Class Clown (The Thornback Society #4)

14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Ruby’s Truth: There’s a chance that truth serum and cold medicine are manufactured at the same plant.

There are a lot of things a sick person will say to their caregiver. Some of them are kind, some are rude, some are strange, but none of them should be comments about the caregiver’s appearance.

Nico knelt next to the side of my bunk and held out a spoonful of blue liquid. His hair was disheveled for the first time I could recall, and I didn’t think he’d folded his shorts after washing them because they didn’t have that fresh-pressed look they always did.

“What’s wrong with you today?” I asked as I rolled my head toward him. “You’re usually giving young Elvis Presley a run for his money, but today you’re older Elvis after the descent had begun.”

His eyebrows rose but he only nudged the liquid closer. “Your fever is up and your cough sounds bad. Take this.”

I frowned and looked at the spoon. “What’s in that?”

“Medicine.”

“Elvis died from drugs. I think. Or maybe he ate a sandwich that was too big and it got lodged in his throat on a plane ride and the Heimlich maneuver hadn’t been invented yet.” Nico laid his free hand across my forehead to test my temperature. I liked how cool and steady it felt, and closed my eyes on a sigh. “That’s the most physical affection I’ve had in a while.”

His hand pressed closer. “You’re hot. ”

I wiggled my eyebrows, eyes still closed. “So are you.”

He cleared his throat. “Ruby, sit up and take this medicine.” Ugh. His stupid Marine voice was back and that meant fun time was over.

I opened my eyes and shot him a look as I lifted my head and accepted the nasty spoonful. It burned when I swallowed, which made me cough, but I kept my mouth closed so it wouldn’t spray out, and that resulted in a loud snorting sound out of my nose.

“Today’s Monday,” I said when I could talk.

Nico had leaned back away from the bed and was rearranging my fluffy cloud comforter. “Yes.”

“I got sick on Saturday.”

“I know.” His hand moved to my shoulder and gave it a squeeze before he nudged me to lay back down. “And you were right when you said it wasn’t a simple head cold.”

“Tomorrow I’ll be better. I can’t be away from work for too long.” His gaze traveled over my features and then to my hair, and I groaned. “I haven’t showered for two days.”

“It’s possible,” he hedged.

I pointed at him. “Stop lying. I’ll bet you know how many bowel movements my stalker porcupine has every day. You’re observant, remember?”

His mouth twitched into a half smile. “I have no idea how many times Quinn poops every day.”

“But you do know how long it’s been since I was clean.”

“I’ve seen people a lot messier than you, Rubes. Don’t sweat it.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha. Don’t sweat it,” I replied sarcastically. “The sweatier I am, the more Quinn wants to take me home to his family.” I leaned over and coughed. “Maybe the cold medicine will dilute my pheromones and he’ll seek other prey.” At this he smiled and it made me feel instantly better. “You should smile more. It makes my insides feel carbonated.”

His smile grew and he stood. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. And your hair looks good that way. The messiness makes you more human.”

We watched each other, both of us smiling, and I couldn’t get enough of his eyes. They were warm and gooey. Like he didn’t hate me and maybe never had.

“If I could, I’d eat your eyes,” I whispered.

His smile faded. “What?”

“Not like a cannibal. Like a candy bar.”

He laughed. “I see the medicine is kicking in.”

“Did you know that even when it’s melted, chocolate is completely dry?”

“I didn’t know that.”

“It also releases endorphins in your system that make you happier.” I gazed up at the bottom of the bunk above me. “I think if a guy really wanted to win my heart all he’d have to do is bring me chocolate every day. Well, and maybe something with some fiber too. I don’t need to be fighting an upset stomach while I’m flirting.” I shifted to give him a look. “Hummus would do the trick.”

“Hummus?”

“Mm-hmm. Do you like it?”

“I do.”

“I think it counts as all the vegetables in one.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think hummus is a vegetable, love.”

Mmm. I liked it that he called me love. “Agree to disagree. You should know that as soon as I can, I’m getting into that bathroom to shower, and you can’t stop me.”

He stepped back until he was pushing the sheet wall sideways. “I’m not sure you’re up for a shower yet.”

“If I was in the hospital I’d get a sponge bath. Maybe even from a cute male nurse. I’d probably get his number afterwards. Bet he’d give me a balloon animal for good behavior. In fact, I think young, hot Elvis himself would have given me his number. He’d probably have sponge bathed me too.”

Nico laughed, and I smiled, and it was in this second stillness that Cole burst in through the curtain wall and pointed playfully at Nico, clearly having heard the last part of the conversation.

“If you offer to give my sister a sponge bath I’m going to barf,” he teased.

Nico’s expression immediately fell to one that had been more familiar a few weeks ago and I rolled my eyes.

“Nobody is giving anybody a bath,” I grumped. “But I need one soon. Consider yourselves warned that as soon as you two get out of the cabin I’m getting in the shower.”

Nico looked at Cole. “I’m not sure she should be left alone while she showers. She’s kind of acting loopy. ”

Cole nodded. “I have half an hour before I have to be somewhere. Why don’t you head up to the lodge and I’ll hang out here to make sure she doesn’t injure herself?”

Suddenly remembering something important, I sat up again. “If you’re going to the lodge, make sure you say hi to Kristy. She’s so nice, and young, and without skeletons in her closet.”

Nico frowned. “Why do I care about her skeletons?”

I put a finger over my lips. “Shhh. I’m trying to matchmake you and her, remember? I told you at the lake. Are you doing anything about it?”

Cole laughed and Nico shook his head. “Please stop,” he said.

“You’ll thank me one day.”

“Why did you choose Kristy?” Cole asked me, delighted.

His delight made me delighted too, and I grinned at him. “Nico needs a sweetheart. I’ve scoped out the ladies around here and she’s his best bet. Having her will heal his pains and brighten his future.”

“What pains?” Nico asked.

“I’m not sure, but I know you have them. Your eyes look sad sometimes.”

Cole nodded and looked to his best friend. “She has a point. I’ve also been concerned about your and your sad eyes.”

Nico rolled those eyes. “This is what I mean. She’s not safe being alone.”

“Neither are you.” I winked at him. Then I whispered, “Krisssssty . . .”

Nico shot once last assessing look my way, and then quickly exited the cabin to the sounds of Cole busting up. When the door closed behind him, Cole reached a hand down to assist me in sitting up.

“It stinks in your little cave, Matchmaker,” he said.

I nodded. “I know. Nico said he couldn’t smell it.”

“Nico has holed up with a dozen other dudes for days at a time. He’s scent blind.”

I giggled as we got me to my feet. “I think he might be love blind too.”

“I don’t think he’s as blind as you are,” he replied.

I snorted. “Okay.” Whatever that was supposed to mean. “What do you know about Nico living in caves with other dudes?” I asked as I sorted through my dresser.

“I don’t know if he was in caves, but he was deployed a few times and that was not like a vacation.”

“It’s probably why he looks sad sometimes. ”

“I’m sure that’s true. He hasn’t told me much. He doesn’t like to relive it.”

“Do you think he’s happy now?” I selected some clean things and held them to my chest as I moved toward the bathroom.

“I hope so.”

I put a hand on the door jamb for balance, I could admit to myself that I felt a little wobbly, but that happens after a few days in bed and it wasn’t going to stop me.

“I think I’m onto something with Nico and Kristy,” I said over my shoulder.

Cole smirked. “Sorry to tell you that I think you’ve already lost the male half of the equation.”

“I’ll get him back. Kristy is irresistible.”

“I think if he found her irresistible, he’d already be making a move,” Cole reasoned.

“I don’t think Nico knowns how to make a move. You might need to coach him a little.”

“Oh, he’s subtle, but I think he’s doing alright so far,” he responded in an undertone.

“Kristy hasn’t mentioned anything.” I turned to him. “But I suppose she doesn’t tell me everything. Speaking of her, I hope my sickness hasn’t caused any issues for her.”

He shook his head. “Kristy is doing a great job of handling people who need it. It’s been mostly slivers and scratches. Just rest so you can get better.”

I didn’t mean to look at myself in the mirror when I walked into the bathroom, but what greeted me was a ghost-like personage who’d seen better days. I patted at my hair and made a face.

“You couldn’t have at least brushed my hair while I was comatose?” I called out to Cole. “Nico did not need to see this.”

“Are you kidding me? Nico is the only one who has seen it. He’s single-handedly taken over your care, insisting I was too busy running camp. This is the first time I’ve spoken to you since Saturday night on the path outside.”

I poked my head out the door. “I was in here dying and you didn’t bother to look in on me? You left me with a stranger? ”

He huffed. “Nico is hardly a stranger, Rubes. It’s time to stop pretending about that. He’s our friend. And I poked my head in every night to see that you were still breathing.”

“I told him he looks like a young Elvis and that I wanted to lick his eyeballs like a chocolate bar.”

Cole laughed. “I’ll bet he loved it.”

I slammed the door and got the shower water running. It was hard to decide between warm and cool because I definitely had a low-grade fever going on. My limbs were shaky and my head a mess, but I was determined to clean up. I found it hard to rest when I felt unclean.

I made it through the shower, but it wasn’t a spa experience. It involved me holding myself up with one hand pressed to the stall wall while the other lathered and rinsed. My hair was usually something I enjoyed, but washing that heap almost did me in. My limbs were rubber bands by the time I finished, and my hands shook as I dried off and dressed and brushed my teeth twice. But, my head felt more clear and I was less inclined to literally eat Nico up.

Cole was waiting when the shower door opened, and one look at my pale face had him putting an arm around my shoulder and propping me up. I briefly wondered when the last time I’d eaten had been. This illness had really taken me out.

“I don’t want to be back in bed yet,” I said as he turned me toward my bunk. “Let me sit in a chair for a minute. My body is tired of laying down.”

“You look like you’re going to pass out, Rubes,” he argued, but he redirected me to a chair at the little kitchen table.

“When is the last time I ate real food?” I asked out loud. “Nico has been bringing soup. Could you get me something? I need fuel so I can get back to work tomorrow.”

“I’m not sure you’ll be ready tomorrow, sis.”

I waved a hand. “Either way, I’m famished. A sandwich or something heartier? This body doesn’t run on unleaded, you know?”

“You’ll be okay while I run up to the lodge?”

I smiled. “Of course. I’ll sit right here and look out the window.” Which I did and huffed. “Look, Quinn is keeping vigil over me.”

Cole laughed, patted my back, and left. I watched him walk up the path toward the lodge until the curve in the walkway took him from my sight. It was peaceful, sitting in the little building, looking outside. I was missing out on a glorious day. Dumb sickness.

I finger-combed my wet hair, and hummed a little nonsense tune. My stomach growled and I patted it. “Be patient friend, Cole will help you.”

After ten minutes the back of my sleep tank was feeling damp and I wished I’d thought to grab a comb and a hair tie so that I could braid my hair up and off my body. Feeling stronger after a few minutes of rest, I went to the bathroom to get the supplies, and as I was leaving to go back to the kitchen the cabin door opened.

Nico greeted me with a look of surprise. “You’re up.”

I nodded and took my seat back in front of the window. I was tired, and hollow, but out of bed and clean, which was a fair trade in my book.

“Did you bring food?” I asked, pointing to a bag he was carrying.

He shut the door with his foot and set it on the table. “Cole said you wanted something with more fueling power?”

I grinned. “Definitely.”

“How’s the fever?” he asked.

I shrugged. “The meds are doing their job.”

He unpacked the sack lunch and laid it in front of me while I brushed at my long hair. The simple lunch of sandwich, chips, and cookie made my mouth water, but none of it looked as good as the apple juice. I put down my brush and reached for the bottle, uncapping it and taking a big swig.

“Ah, the body was built to run on apple juice,” I said after I swallowed. “Thank you.”

“I had to do a colonoscopy before one of my deployments, and made the mistake of mixing the laxative meds with apple juice, thinking that would make it taste better. A gallon of apple juice was a mistake. I’ve never been able to drink it again,” Nico said in a self-deprecating tone.

I grinned as I unwrapped my sandwich. “That sounds awful.”

“It’s sad, because my dad used to always serve me apple juice and pancakes on Saturday mornings. It was nostalgic.”

I wanted him to keep going, to keep swinging that door into his mind open a little wider, but unsurprisingly, he grew quiet again.

Nico puttered around the cabin while I ate and watched nature outside the window. I was sure he had better things to do than to clean our bathroom and wipe out the empty fridge shelves, but I liked tidy living and the company too.

When I was done eating, I packed everything back into the paper sack and leaned back, stretching my arms over my head. I felt sort of normal, and it was great. I went back to working on my hair, lifting my arms high to begin braiding, but stopped when I heard Nico come up behind me.

“I, uh, brought you something,” he said without walking around to face me.

A fun-size chocolate bar was placed on the table and my arms dropped, my hair freeing itself to slap against my back, as I reached for it.

“You did not,” I laughed. I unwrapped it and sniffed. “Better than licking your eyes, that’s for sure.”

He chuckled and I blushed. Why had I said that? Oh my gosh. I took a small bite of the bar, trying to pretend I hadn’t, and made a happy sound as it melted on my tongue. It was delicious.

I looked over my shoulder to where he was still standing above me. “Thank you.”

He swallowed and I watched his throat with avid interest as he cleared it. “Uh, I could braid your hair if you want.”

“Say what?” I turned slightly in my seat.

He played it cool. “I saw you starting to braid your hair, but you still look tired. I used to braid ropes for rock climbing, or whatever else we might need them for. Hair can’t be that different.”

A flush climbed from my belly to my forehead at the thought of him having his fingers in my hair. I turned before he could notice and nodded, handing him the brush I’d been using.

“You’ve never done hair before?” I asked.

“I’ve seen women braid hair,” he responded. “When I was stationed in the Middle East I got to know the villagers pretty well. The women would sit outside and braid their daughters’ hair before school.”

“And you’re observant.”

“Yes.”

The backs of his knuckles brushed my neck as he gathered the heavy, damp strands together and began running a brush through it. “You have a lot more hair than most people.”

I chuckled. “I really do.”

We were silent while he finished brushing and then started a braid at the base of my skull and worked it down until it stopped low on my back. Every time his fingers brushed my back a tingle would rush up to meet it. The energy around us was blazing by the time he finished. Never before had braiding felt like an intimate act. I’d had my hair braided by countless friends, and I’d done the same for them. But Nico’s strong hands, fumbling a little with inexperience, were a very different story.

How on earth was the silent and humorless Nico of my past standing here braiding my hair after playing nursemaid for days? I couldn’t say for sure that I knew him well yet, but I could acknowledge that Cole was right – he was our friend. My friend.

He laid the finished braid over my shoulder and I ran chilled fingertips over it. “Thank you. Seems like I have a lot to thank you for.”

He leaned over my shoulder to put the brush on the table. “You’d have done the same.”

As a nurse, yes, I would have. But Nico wasn’t a nurse, and he wasn’t my brother. He’d barely started to be my friend. It was not the same at all.

“I think I’ll head back to bed for a bit.” I stood up and his hand was immediately at my bare elbow. My eyes whooshed closed at the contact and I sucked in a short breath.

“You okay?” he asked, stepping so close I could feel the warmth of him along my side.

I swallowed. “I’m okay.”

I turned and he released me as I shuffled to my bed. I was grateful that he watched from where he’d stood at the table. I pushed my bed sheet curtain aside and crawled back into my nest. Man, this nest needed to be washed, but I batted the thought away and covered myself completely.

I flopped down in the chair behind my desk in the health center on Wednesday morning and wiped at my forehead. Thankfully my fever was gone and my cough and congestion were much better, but that did not mean I felt great. I was wrung out and ready for a nap, and all I’d done was shower, get ready, and get to work. But I was here. Something Kristy cheered about as soon as she walked in the room and saw me sitting there.

“You’re back!” she cried as she rushed in the doorway and to my side, her eyes bright and her pony tail swishing. “I missed you so much. Cole said you were really sick.” She wrinkled her nose as she took me in. “You still look sick. Are you contagious?”

I smiled and sat up straight. “Not one hundred percent better, but functional and ready to get out of that cabin.”

She threw me a knowing grin. “Couldn’t have been all bad, with Nico as your nurse.”

I smiled back at her. “Yeah, that’s a skill a woman can really enjoy.”

She flushed slightly, picturing it in her mind, as we got to work making sure supplies were ready and the room had a nice thorough scrubbing. She’d done a pretty good job of keeping it clean, but my standards were high when it came to maintaining a germ-free environment.

About an hour into our morning there was a knock on the door and a counselor came in with a small boy, probably in the eight to nine age range. He was sobbing and holding his arm close to his chest in a way that made me wonder if he’d broken a bone and was cradling it.

“Hi, buddy,” I said warmly as I walked toward him. I crouched down to his level and looked him in the eye. “What’s your name?”

“Milo,” he answered on a whimper.

“What’s going on?” I asked gently.

“I’m going to dieeeee . . .” He looked at the floor and really wailed, his blond hair falling over his eyes.

I looked up at his counselor with big eyes and he shook his head. “I’m not sure what’s going on. He came to me during free time and told me he needed a doctor. Wouldn’t tell me why.”

I put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Milo, why don’t you come sit on my exam table so we can see what’s happening, okay?”

He sniffled, wiped his running nose with one hand, and followed me the few steps to the table, where he climbed up with no problem, using both of his arms for support. So, no arm issues. While he settled himself on the table I did a quick visual exam, and still couldn’t see anything going on. His clothing was clean, his skin looked clear, no head injuries were obvious.

“Is something hurting?” I asked.

“Not yet, but it will be,” he cried.

“What do you think will start hurting?”

“My brain, and probably my mouth,” he replied.

I once again looked to his counselor, noting that his name tag said Austin, and he shrugged. He was as stumped as I was, his browns drawn over blue eyes. A glance at Kristy showed me she was also confused, but really intrigued. Same, lady, same.

“Can you tell me more about what’s going on?” I asked, biting my lip in thought.

Milo nodded. “Last night I woke up and there was a big, fuzzy rat laying on me. I thought he was so cute that I started petting him. But he didn’t like to be petted, so he ran away and I was sad. But this morning I told the other kids that I petted a rat, and they said I’m going to die of rabies. And rabies starts by making your brain go bad, and then you get white stuff in your mouth and you go crazy, and you can’t think right.”

The three adults in the room were silent as we all processed this. I can’t speak for what Kristy and counselor Austin were thinking, but based on facial expressions I’m guessing we were all having similar thoughts ping around our heads. Rat? Ewwwww. He was petting it? Oh my gosh, why??? Why are rats crawling on sleeping kids? Do rats carry rabies? Did it bite him? Is that foam on his lip, or leftover toothpaste from this morning?

I slowed my thoughts and went with the least frightening thing I could think of. “Did it bite you, buddy?” He shook his head. “That’s good. Did it lick you, or scratch you, or go potty on your hand or anything?”

“No. He ran away after a few pets.”

“That’s good. Milo, you’re going to be okay. Rabies only comes from an animal biting you. And it sounds like this rat was pretty friendly, which means he wasn’t sick.”

I glanced over to see Kristy scouring a medical book and when her finger paused on something she looked up happily.

“Milo, it says in our doctor book that rats don’t usually have rabies, and if they do, humans can’t get it from them. You’re going to be just fine.”

Milo’s little nose scrunched up and his sobbing slowed. “So rats don’t have rabies?”

Look, the kid did not need to get into percentages and possibilities, and disease transmission discussions. The important part was that there had been no breaking of skin or fluids involved. He simply needed to know that he was going to be okay.

I nodded and squeezed one of his little shoulders. “Yep. You have nothing to worry about. But, and I need you to listen really close, okay?” He nodded, his eyes growing round. “It’s not safe to pet wild animals. If you ever have a rat climb on you in bed again, you need to wiggle it off your body and don’t touch it, alright?”

“Okay.”

“Great. Let’s get you all washed up and clean, and you’ll be good to go.” Because while rats aren’t a known rabies risk, they can still carry other diseases, and cleanliness is always the best procedure. “If your counselor can go get you a change of clothing, we have a little wash station behind that curtain where you can get cleaned up.” I pointed to an area near the back that consisted of a sink with a shower curtain that could be tugged around it. It wasn’t a full shower, but a person could get tidied up if needed. “Kristy will go get you a fresh towel and then we’ll wait in the hall until you’re all done. Is that okay?”

Milo agreed, and Austin and Kristy ran to gather their supplies while I got Milo some soap and a wash cloth. Milo had stopped crying by the time he had clothing and a towel, and the three adults sighed in relief as we closed the exam room door behind us, and left him to his privacy.

“Do rats regularly crawl on people at night?” I asked Kristy and Austin.

“We’re in the mountains, and the cabins are a source of warmth and food,” Austin responded calmly. “I haven’t seen it before, but it doesn’t surprise me.”

“I will be awake for the rest of the summer,” I groaned, rubbing the goosebumps off my arms.

Kristy laughed. “If you’re that worried you can always get one of those mosquito nets to wrap around your bunk.”

“Rats could gnaw right through that,” I shuddered.

Austin grinned. “I’m sure maintenance has some sort of rat spray or poison or something that you can put around your cabin. It’s really nothing to worry about.”

Okay, partner. From my perspective this was very disgusting and I would worry. I would also discuss it with my brother, because I really did not want kids getting crawled on by rodents in the night. Not as a nurse, and not as a fellow human.

Once we had Milo cleaned and cheerfully sucking on a lollipop, I left Kristy to sterilize everything and went in search of Cole. He needed to be made aware of the rodent infestation. He wasn’t in his office, and I poked around a few other places but he must have been outside of the lodge. I’d have to talk to him later .

However . . . since I was near WiFi I hurried to text my friend group.

Me: Only have one second but have to tell you that a kid came into the health center thinking he had rabies because he had a rat crawling on him in his bunk last night and he gave it a friendly pet. If I die here, please know I love you all.

Meredith: You’d better be lying!

Me: Sadly, no.

I knew eventually the others would respond and I was sad to miss the conversation that would happen, but I needed to get back to the health center.

And it was a good thing I did, because by the time I entered the little cabin nestled up next to the lodge, there were three more kids inside. Kristy had one on the exam table and the other two were sitting in chairs in the tiny hallway that worked as a waiting area when needed. It had never been needed before. This was practically an epidemic, and suddenly the afternoon was looking long.

I was completely wiped out by the time the last of today’s wave was cared for. I still didn’t have my energy fully back after my own illness that week, and as the bell sounded calling campers to dinner, I found myself walking in the opposite direction, toward my cabin. I needed to rest up in case more kids needed me in the evening hours.

True to form, stalker Quinn rose from his resting place in the meadow grasses off to the side of the path and began to lumber along behind me. My head hung down as I watched every step I took. I was too tired to trust my balance, and this place liked to surprise you with rocks.

“At least we didn’t have anyone in there with quill injuries,” I said to him. “If you feel like doing something to prove your love to me, you could go scare off all the rats that are crawling on people in the night.”

“There are rats crawling on people in the night?” Nico’s voice floated to me from the path ahead and I tore my eyes away from the gravel.

“Yeah. A kid came in today scared he had rabies because he’d been petting the rat that was sitting on him overnight.” His expression made me smile. “That’s exactly what I thought. One of the counselors told me it’s no big deal, that rats make sense up here, but I still find it disgusting. Cole needs to fumigate the place.”

Nico nodded. “It’s not ideal.”

I chuckled weakly. “Understatement. ”

By now we were standing close enough to stop yelling and he frowned. “You look tired.”

“I’m fine,” I insisted, but I yawned and swayed a little bit.

His warm hands gripped my shoulders and pulled me closer, steadying me. “You’re exhausted. You should have eased in by working half a day.”

I sagged a little and he buoyed me up. “It’s a good thing I didn’t. The health center was jimmy-jam packed today and I was needed there. Besides, Cole hired me to do a job and I’m not going to let everyone down. They need a nurse on the ready.” He nodded and my head tipped forward a bit until it nearly grazed his chin. “I got to give someone stitches today. So that was cool.”

“I don’t know a lot of people who like giving others stitches.”

“Face the truth, you don’t know a lot of people,” I cracked.

One of his hands left my shoulder to wrap around the back of my head and he shifted me the tiniest bit closer. “True,” he whispered only a moment before I felt the soft press of his lips against my forehead.

His breath was warm against my skin and I couldn’t have moved if a thousand horses had been at my back dragging me. He pressed a second light kiss in the same spot and I shivered. He moved back, his hands dropping and I blinked up at him, not knowing what to say or how to feel. My brain was a blank white wall of nothing.

“Let’s get you back to the cabin,” he said into the stillness, and I easily fell into step beside him, my mind reengaging in order to race ahead.

“Do you consider me a friend?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“That’s good,” I murmured.

We made our way down the path and up the stairs of the little, dark cabin, and I thought of all the times I’d acted like a clown to get the attention of someone I found attractive. I’d bubbled and laughed, giggled and been a party-hat-wearing, kazoo-blowing fool with nothing to show for it. And now, outside of my regular life in an unfamiliar place, coming off a nasty cold, when I felt weak and unsure, a man had stepped into my orbit and shown me more kindness than any had before.

Neither of us bothered turning on the light when we entered, relying instead on the sunlight still streaming in the small windows. His footsteps stopped as mine moved toward the sleeping area and I couldn’t bring myself to look back at him. He might see something in my expression that I was still attempting to process. Wonder. Fear. Confusion.

“I’ll bring you some dinner in a little while,” Nico said.

I fell onto my bed, face down, not caring that I was still fully dressed, and sucked in a deep breath. The scent of laundry detergent filled my nose and I raised my head to sniff at my pillow and sheets. They were clean and fresh, not the sweaty, slightly stinky bed I’d been laying in for days. I’d planned to wash them tomorrow, but it had already been done.

A sob climbed up my throat. I knew exactly who had done it and something inside of me banged against the box I’d put him in years ago. My head fell back to my pillow as a few tears leaked out. I sank into it, letting the emotions have free run, something I hadn’t done in a long, long time.

Nico’s hands parted the sheet curtain and he looked down at me. “Are you crying?”

“You washed my nest.”

His expression was serious. “You like things clean.”

The tears doubled. “I really do. You should probably stop being so nice to me, though.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know how to handle it,” I whispered honestly.

He nodded. “I know, love, but you’ll figure it out.”

And then the curtain swished closed and he left the cabin with the same graceful, light steps that he always did.