“I usually am,” I shrug. “Now, let’s go sort out my boyfriend”.
***
When I walk through the door into Asher’s room, the darkness blinds me momentarily, I have to stand and blink until I can make out the huge lump of man draped across his bed haphazardly. It’s only me now as I sent Daylan off with Jacob to try and figure out what the hell he is going to do and how to tell Piper. It seems like we all have difficult conversations to be having, but I can’t very well do it now with Asher feeling the way he is. I will tell him when he feels better.
I place my phone on the bedside and slowly slide my hand up Asher’s back, speaking as softly as I can. The heat emanating from him makes him feel like a radiator at full blast. He needs medicine and a cold towel.
“Asher,” I whisper. “It’s me. I’m here,” He murmurs something into the duvet I can’t make out.
“What was that?”
“Finally,” he says turning himself over, eyes still closed.
“You need to take off these clothes, you have a temperature,”
He grunts. “I can’t move,”
“Can I take your clothes off?”
“If I ever say no to that question, take me out back and shoot me,”
I laugh and it makes him chuckle, then wince.
I slowly take of his trainers and strip him down to his underwear, it takes a while with the size and weight of him compared to me, but it’s worth it when he climbs under the covers and sighs in relief.
“Where do you keep your paracetamol?”
“In the drawer in the bathroom,” He mumbles, sleep almost taking him again.
When I get back to his bed, I hand him the tablets with a big glass of water that I tell him to sip on, before wetting a towel and placing it on his forehead.
“Do you need anything else?”
“Just you next to me,” His voice is low and smooth like whisky. I kick off my shoes and slide into bed with him, careful as to not add to his aches.
“Argh my head,” His face screws up and his pain hurts me. I wish I could take it all away.
I sit up slightly, resting my back against the headboard and take my fingertips to his temples, rubbing in circles trying to ease the pressure.
“Ohhhh.,” He groans and if he wasn’t ill, the sound would make me jump him immediately. “That feels amazing,”
His head relaxes back into the pillow as I massage into his hair and around the back to the base of his skull. “Go to sleep handsome. I’m not going anywhere,”
“Promise,” he whispers, and it almost breaks my heart. From what he has told me of his past, I don’t suppose he has had much of this in his life. Always the one fixing things and making everyone else feel better, but never for himself. I vow to always be there for him for as long as he wants me.
“I promise”.
THIRTYTHREE
RUELLA
I…L…O…V…E. Delicate fingers tickle my skin as the morning sun warms my bare back, the lazy tracing of letters makes my stomach flutter in excitement. The sound of birds chirping through the thin glass windows softly wakes me from another comfortable sleep in Asher’s embrace. I try to keep my eyes closed and the smile from my face, hoping he will finish the sentence he draws.
His fingers pause. “I know you are awake,” I hear the amusement in his words.
I pretend to snore.
He chuckles then starts to tickle my sides making my eyes fly open and a demented cackle escape my mouth.
