Chapter 14: Chelsea
I woke up next to Flynn that morning, and everything felt right with the world. There he was, sleeping soundly while his muscular, chiseled chest rose and fell with his breaths, and I couldn’t help but dance my fingertips along the crest of his pecs. He’d always been handsome, but rodeos and farms and time had been kind to his body. He’d tacked on more muscle than I ever thought a man of his body stature would have, and I reveled in the bite marks that cascaded over his shoulders and chest.
He had been taking such excellent care of me over these past three weeks. He was making me food and drawing me baths every night. My parents were coming by as often as they could, and he let them in with no issues and no fuss. Every time I turned around I had clean clothes that were folded in my drawers and, somehow, my toiletries were slowly replenishing themselves. His cabbage soup was the best I had to make sure to keep my mouth shut about it whenever my mother was around. Honest to god, nothing was as good as mom’s
cooking when I was in Paris.
But Flynn knew his way around a kitchen, and I could feel the little paunch in my gut that was slowly not receding whenever I’d go to the bathroom.
“You gotta stop feeding me all this food,” I snickered.
“Nothing wrong with a little meat on someone’s bones,” he smirked.
“Yeah, well, the fashion world isn’t kind to women who don’t keep themselves physically together.”
“Then maybe they just need to redefine their physical standards,” he shrugged.
Today was my third doctor’s appointment, and each one had told me I was healing well. The gauze finally came off in the second week, but I still wasn’t allowed to travel or do anything strenuous. Flynn had cradled my head when we made love, and his tongue had sent me to places I’d never found when I ran away to Paris. His moans and groans that fell from his lips whenever he was between my legs were nothing short of catastrophically beautiful. Since that first night, we had made love several times over the course of the week and every time we woke up next to one another I felt safe.
I felt safe, I felt cherished, and I felt like I was back in college.
Guilt started to bubble in my stomach while we rode in his truck to the doctor’s office. Today would be the day that they would tell me whether I could travel or not, and I knew Flynn knew that. I was due back in Paris at the end of next week, and I knew there were still many unanswered questions between Flynn and me. My heart fluttered whenever his lips touched my skin and every time we woke up next to one another I couldn’t help the smile that peeled across my face. And now I was going to have to leave him again halfway around the world while I went off and pursued my dreams.
He deserved better than that, but the least he deserved was answers.
“Flynn, do you think-”
“We’re about ten minutes out from the doctor,” he said lowly. He gave me no smile and no indication that he was ready for what the doctor had to say today, and that told me everything I needed to know.
He knew what was coming, and he still had no answers for the last time I’d left him.
Well, the time before last time.
Fuck, I was a terrible person.
“Flynn, maybe we could go get some food after and-”
“Let’s just see what the doctor says first, alright? There’s been a bit more… jostling… this week, and I want to make sure you’re alright.”
He reached over and grabbed my hand, and I felt my heart rate begin to speed up. He traced comforting circles around the top of my skin, and part of me wanted to pull this truck over and crawl into his lap. I wasn’t ready to talk about this, but I knew we had to, and now I got the feeling that Flynn wanted to avoid it at all costs.
My stomach lurched with guilt, and I felt myself growing nauseous, and when we pulled into the doctor’s office, I had to lean against the truck door to steady myself.
“You alright?” he asked lowly.
“Just fine,” I sighed.
We walked hand in hand into the doctor’s office, and I was seen immediately. I reluctantly let go of Flynn’s hand and went back into the office by myself, and a few tests were performed before they took a bit of blood. I had lights shined in my eyes, and I had my ears looked at. I followed fingers and got my reflexes checked, and when the doctor was finally done, she stood back and smiled.
“You’re healing beautifully, and we got your tests back that you did at the hospital a couple of days ago.”
“Oh? Well, what do they look like? How’s all the swelling?” I asked.
“Nonexistent. Your brain looks like it’s finally healed, and you’ll be just fine to travel next week.”
“Oh.”
The memories of Flynn began to rush through my head. Memories of him holding me so close his touch woke me up and mornings where I woke up and he was smiling at me. Memories of him bringing me breakfast in bed and huddling down into the covers while we watched television together. I remember a few days ago I heard a commotion out with the animals, so I wrapped a blanket around my naked body and made way for the window. I watched Flynn mount one of his horses bareback and go after a bull that was terrorizing a small calf that had been born while I had been here, and I saw a glimpse of the man who lived for the thrill when he was chasing after that bull. I watched him bring out a whip and a rope and physically drag the bull away from the calf, and when he finally had the bull controlled, I watched him hop off that horse and scoop the little calf up in his arms.