And when we were finished, the possession that held me deep in its grips, the urgent need I had to claim her, was no more. She slowly slid her legs down, and I let her down the wall until she stood on shaky limbs like a baby deer.
Nyako tipped up on her toes, kissed my lips, and turned and went to bed.
11
NYAKO – PAMPERED
Ididn’t know where it came from or even how it came. I just knew that the next morning, I woke up with my body in pain as if I had been hit by a Mack truck. I immediately recalled my pre-dawn activities and blamed it on that until I noticed my throat was sore, and my body was not only aching but also shivering.
Navy had laid it on me, and he had been rough and aggressive, but not to the point of giving me what I suspected was a fever. I trembled and pulled the covers further up my body before I fell asleep again.
The next time I peered from underneath the covers, the sun was on full blast, showing his ass. I looked at the clock and saw that it was a little after one in the afternoon. How had I managed to sleep that long? I threw the covers back and tried to get up but only succeeded in flopping back on the pillow.
I felt like shit. I rolled over and pulled the pillow over my head as I pressed my face into the mattress. It was that moment when I heard the faint knocking at the door. Although it sounded like it was off in the distance, it also sounded extremely close, like it was banging in my head.
I pulled the covers around me to ward off the chill creeping up my body, pressed the pillow tighter around my head, and squeezed my eyes shut. I just wanted it to go away, everything: the noise, the aches, the sun, my emotions, my skin, my fingernails. All of it. I wanted it to cease.
But the pounding on the door continued. I finally lifted the pillow, choked out a cough, and muttered something that I thought sounded like “go away,” but it couldn’t have, because the door opened.
“Nyako?”
The snare drums playing in my head made it impossible to speak. I winced when Navy sat on the side of the bed, causing it to dip a little.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I didn’t say anything. Tears squeezed from my eyes because everything hurt, and I felt too weak to lift my head, let alone to speak.
“Nyako, if it’s about last night, and you’re having reservations, maybe we can talk about it or work through it. I’m sorry if you felt pressured, or . . . or for breaking the vow, or anything that makes you uncomfortable. If you don’t want to stay here with me any longer, I get that too.”
A violent cough racked my body, forcing me to lift away from the mattress. He grabbed the pillow from my head and tried to help me sit up. Frowning, he jumped slightly before he pressed the back of his hand against my forehead.
“Nyako, you’re burning up with fever. Are you sick?”
I looked at him and felt the tears running down my face. My breathing was labored, but I managed to squeak out, “I’ll be fine.”
“No, you won’t. You need to go to the doctor.”
“I hate doctors. I’m not going.” I turned my head just in time to sneeze several times but managed to avoid getting it on him.
“You need to go, Nyako. You can’t just sit here and suffer.”
“I’ll order some soup and crackers, and green, ginger, lemon, and echinacea teas. I’ll be fine.”
“Let me take care of ordering what needs to be ordered. Okay?”
I nodded and sat up, trying to swing my legs over the side of the bed.
“Where are you going?”
“Tissue,” I replied through sniffles.
“Stay there.”
He jumped up and headed into my bathroom. When he returned, he had an entire roll of tissue. I was too sick to argue or care that it was toilet tissue. As if he could read my mind, he stated, “Don’t worry. I’ll get you some facial tissues. Get you some rest.”
He left my room, and I turned over and went back to sleep.
I had wakenedseveral times over the course of the day. Navy had fed me chicken noodle soup and crackers, but mostly focused on keeping me hydrated with teas, broth, juices, and water. Every time I woke up, he was right there waiting to serve my needs.
