Chapter 3

I could only tell her.

“It’s nothing, I was just a little thirsty and wanted some water.”

After she helped me sit down on the couch, she got me a glass of water, and only after I drank it did I learn from her that it was only three in the morning.

“I’ll help you back in to rest, and remember, if anything happens from now on, just call me directly, because I’m here to take care of you.”

I nodded.

From then on, my cohabitation life with Grace began just like that.

But because of that, many awkward things happened.

Although I agreed to her out loud and said I would call her if something happened.

It was impossible for me to call her even for something like going to the bathroom, so every time I wanted to use the bathroom, I could only feel my way there by myself.

Many times, as soon as I opened the bathroom door, I would hear Grace let out a startled cry from inside.

I would awkwardly close the door in a hurry and apologize repeatedly.

There were many similar awkward things, and since Grace had always lived in the countryside, she did not think about many things the way city people did.

She rarely knocked when entering a room, and several times, I was fumbling around changing clothes, only for her to open the door directly and catch me right there.

If I had been able to see, I did not know how awkward that would have been.

However, because of her arrival and her meticulous care for me, I could briefly forget those painful memories.

One day, after I got up, I fumbled around and put on my clothes, then walked out of the room.

After this period of time, I could already go in and out on my own.

When I came to the living room, I softly called out to Grace, and she was sitting on the couch watching TV, first greeting me, then suddenly bursting into laughter.

While I had no idea what was going on, she got up and walked over to me, then said, “Ethan, why don’t I help you with getting dressed from now on? Look at you, every piece of clothing on you is inside out or backward.”

I felt a little embarrassed and was just about to speak, but she immediately helped me into the room and said, “Come on, let’s go inside, and I’ll help you change into something else, and since it’s been so long, how about I take you out for a walk?”

I became even more embarrassed and hurriedly refused.

“It’s fine, Grace, I can change by myself!”

“Oh, if you change by yourself and walk outside, won’t people laugh their heads off? What are you afraid of? Just treat me as if I’m the same as you and can’t see either, okay?”

My whole body froze in place, and before I could come back to my senses, Grace had already started unbuttoning my shirt for me.

I was completely immersed in shock and had no time to stop her, and only when I had nothing but my underwear left on did I hurriedly burrow into the blanket.

Grace found clean clothes, and when she saw me hiding stiffly in the blanket, she laughed again, making me wish I could find a crack in the floor and crawl into it.

But she said to me generously, “All right, all right, do you still want to go out for a walk or not? It’s a little stuffy at home, and the doctor said going out more will help your recovery a lot.”

In the end, under her insistence, I could only blush and let her help me put on my shirt and pants.

She helped me outside, and the long-lost sounds of traffic and bustling streets also made my mood improve a lot.

We walked around the park, went to the mall, and also went to the market.

She stayed by my side the entire time and never left me for even a moment.

During the time I spent with her, although we often encountered awkward scenes, I could not see after all, so afterward I did not feel much about them.

Until one day later, I never expected that my relationship with Grace would suddenly become ambiguous.

It was a stormy night, and a cold front suddenly hit our city, and because it came so suddenly, both Grace and I were caught off guard.

Listening to the thunderstorm outside and feeling the slight chill, I thought of Grace outside with only a thin quilt, and my heart could not help aching.

After thinking it over again and again, I still fumbled my way out of the room.

When I came to the living room, I called softly, but Grace did not respond, and only after I raised my voice a little did Grace’s weak voice finally come.

“Ethan, wh-what is it? Are you thirsty? I’ll get you water right now.”

I kept feeling that her voice was trembling, and only when she came to my side, handed me the glass, and I touched her hand did I finally understand.

I hurriedly grabbed her arm.

“Grace, what’s wrong with you? Did you catch a chill?”

My hand moved uncontrollably toward her face, and sure enough, her face was burning hot.

“Grace, you have a fever, hurry, there’s medicine in the room, take some medicine first.”

She said to me, “It’s fine, I’ve already taken some, and I just feel a little dizzy now.”

As soon as her words fell, I felt her entire body go soft, and I instinctively held her in my arms, my heart aching and tense, not knowing what to do.

As a blind man, never mind taking her to the hospital, I could not even call 911.

After thinking about it over and over, I could only feel my way as I carried her into the bedroom and placed her on the bed to lie down.

Grace seemed to have fallen into a half-conscious state, her body trembling constantly, and she mumbled incoherently.

“Cold, so cold.”

I became completely panicked, and in the end, whether she could hear me or not, I said to her, “Grace, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to take advantage of you, but I can only use my body heat to keep you warm, so if you agree, respond to me.”

When I said these words, my mind went completely blank, and aside from my concern for Grace, there was also a trace of anticipation in my heart, which startled even me.

After quite a while, I heard her softly hum in response amid the wind and rain.

Whether I was hallucinating or not, I immediately took off my pajamas, trembling uncontrollably all over, and felt my way onto the bed.

Then, the instant I pulled her into my arms, I almost forgot to breathe.