"Hey," she greeted Noah with a smile. But he didn't smile back. Noah just stared at her with a blank expression on his face.

Jess heaved a deep sigh, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Do you have an idea on how much I'm trying to stop myself from flying there? And the only reason was that Markus told me you're willing to lie and quite persistent to make Markus lie about what happened to you, for me not to go there with you."

"I know you are busy," she said in a small voice, biting her lower lip. At the back of her mind, she was cursing Markus. How dare he tell-tale to Noah!

"Jessica, you know that however busy I am, I will have time for you." He took a deep sigh and raked his fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry, mmkay?" She batted her eyelashes, trying to act cute to stop Noah from being angry.

Noah closed his eyes tightly shut for a moment. He was still trying to compose himself and Jess being cute won't do anything to make his heart stop racing in his chest with nervous anxiety. He has been shaking his legs under his office desk.

Markus got an earful of bad words from him the moment he said Jess got hurt. He had to apologize to Markus right after because his rational brain knew that it wasn't his friend's fault. Jess wasn't being careful, but then he can't get angry at Jess, knowing that she got hurt.

He has no one to blame and received his anger. It just took him by surprise at how much his body reacted with the news of Jess being hurt.

Now, despite his worry, he was acting cold towards Jess because he was hoping that if he acted cold, she would be a little careful next time.

But it's difficult to act indifferent when Jess was beaming, all smiles in front of the camera, cutely asking for forgiveness. He sighed. He just couldn't win with her.

"Promise me that you'd be careful next time," he said in between clenched teeth.

Jess raised her hand, with her three fingers down and she did a sloppy salute, "Girl's scout promise. I'd be careful next time and set an alarm every time I take a bath."

He heaved another sigh and shook his head in surrender. Jess took it as him, giving up in frustration with her. Her face and her shoulder slumped, "I'm truly sorry, please don't be mad. Hmm, baby?" she said grinning awkwardly.

"Your endearment won't make any difference," he found himself continuing the act of being cold and indifferent because he was loving the way Jess was apologizing.

Jess puckered her lips haughtily and snapped at Noah, "Fine! Then don't! I was scared, you know? And it's not like I wanted it to happen. Sleeping in the tub was never a habit of mine! If you are going to make me feel so bad about it, drop the call." She turned off her camera on their video call.

It must have been the adrenaline from what she experienced that made her burst out what's on her chest when Noah scolded her and gave her the cold shoulder. She wasn't at fault! Why did he act as if it was so?

She would understand that he was worried. It would be okay if he would get angry at what happened but to make her feel guilty that she got hurt, that's just too much. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Noah panic that she turned off her camera.

'Serves you right!' she thought to herself.

Noah's plan of acting cold and indifferent towards Jess backstabbed him because Jess didn't take his bullshit.

"Baby? I'm sorry. Please, open your camera. I was just so worried about you."

His butt twisted on his swivel chair. He doesn't know what to do and how to soothe Jess's anger when he couldn't touch her. LDR sucks!

"Baby? Please," he stared at the camera with the saddest look he could muster. "I'm truly sorry. I was just thinking of my feelings. I forgot that you were the one who got hurt. I was being selfish. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Let's talk, hmm? Please, baby?"

Jess's anger melted with Noah's apology. His face was full of guilt as he stared at the camera waiting for her to talk.

She heaved a deep sigh and opened her camera but didn't talk. She just leaned back on the chair and crossed her arms over her chest. Her phone was leaning against the empty bowl of chicken soup that Aadir prepared for her.

"I'm so sorry, baby," Noah leaned forward the screen of his phone because Jess put her camera away from her, he can't see her face clearly. The light where she was sitting was right on her face that made her face blurry in the camera.

"I don't like how you acted, Noah," she said in a small but clear voice.

"Yes. My actions were inappropriate, immature, and selfish. I am not proud of how I acted, baby. Please, forgive me. It won't happen again."

"Kay," she said, uncrossing her arms over her chest. She pulled her legs up the chair and drew them to her chest. She then rested her cheek on her knees. "You are forgiven."

"How are you feeling now?" he asked in a gentle tone.

I'm feeling sleepy at the moment. Aadir made chicken soup for me. It was the best-tasting chicken soup I had ever tasted. Then, I took some medicine that the doctor prescribed. I think it was what made me sleepy or the fact that I haven't had any decent sleep."

Listening to her ordeal, Noah was assaulted with guilt.

"Are you not inside your room?" he squinted his eyes to check her surroundings from the small screen of his phone.

"I'm at the balcony of my room," she yawned.

"Get up now and go inside. You don't want to fall asleep in that chair."

Jess put down her feet and stood up from the chair. She picked up her phone and went inside. She had her phone in front of her face as she walked back to her bed, climbed, and went under the blanket.

"Go to sleep. Call me when you wake up tomorrow. Time doesn't matter."

"Sing me a song," she yawned rather loudly.

Noah chuckled and began humming Jess and Lucille's favorite song. They have been requesting the song every time he would put them to bed. That he now memorized the song by heart.