Ellis’s chest rises and falls in slow successions as he blinks at me slowly. Everything happens very gradually, and I wait for him to come to his senses. When he does, his eyes dart around the room, and his eyebrows furrow together. Ellis hugs his arms.
“W-what?” he whispers. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him speak so quietly before.
“Are you okay? You’re feverish again, and I think it’s worse than before.”
He fixes his eyes on me, and his mouth curls into a slight smile. “W-worried about me?”
Despite being at risk of burning up, of course he finds my concern amusing above anything else. God, he drives me insane.
“I’m serious,” I say.
“I’m f-fine. Just being d-dramatic,” he says dryly.
I roll my eyes, and he lets out a shaky snicker. My mind racing, I make a move to get out of the bed. His eyes widen and his hand sneaks out from beneath the blankets. He reaches for my arm, clasping at my sleeve.
“Where are you g-going!?” he hisses.
“Grabbing medicine. Relax.”
He curses under his breath when I switch on a lamp to head to the bathroom and pop two tablets out.
I head back and nudge his shoulder. “Ellis. Medicine.”
He raises a weak hand, his fingers brushing against mine, and I grab the unopened bottle of water on the nightstand. He watches me warily as I twist the cap open, shoving the Advil into his mouth just as I give him the water.
His throat bobs as he does. When he’s done, I take the bottle away from him and put it on the nightstand.
In the few seconds I turn to put the water back, he somehow rolls himself into a burrito once more. Rolling my eyes, I pull the comforter’s edges from under him, yanking it down to his feet.
“What the hell are you doing!?” he yells angrily.
“You need to cool down. Wrapping you up will make your fever spike more.”
His teeth clack together. “I-I’m freezing!”
“I know you are, but you don’t have a choice.”
“Y-you’d better watch your back when this is over. W-wait. Where are you going? Hey! C-come back here!”
I ignore his panicked demands and head back to the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth and running it under the water.When I head back to him, he’s glaring at me. If looks could kill, I’m sure this would be what ends me. I place the washcloth on his forehead and I guess I’m forgiven for leaving him for a few seconds because he visibly relaxes and slackens against his pillow. Ellis lets out a soft sigh and closes his eyes.
We don’t say anything as I wipe the sweat off his forehead and neck.
I think I’ve done all I can right now, so I switch the lamp off and climb back into bed, lying on my side facing away from him. The space between us isn’t that wide, but I’ve never been more aware of another person’s presence in my entire life.
“Fuck,” he curses under his breath. It comes out shaky and weak, and when I turn to see what’s wrong now, he grabs me by the arm and pulls me toward him. Ellis clutches the front of my shirt and presses his face against my chest.
And… this. This is familiar.
Painfully so. It reminds me of our night from years ago, which was followed by a morning I wish could have gone another way.
“Ellis,” I say, throat dry. “You’re supposed to be cooling down.”
“It’s cold! Just—just a minute, okay? Then you can let me freeze to death again.”
Sighing, I give in and slide my hand to the back of his neck. Giving him my sweater didn’t help all that much because he continues to shiver even though his skin’s still too hot to the touch. Ellis makes a sound against my chest that makes my heart jump in a way it has no right to.
“I can’t believe we’re cuddling,” I mutter.
