I used my other hand to trace the outline of her face. I couldn’t help it. Her skin was softer than that of any other person I had ever touched. I could trail my fingers over her skin all day and be happy. It was that soft. She grumbled and rolled over to bury her face in my stomach again. I move my hand from her arm to her back. I pushed back the hair that was stuck on her face.
Seeing her like this, I realized I was in love with her. I smiled at the realization. She was mine and I intended to keep it that way. She might be unsure of herself sometimes, but she was amazing. Emily was letting go more and more each day of what her mother had said to her. She was beginning to trust herself and me. I wouldn’t let her down either. It would break my heart to see her go back to being withdrawn.
I had seen her laugh, smile, and twirl in the rain. Emily was full of life, just like Mike said. I always wanted to see her that way. Her smile brought a smile to my lips every time. Knowing that sometimes I was the one who caused it made me even happier.
At the sound of the door opening, I turned my head to see Mike come in. He gave me a slight smile and took a seat in the recliner. “How’s she doing?”
“She’s been sleeping mostly. I got her to eat some chicken noodle soup, but she probably threw that back up.” He nodded and then seemed to notice that her head was in my lap. He didn’t comment on it though.
Mike stood up and walked over to us. He places
a hand between my stomach and her forehead to check for a fever. “She doesn’t seem as hot as earlier,” he said as he sat back down. “Thanks for checking on her,” he added.
“No problem.” Emily stirred and rolled onto her back, opening her eyes. I smiled at her and got a smile in return. “How are you feeling?” I asked her.
“A little better.”
I leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“Have you taken more medicine for your fever?” Mike asked. Emily sat up, just noticing him and shook her head. He walked down the hall to the bathroom. She rested her head on me and I wrapped an arm around her. She gave me an apologetic look.
“Em, don’t look at me like that.”
Mike came back and held the medicine out to her. She took it and downed it with water. Emily leaned back and rested on me. Her comforter kept slipping down so I tucked the ends behind her shoulders so it would stay in place.
“Thanks, Jake,” she said. I answered her with a kiss on the top of her head. She sighed, “Hopefully, this is a twenty-four hour kind of thing.”
I chuckled and said, “Hopefully.”
After a few minutes, she lay back down. “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable in your bed,” Mike asked her.
Emily yawned and said, “Probably, but unless you’re going to let Jake go back there, this will have to do.”
He seemed to be considering it when Emily lurched and puked into the waiting trashcan. Mike took one look at her and said, “If that will make you more comfortable, then okay.”
Emily drank some water and asked for more. I got up and got it for her. Emily stood, took her pillow, and headed to her room. With the water bottle and her comforter in hand, I followed her.
I left the door open because there was no reason to close it. Emily had already plopped into bed and I set the water on her nightstand before covering the bed with the comforter. I walked to the other side of the bed, slipped off my shoes, and crawled in. She held up the blankets so I could slide in next to her.
I wrapped my arms around her and her face buried in my neck. “Jake,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for staying with me today.”
“It was my pleasure. Thankfully Drake was invited to stay another night at his friends, so I’m free.”
She hugged me closer to her and said, “You’re like a furnace, you know?”
I chuckled and said, “I know.” Then she fell asleep in my arms.
An hour later, Mike checked in and saw Emily sleeping. He hesitated and then said, “You can stay here tonight, if you’d like. I don’t want her to wake up when you move away from her.”
I knew wearing my sweats would be worth it. “Okay. Thanks.” He nodded and went to his room. I kissed the top of Emily’s head and fell asleep.
“Jake?” Emily whispered. I opened my eyes to see her looking at me. “What are you still doing here? Does my dad know?”
I gave a sly grin and said, “Yeah. He thought if I moved you would wake up, so he told me I could stay. How are you feeling?”