Chapter 13 #2
The truth is, I have a lot of things I like to stock when I’m sick.
Popsicles, chicken and rice soup, saltines to put in the soup, cough drops—always the cherry ones like my mom used to give me when I was a kid.
But I don’t want to tell him that because it’s already nice enough that he’s going to get me medicine.
So instead of naming off all my favorite things, I just shake my head.
“No, I’m good.” And once he’s gone, I put my blanket over my head and go to sleep. Or try to, but within minutes, I’m sweating and too hot for covers.
God, I freaking hate being sick.
DALLAS
In about thirty minutes time, I’m back at The Nest after going to the store to get Haven some medicine.
She may have told me she was all set, but I know better.
I’ve been around on vacations and holidays or at the beach house next door when she’s been sick.
I know the things she likes when she isn’t feeling good.
So, despite me looking way too damn nice, I found myself getting her all of them.
Letting myself in, I walk past a few girls who live here and are now sitting on the couch.
I don’t recognize one of them, and the other I know is on the basketball team.
They pause their conversation briefly and watch me carry the bag into the kitchen, but I keep my gaze forward and don’t say a word.
First, I put the popsicles in the freezer and then the Gatorades in the fridge.
I leave one out, knowing she’s going to need it when she takes her medicine.
I set the box of saltines and the cans of chicken and rice soup on the sideboard before ripping open the medicine and taking two of the caplets to bring to her.
I grimace at myself as I pull out the tub of Vicks VapoRub and take that to her room with me, knowing I’m being really fucking extra right now.
Maybe she won’t want all this shit. Or she’ll think it’s weird that I got it for her. There’s just one way I’m hoping she doesn’t react. And that’s taking it the wrong way and looking at me like I care. Or like I’m her knight in shining armor here to save the day.
She’s only ever looked at me that way a few times, and during each, I knew right away I had fucked up.
Walking upstairs, I slowly push her door open before closing it behind me. Soon, the rest of the house will be back, and they’ll no doubt be loud.
When I look at the bed, I expect her to be the way she was when I left her—fully dressed and under the blankets.
Instead, she’s in a skimpy tank top and panties, covers kicked to the end of the bed.
Her brown hair flows over her face, spilling onto the pillow.
I’m just glad that it’s not pulled into that tight ponytail at the back of her head anymore.
Like the eyelash shit I pulled, I probably shouldn’t have touched her hair.
But she said her head hurt, and I wanted to help.
I always want to help, even though I know I shouldn’t.
I put a hand on her forehead and cringe because she’s too fucking hot and it can’t be good for her. So even though I hate to wake her, I know I have to.
“Short,” I whisper, kneeling at her side. “You’ve gotta take some medicine. It’ll help your fever and cough.”
That brings her to stir, but instead of her eyes cracking open, she just starts coughing. Her chest rattles, and I’m thankful that I got some Airborne at the store and took a double dose before I came back into the house. I have another game coming up, and I can’t be sick.
When her coughing doesn’t subside, she quickly sits up in bed, panic on her face, and I rub her back gently as she finishes her spell. At the end, she’s damn near gagging from coughing so hard, and I think she feels too shitty to even feel embarrassed like she normally would.
“Here,” I say, holding out the two gel caps in my palm in front of her.
Taking them, she brings them to her lips, and I twist the cap off the Gatorade before handing it to her. Her head is soaked with sweat, but she only drinks enough to swallow the pills down before handing it back to me.
Unmoving, I jerk my chin toward the bottle. “Try to drink a little more of it. You’re sweating. You need to rehydrate your body.”
She looks annoyed, but she weakly brings the bottle back to her mouth and tips it up.
“Good girl,” I say, and immediately, I fucking regret it slipping from my lips. Lucky for me, she’s too sick to even realize what I said and doesn’t make some smart-ass comment back like I know she would any other day.
She only drinks a bit more before she’s shoving it back to me. I try my best to ignore that she’s only in her panties and tank top because now is not the time for me to be a pervert.
As she starts to move back, I stop her. “Wait,” I say, taking the small tub of Vicks from my pocket and twisting it open. “This will help your cough.”
Now her eyes are widened as she looks from me to the tub. I put a bit on my hand before I reach forward to her bare chest, and I smear it over her skin. I don’t go lower than the edge of her tank top, but still, this is the first time I’ve ever rubbed my hands across her this way.
“Sit forward. I’ll put some on your back, too,” I practically rasp before I take another glob of the stuff and rub it onto her back. She doesn’t look at me, but instead looks forward. She may be sick, but the tension still builds as I rub my hand along her back.
“There you go,” I whisper, pulling my hand away and twisting the cap back on. “Now you can lie back down. I’m going to go wash my hands.”
Standing up, I slowly turn away from her and open the door before heading to the bathroom. The same girl who was just in the living room but I didn’t recognize is coming out of the bathroom, her eyes widening a fraction when she sees me.
“Sorry, I was just going to wash my hands in there,” I say, knowing that a random dude walking around a female-only house might freak her out, and that’s the last thing I want.
“Oh—okay,” she utters, bobbing her head softly. “Is Haven okay? I saw all the cold supplies in the kitchen. And I assume you just came out of her room.”
“Yeah, she’s okay,” I say quickly. “She’s sick.”
“I figured.” She nods before quickly holding her hand out. “I’m Lilly, by the way. I just moved in last week.”
I stare awkwardly at her hand. “Dallas,” I mutter.
“I’d shake your hand, but I’m covered in Vicks rub.
” As soon as I say it, I realize that sounds kind of perverted, and now she probably thinks I was in there massaging Haven for the hell of it.
And that’s not true at all. If she didn’t need the Vicks to help her cough, I sure as hell wouldn’t have rubbed it on her.
She pulls her hand back nervously, and her cheeks redden. “Oh, right.” She backs away slowly. “Nice to meet you, Dallas.”
“You too,” I mumble just before she heads down the hallway and into her room. I finally wash the minty shit that’s starting to tingle a bit off my hands.
Once I’ve gotten all the crap off me, I head back into her room. I close the door behind me and walk over to her. She’s sleeping, but when I touch her cheek and then her forehead, she’s still way too hot for my liking.
I look from her to the empty side of the bed before sighing.
“Fuck it,” I barely grunt. And before I know it, I’m climbing into bed next to her. Not because I want to be close to her or anything like that—but because I just need to make sure she’s okay.
Yeah, that’s definitely all this is.