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“Did you hold that all day, girlie?” I asked.
She followed me back up the stairs, sticking protectively close to my feet as we walked. I went back inside the apartment, halfway expecting to find that I’d hallucinated Mr. Stone sleeping in my room.
My memories of yesterday were a little hazy, but I definitely seemed to remember him taking care of me. Weird. Being taken care of by Mr. Stone felt suspicious–almost like a creepy old lady in the woods suddenly force feeding you sweets and calories while she pre-heated a suspiciously large oven.
But maybe it wasn’t so weird. I mean, he did need me, right? From the sounds of it, Max had been a nightmare to every tutor before me. He probably just wanted to make sure I didn’t die so he wouldn’t need to worry about finding a replacement. But why the hell was he sleeping in my room? Wouldn’t he be missed at work?
I tiptoed through the living room and stuck my head in the bedroom.
Yep. Mr. Stone in all his unfair hotness was definitely not a hallucination. But I should make sure. After all, I could still be hallucinating.
I inched into the room on my tiptoes. I leaned close to his face, taking in the details. There was a faint diagonal scar that started from his forehead, brushed the bridge of his nose, and finished at the corner of his mouth. I’d never noticed it before, but it was so thin and faint I wasn’t exactly surprised.
He smelled very good. Did hallucinations have a scent?
I nearly walked away but figured I should really make sure this wasn’t in my head. I slowly extended a finger toward his chest and pressed against his shirt. The fabric was thin and I could clearly feel warm, hard muscle beneath. I was staring in awe at my finger when I heard a sharp intake of breath. I lifted my eyes and was met with two startlingly blue eyes staring back at me.
Mr. Stone didn’t move for a heartbeat or two, then he jumped hard enough to scoot the chair back as he let out a small, strangled yell. “–the fuck?” he muttered.
I scurried back, only realizing after the fact how terrifying I probably looked. I hadn’t showered in over twenty-four hours. I hadn’t touched my hair in longer. My eyes felt crusty and thick, and my nose was so stuffed that I was permanently mouth breathing. Mr. Stone probably thought he just woke to an image from his nightmares.
“S-sorry,” I stammered. I lifted a pillow, as if I could hide behind it. Termite was standing guard with a stiff tail at my side, ready to defend me.
“Did you just poke my nipple?” Mr. Stone was clearly still trying to wake up. He was looking down at his immaculate chest with confusion.
“Uh,” I said. “I was just trying to figure out if I was seeing things. I don’t feel…” I swayed on my feet, sticking my hand out to brace myself against the bed.
Mr. Stone rushed towards me, ignoring Termite who took a mouthful of his pant leg and started shaking her head like a pint-sized guard dog. He put both hands on my shoulders and gently guided me to sit and then lay down on the bed. He helped me scoot back until my head was on the pillow. “Have you taken any medicine this morning?”
“Medicine? I just let Termite go to the bathroom and then I touched your nipple,” I muttered.
I was definitely hallucinating, because I saw Mr. Stone flash straight white teeth in something that looked suspiciously like a smile. “Maybe you should stay away from my nipples until you’re feeling better, okay?”
“Okay,” I sighed, pulling the covers up to my chin. “Is it hot in here?”
“No.” He touched my forehead with the back of his hand. “You’re fevered. Wait here and I’ll go get you some medicine and fluids.”
“Fluids? When I touched your nipple I already made some.” I frowned and Mr. Stone paused in the doorway. I thought I heard a soft chuckle, then he headed out toward the kitchen.
I looked to Termite. “Please tell me I didn’t say that.”
Termite cuddled up against my neck.
I decided to close my eyes for just a moment. Maybe I should try to sleep. I couldn’t keep saying weird, inappropriate things if I was asleep, right?
20
CHRISTIAN
Lola was already sleeping when I got back with the medicine and her drink. I considered waking her, but I checked her temperature and it wasn’t dangerously high. I figured she was better off resting than being woken, so I took my spot in the chair beside her bed again and pulled out my phone.
I hadn’t ignored work like this in ages. I had a few emails and a missed call, but after a couple minutes I was surprised to find I’d mostly undone the damage of my disappearance. Max was old enough that she didn’t need me to make her dinner or put her to bed, but I did have a text from her asking if I was dead, because nobody in the tower had seen me all day.
