6. Amala
Six
Amala
Did Kehlani have a strict itinerary for us to follow?
Yes.
It was Saturday morning, and I mentally prepared myself for whatever activities she had planned for us today.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I flicked through the television channels, trying to settle on something to watch while I ate breakfast.
Not that there was anything particularly extraordinary on the menu.
It consisted of the usual breakfast staples, with a few additional options for those who didn’t necessarily enjoy breakfast but still wanted to take advantage of the hotel’s offerings.
I was halfway through bringing a forkful of fluffy pancake to my lips when the loud click of the door caught my attention.
The door swung open and Ares strolled inside.
My body immediately went into flight mode.
“Sit. I won’t be long.”
He said, shutting the door behind him.
If he insisted, I wouldn’t deny him.
He walked towards his suitcase, and I quickly redirected my attention to the television, refusing to acknowledge his presence any more than necessary.
I ate in silence, the occasional clink of my cutlery against the plate doing little to soothe my already-frayed nerves. Thankfully, the programme playing on the television provided enough background noise to keep the silence from becoming unbearable.
Ares plugged his phone into the charging port before crouching beside his suitcase and rummaging through it.
Then my throat began to itch.
I swallowed.
Once.
Twice.
The sensation only worsened.
I frowned, lowering my fork as I brought a hand to my throat. A strange tingling had spread across my lips, followed by a tightening sensation that made swallowing suddenly feel like an impossible task.
I coughed.
Once.
Then again.
Harder.
My eyes widened as the familiar sensation settled over me.
No. No. No.
It couldn’t be.
I’d only experienced this once before, when I was a teenager but it never happened again.
Until now.
Anaphylaxis.
The realization struck me like a slug to the chest.
I began coughing uncontrollably, desperately trying to draw air into my lungs, but every breath became shallower than the last. My throat was closing.
My heart hammered violently against my ribcage.
“Rivera?”
Ares’ voice cut through the coughing and wheezing.
A loud thud echoed through the room.
Whatever he’d been holding had clearly been abandoned without a second thought.
I couldn’t breathe and my body trembled as I looked up at him, opening my mouth to speak, but no words came.
“Amala.”
The concern in his voice was unmistakable.
“Are you okay? What the hell is going on?”
He rushed towards me, gripping my shoulders as I struggled to remain upright.
I blinked rapidly, fighting for air.
Nothing.
My lungs refused to cooperate.
I would’ve fallen straight off the bed and face-planted onto the floor if Ares hadn’t caught me.
“Fuck.” His eyes darted across my face. “Tell me you’ve got an EpiPen.”
I pointed weakly towards my suitcase in the corner.
That was all I could manage before my vision began to blur.
My body went frighteningly limp as heat spread across my face and neck. Confusion clouded my mind, and suddenly the room began to spin.
I fell backwards, my head sinking into the soft pillow and the burning sensation around my throat intensified.
Hives.
Shit.
I tried not to panic. Tried to focus.
Tried to remember how to breathe but time suddenly distorted.
One second, it felt as though the walls were closing in around me.
The next, I felt something cold against my skin.
Then a sharp sting pierced my upper thigh.
The EpiPen.
Relief came slowly at first.
Then, suddenly, my lungs opened enough for me to drag in a desperate breath.
I inhaled sharply, panting with my eyes squeezed shut.
When I opened them, the room continued to spin.
Ares removed the epinephrine auto-injector and tossed it aside before lifting me from the bed with alarming ease.
“Amala, can you hear me?” My eyelids fluttered.
I managed a weak nod, a hum escaping my throat. “I’m taking you to the hospital.” His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. “Just hang on.”
As my vision slowly cleared, I caught sight of the deep frown etched across his face.
For once, there was no arrogance in his expression.
No smugness. Only concern.
The life-threatening situation had momentarily made me forget that I hated the man carrying me towards the car.
I didn’t remember leaving the hotel room. I didn’t remember making it downstairs.
I barely remembered the journey from the hotel to the car.
My mind simply couldn’t process everything that had happened.
Ares muttered something into his phone, but despite straining to make sense of his words, they blurred together beneath the persistent buzzing in my ears.
“God damn it.”
He ended the call and slid into the backseat with me, draping an arm securely around my shoulders.
I leaned against him, too exhausted to care.
At some point, my eyes slipped shut.
The last thing I remember was the sound of Ares’ voice somewhere above me.
Then the world faded into nothingness.
“What happened?”
Kehlani rushed to my side, nearly crushing me beneath the force of her warm hug.
“I told everyone else to stay put. I didn’t want to overwhelm you.” I smiled, feeling a wave of gratitude wash over me for my friends.
“I don’t know. Something I ate must’ve come into contact with some kind of nut. It’s my fault. I didn’t specify my allergies.” My voice was still slightly hoarse.
She pulled back, looking at me with clear disapproval.
“Even though you didn’t mention it, nut allergies are extremely common. That was gross negligence on the hotel’s part.”
This side of Kehlani rarely made an appearance unless she was in a professional setting, and honestly, I hadn’t realized she could be this intimidating.
“Why do I feel like that’s your occupation speaking?”
“It is.” She nodded. “But it’s also concern and frustration. What if Ares hadn’t been there? This could’ve ended very differently, Amala.”
I’d completely forgotten about him until she mentioned his name.
“I’m okay, though. So let’s not go down the negative hypothetical road.”
“I’ve already contacted hotel management. They saw Ares carrying you.” My eyebrows shot up.
“When I return, I’ll be having a word with them. I’m assuming you don’t want me to take legal action?”
“No.” I shook my head. “The last thing I want is to deal with that kind of administration right now.”
“Well, if we’re not going the legal route, they’ll definitely need to offer some form of compensation. They know as well as I do that the situation was life-threatening.”
I sighed. “You’re not going to accept no for an answer, are you?”
“You already know the answer to that.”
I covered my eyes with my hand.
“Hiding away isn’t going to help.” She laughed softly. “The doctor said they’re keeping you here for six hours just to make sure you’re one hundred percent okay.”
My eyebrows knitted together and when I lowered my hand, she reached over and tapped my forehead with her index finger.
“It’s for your own safety. Kayden and I will be back then to pick you up, okay? Call me if you need anything.”
“Thank you, Kay. I truly appreciate you.” Guilt settled heavily in my chest. “I’m sorry for ruining your anniversary weekend.”
She pulled me into another hug.
“This should’ve been a memorable occasion for you. You shouldn’t have to associate it with something like this.”
Instead, Kehlani found herself standing beside my hospital bed in another city, worrying about me instead of enjoying her anniversary.
Before I could spiral too deeply into my thoughts, the door opened and Ares stepped into the room.
“Nonsense. I’m just glad you’re safe and in good condition. I’ll see you later.”
Kehlani kissed my forehead before turning around and waving goodbye to Ares.
Then she left, the door closing behind her with a soft click. Silence settled over the room.
Ares stood against the wall, both hands buried in the pockets of his sweatpants.
“You’ve never mentioned your allergy before.”
I slowly pushed myself into a more upright position.
“I mentioned it to my chain of command. I didn’t need to disclose that information to you.”
“Given that you went into anaphylactic shock an hour ago, I’d beg to differ.”
He pushed himself away from the wall and stepped closer. “You tell me I’m selfish, but you’re reckless. What if I hadn’t reacted quickly enough?”
His jaw clenched.
“You could’ve died.”
The harshness in his voice nearly made me flinch, but I quickly dismissed it.
“Either I’m high on morphine, or it seems to me like you care about my health.” I gave him a mocking smile.
“I’m aware of how dire the situation was, so your explanation isn’t required.”
“I think it is, because you clearly don’t understand the severity of what happened.”
He scoffed.
“I don’t care about your health, Rivera. I just wouldn’t want you dying on my watch. That would be a hassle.”
“Of course.” I retorted.
“Quite an annoying one, actually.”
I rolled my eyes, tossing my head back against the pillow.
“If you’re going to lecture me about this, don’t bother. You’re wasting your breath. I’m not in the mood, nor do I have the energy to argue with you.”
“Yeah.” His response was dripping with sarcasm. “Next time you’re on the verge of death, I’ll leave you to it.”
“I didn’t need your help, Ares. Because knowing you, you’ll probably hold this over my head for eternity. Everybody knows that’s how you operate.”
He moved to the side of my bed, gripping the railing with both hands and now his face was mere inches from mine but I instinctively turned my head away.
“You and everybody else know absolutely nothing about me.”
His teeth clenched as he spoke.
“At least now I know that you could experience a kiss from death and you’d still be a stubborn, hardheaded bitch.”
“Oh.” I drawled, slowly turning back towards him. “Did you want me to thank you for saving me in my time of need? Is that what this is about?”
“You think I want a fucking thank you? You—”
He stopped himself, his entire body tensed as he swallowed whatever words had been ready to leave his mouth.
“I’m not doing this with you.” He straightened abruptly and turned towards the door.
Perhaps some part of me felt grateful for his swift response but I didn’t want to admit that.
I hated that, out of everyone who could’ve seen me in that state, it had to be him.
The person I despised. He had seen me vulnerable. Seen me terrified. Seen me at my weakest.
And I hated the thought of that more than I could explain.
I didn’t want to be weak.
His back muscles flexed beneath the tight fabric of his compression shirt as he reached for the door.
“Valiente.”
I called his name without daring to look in his direction and he stopped abruptly but didn’t turn around.
“Thank you.”
The words left my lips quietly but sincerely while silence consumed the room.
He didn’t respond and after a few seconds, the door opened and closed behind him.
Hours later, when I finally returned to the hotel, I checked my phone to find an influx of messages.
My mother. Family members she must have informed. Friends. Colleagues.
Everyone wanted to know if I was okay but one message stood out among the rest.
An unsaved number.
Only two words.
You’re welcome.