“How’s your arm?”
“Sore,” I mutter. “But it’s manageable.”
“Doesn’t seem to stop your legs,” he says, opening the ramen package and putting the noodles inside the boiling water. “Do you need your meds?”
I shake my head. “Not for another couple of hours.”
He pours his noodles into a bowl and walks over to me. “Want a bite?”
I nod.
“It’s hot.”
I smile shyly and then let the silence fill the kitchen.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
I watch the steam from his noodles disappear into the air. “I don’t know.”
He blows on the noodles and says, “Here.”
I open my mouth, and he feeds me a bite. “Thank you,” I mutter.
He takes a bite, and I can tell it’s hot because he starts making a noise while moving his lips oddly for a second. He swallows and says, “For what it’s worth, Tiger. This is what we want.”
“We?” I ask, confused.
He stops moving the fork, looking over at me. The air between us shifts. Becomes heavier. Charged.
His eyes drop to my lips for just a second. Then back up.
“Me,” he clarifies. “You’re exactly what I want.”
I’m suddenly very aware of how close he is. How if I leaned forward just a few inches, I could kiss him.
But I don’t.
And neither does he.
The tension hangs there. Building. Neither of us moving.
Finally, Zephyr offers me another bite. I gladly take it, and then he takes a few more bites. When he offers me another bite, I decline him. When he finishes the bowl, he offers his hand. “Come on. Let’s get you back to bed.”
I take it and let him hold my hand. We walk back down the hall together and stop outside my door.
“Try to get some sleep,” he says.
“Will you stay with me?” The words come out before I can stop them. “Just... until I fall asleep?”
He doesn’t hesitate. “Yeah. Of course.”
We walk into my room. I climb into bed, and he lies down next to me on top of the covers. He keeps a respectful distance but close enough that I can feel his warmth.
“Comfortable?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
He reaches over and starts playing with my hair. His fingers run through the strands in slow, rhythmic movements.
