Chapter 25 #2
“Yeah?” Olivia said, remembering the sound of people eating downstairs. It was a special recipe he’d made every time she’d ever been sick as a kid. It was creamy, filling, and had these amazing dumpling-like noodles—
“Wait!” Olivia pushed out of bed in a panic and stumbled to the door, getting lightheaded after not standing for over twelve hours. “Luca,” she yelled through a cough. “Luca, stop. The soup.”
She started down the stairs, gripping the banister. “The soup noodles. Don’t let AB. Wheat.” She coughed through her words on the landing.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Luca said, stopping her. “Pop used gluten-free noodles.”
Her knees were shaking despite her relief. Stupid tears burned in her eyes.
Pop remembered. AB is safe because Pop remembered, my mom is here at my not-boyfriend’s house, who is taking care of me like a private nursing staff. The intense amount of care surrounding her was overwhelming.
Didn’t know how starved I’d been for it.
“You’re shaking, Liv. Let’s get you back to bed.” He helped her up the stairs, and she wiped at her cheeks.
“Do you want some soup?” he asked as they walked past her concerned mom back into the guest room.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll get it later. I’m not hungry.” She curled into a ball back in bed as her mom sat down beside her.
“I was going to offer to take care of you, but”—her mother surveyed the row of medicines, supplies, and tissues beside her—“I think I’ve been outshone.” She rubbed her hand on Olivia’s back. “Luca is taking very good care of you.”
Luca smiled at her mom, grabbing Olivia’s empty water glass before leaving the room.
“I know this,” she said, coughing, then smiling. “I feel so bad that I’m here. I should be home by myself.” She coughed again.
“Sometimes…” Her mother leaned over to kiss her forehead as she stood up. “It’s okay to be babied.”
“I’m so behind.” Olivia sighed, thinking about all the work that waited for her downstairs. “Maybe I could go work for a little bit today.”
Her mother was all business now. “Absolutely not. I will be taking all of the leaf costumes.”
“Mom, there’s too much for you to do.”
She tucked the blankets tighter around Olivia. “Honey, I do not have the highest lawsuit settlement rate in the county because I lack tricks up my sleeve.” She tapped Olivia’s nose. “Just rest and appreciate the handsome, muscular view while you have it.”
Some mysterious number of hours later, Olivia woke up in the dead of night feeling more human.
The house was silent, and the room was pitch black except for a bright moonlight filtering in. The cloudiness and heaviness in her head had finally gone, and it had been hours since she’d had a coughing fit.
She realized she’d slept in the same bed, barely getting up for the last forty hours. She stretched, standing up, her muscles creaking from underuse.
Shower, she realized, feeling caked in grossness. Should she go home?
No, she didn’t want to deal with getting all her stuff downstairs, finding her keys, and going out into the chilly night and back to a cold house.
But what can I wear?
A chair by the bedroom door held a stack of towels, a large t-shirt, and an extra toothbrush.
Goddamnit. He’s going to ruin me for anybody else.
Hot water ran over her body in blissful renewal as she brushed her teeth. Feeling two hundred percent better already, she tossed Luca’s shirt over her and crept downstairs for soup.
Heating up and eating the Pop’s chicken noodle soup used more energy than she’d anticipated, so she started back upstairs. She crept down the hallway, avoiding the creaky floorboards.
She spied Luca’s bed through his door that was cracked open. It would be warm, and smell like him. Her skin broke out in goose bumps at the idea.
She shut his door behind her. He stirred as she slid underneath his covers, feeling that same flannel warmth and scent she associated with him.
His eyes fluttered open, his sleepy smile lit by moonlight.
“Hey,” she said as he pulled her into him, cuddling her body, nearly surrounding it with his own.
“Hey,” he said, his voice roughened by sleep. “Feel better?”
“Four thousand percent,” she said, snuggling into his chest. “I’m gonna come over and get sick all the time.”
Her legs snaked through his, and he wrapped his top leg over hers, locking her in place.
“Good.” He kissed her temple.
“Clammy?” she said, smiling.
“Not even a little.”
She cuddled into his chest, realizing they had never even napped together before. The room was chilly, but the space under the covers was so warm. The heft of Luca’s arm and leg weighed her down, grounding her.
She could very easily get used to this.
Too easily.
She turned, getting comfortable, and a snore crept out of Luca’s mouth.
I should leave him alone. She tossed and turned in her sleep even on a good day. As she pulled away, his arm tightened around her.
“Don’t go,” he whispered in her ear. He tucked her into his side, spooning her.
It was going to be hard to sleep with the elation that felt like lightning running through her veins, but she settled in anyway. Cocooned in Luca’s embrace, she drifted off.
Hours later, morning light filtered through the curtains. Luca was sleeping on his back, gently snoring. She’d wrapped her arms around him in the night, practically sleeping on top of him.
Part of him was very excited at her proximity, and it just so happened to be so close to where she wanted it.
She bit her lip, thinking about what they could do with five minutes of alone time now that she was feeling better.
Suddenly, fast, light steps came down the hall, before thankfully going to the bathroom.
Shit!
She shook Luca awake.
He snorted awake from a dead sleep. “What?” he said, slurring his words, surprised.
“It’s Annabelle,” she whispered, frozen in place.
The only toilet in the house flushed in the next room over, and she panicked.
“Oh, fuck,” he muttered. “She always jumps on my bed if I’m still asleep on Sunday mornings.”
They both panicked, looking for somewhere for her to go.
“She can’t see me in here, right?”
“No.” He shook his head quickly.
Footsteps walked to Luca’s door as Olivia dove into the only place to hide: Luca’s closet. Olivia slammed the closet door closed as AB ran into Luca’s room.
“I’m awake!” AB called. An oof from Luca made it sound like she’d jumped on the bed.
Luca’s closet was a small walk-in, just big enough for her to stand surrounded by his clothes. She petted the flannel shirts on their hangers to soothe her nervous energy.
“Is ’Livia living with us now?” AB asked.
Olivia froze.
“No, goob. She’s just staying here until she feels better. It’s nice to have other people take care of you when you’re sick.”
AB hummed in agreement.
“Do you like her?” AB asked suddenly.
Olivia put a hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing.
“Of course. She’s nice and she takes great care of you,” Luca said.
Olivia rolled her eyes at the annoyingly right answer. Cop-out.
“She smells good, too,” AB said with authority. “Sophie like likes Sam. He’s in Mrs. West’s class.”
Uh oh. She could see where this was going.
“So, what do you want to do for breakfast?” Luca said.
Olivia muffled a snort, knowing he was desperately trying to change the subject.
Luca and AB chatted over breakfast plans, considering whether to make a feast or go get a feast.
A sneeze grabbed hold of Olivia and wouldn’t let go.
Oh no. Oh, fuck.
“Where’s ’Livia?” AB asked.
Olivia tried with all her might, but a loud “Achoo!” escaped her.
“Bless you,” AB said as a reflex, then burst into giggles.
Shit shit shit. Olivia fumbled with whatever pair of pants were on the floor as little footsteps ran to the closet
Olivia yanked on Luca’s oversized sweatpants as Annabelle burst the closet door open, belly-giggling. “Are you hiding?”
Yes. “Just putting on clothes your dad is lending me,” Olivia said with a ta-da motion, spinning around.
“Annabelle, go get changed and we’ll grab some breakfast,” Luca said.
“Okay,” Annabelle said as she ran out of the room.
Olivia heard the bedroom door shut, and the heavy, slow footsteps of Luca walking over to her.
Olivia peeked her head out from the closet. “You liiiiike like me.”
He laughed, taking his shirt off. Her eyes roamed his chest.
“You liiiiike like me back,” he said with an arched eyebrow. He leaned down for a long, slow kiss. “You up for breakfast?”
She kissed him quickly one more time for the road. “Nah, I’m going to go home and take another nap. You’re not getting these back, by the way,” she said, wrapping his shirt tighter around her.
He ran his hands up through her hair and kissed her hard. “I think we’re going to need a one-to-one trade soon.”
Olivia waggled her eyebrows. “I’ll get started on my part when I’m feeling better. Do you prefer thongs or bikinis?”
He tickled her into her closet where they snuck a thirty extra seconds of happy kissing before going their separate ways for the day.
It somehow already hurt like a motherfucker.