Ava's soft lips touched his, Alexander slowly opened his eyes, his muddled gaze suddenly brightening. He swallowed the soup Ava fed him.

Seeing him awake, Ava blushed and awkwardly sat up. "I just wanted you to drink the soup. Now that you're awake, drink it yourself."

Alexander's long eyelashes fluttered slightly before he closed his eyes and fell back asleep. Ava gently pushed his shoulder, but he didn't budge.

Sometimes, he was clear-headed, sometimes confused. She had to continue feeding him mouth-to-mouth. Alexander didn't open his eyes again but swallowed everything.

After taking away the soup, Ava stood by the bed, staring at Alexander for a while. Thinking about their impending divorce, she didn't want to share the bed anymore.

Just as she was about to sleep in the next room, the phone on the nightstand vibrated. Ava picked up the phone, and the number made her tense.

Remembering everything that had happened, Ava suddenly felt a surge of impulse. She answered the call and put the phone to her ear. "Hello."

A puzzled voice came from the other end. "Who is this?"

"This is Ava. May I ask what you need?"

"Oh, Mrs. Mitchell. Sorry, I thought it was Alexander." The voice on the other end was Isabella.