Chapter Seventeen
Lumi
What is wrong with me? I shouldn’t have kissed him. And he instantly regretted it. How awful must it have been to instantly regret it like that? Pretty awful if I had to guess.
What time is it even? I have to check in with the Agency before I go home, and all I want is to lie down and close my eyes again.
“Where’s my skirt? And why did you take my tights off?”
“Darling, you can’t be by yourself right now.” I stare at him, trying to make sense of what he is telling me, even as my head feels like it's going to explode. “You have to stay here for the night.”
“No. I can’t, Luka.”
“You have to.”
“You don’t understand. I can’t stay here.” Especially not after that embarrassing kiss.
“There’s nowhere else you're going, Lumi. Now, come on and help me with this top.” He holds the shirt up for me, and it’s only then that I realize I’ve been standing in front of him in nothing but my bra and panties.
I make an odd sound that is halfway between a yelp and a noise a small animal might make before being eaten.
I reach for the shirt, but he won’t let me have it. Instead, he uses it to pull me closer to him.
“I don’t regret the kiss, baby. I regret taking it while you’re hurt and vulnerable.” What now? “I shouldn’t have forced you to kiss me while you’re…”
“You didn’t force me.” Saying it that way bothers me. It makes it sound like…like Luka is a bad person. And he’s not! “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you, sweetheart.”
“You didn’t. You…I…I liked it.” It comes out a little shaky, but I don’t want him to think he is in the wrong. “I…wish I were better at it.”
“Sweetheart, are you serious?” The look he gives me is one of surprise.
“Yeah, I don’t really know what I’m doing and…”
“Baby, you did everything right. There’s nothing you could have done better because you were fantastic.
” He takes me in his arms, wrapping me in warmth.
I can’t fight the urge to burrow into him and take the comfort he is offering me, even if I am in only a bra and panties.
“God, when I came back in and saw you lying on the floor I…,”
He doesn’t finish his thought, but I can guess what he was about to say.
It must have been scary for him to find me like he was talking about.
I can’t remember what I was doing before or how my accident happened, but finding anyone on the floor bleeding would be upsetting.
The way he is hugging me…is something more than just worry for a friend… isn’t it?
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you in bed.”
Or maybe I’m just seeing things that clearly aren’t there.
I let him help me work the borrowed shirt over my head, so I don’t mess up the bandage and climb into bed.
When he leaves to find something for us both to snack on, I reach up and take my bra off.
If I am going to rest, I can’t do that in a bra.
I stuff the thing, made of mostly lace, in between the bed and the nightstand before bringing my hands to my hot cheeks.
He saw me in next to nothing. The panties aren’t any better than the bra, with lace being the only material there.
When he comes back in, my cheeks are still pink. He has cookies, milk, and chips as well as several kinds of dip.
“Mom made you cookies. She said you needed something soft that wouldn't jar your head around. I still bought chips, just in case you wanted something else. And it’s time to take more meds.”
“You don’t have to do all this. You don’t have to take care of me. I’m sure you have places you need to be and things you need to do. I’ll be fine…”
“Actually, I don’t have anything I would rather be doing than be here with you. And I want to take care of you.”
“Do you feel guilty about what happened? Because it’s not your fault.”
He doesn’t answer me, and I can’t help but wonder if that is why he is doing all of this. It makes everything a little tainted. I don’t want him to stay with me out of a sense of guilt, especially when he has no need to feel that way.
“I’m just going to be here resting most of the day. You could…,”
“I could , but I’m not going to.” He interrupts me. “I’m not going anywhere. Now, scoot over.”
He pushes my legs over and takes a seat on the bed beside me. “I have a whole list of Christmas movies I’ve never seen before that I want to watch with you.”
Oh! Wow! He wants to watch Christmas movies with me, and I can't fight the smile that tilts my lips up. He asks which one we should start with, and over time, with my belly full and the meds kicking in, I drift off wrapped up in his arms. He wakes me every hour to make sure everything is alright. He gives me meds periodically and wakes me to eat dinner; otherwise, lets me rest. Every time I wake up, he is there with me. It makes me feel safe and taken care of in a way I’ve never really felt since my mom died.
It's really nice, and I know I am going to miss it when it has to end.