I nod and say, “Okay.”
Letting go of me, Kao places his hand on his thigh. He rests his right elbow on the counter and leans his chin on his knuckles. The pose makes him look strong… and mouthwateringly attractive.
For a moment, it feels like no time has passed at all and that we’re right back to how things were between us before the accident ripped us apart.
“Sorry to interrupt, guys,” Noah says, popping the bubble I got caught in. “Time for eyedrops.”
I watch as Noah sets three bottles on the table, then my gaze goes back to Kao’s eyes. I drink in the sight of his striking blue irises, but then a frown begins to form on my forehead, and I lean closer.
Oh my god.
I climb off the stool, and framing Kao’s jaw, I lift his face so I can see the stitches around his irises better. “Do the stitches hurt?”
“Not as much as they used to. It comes and goes,” Kao replies.
“How will they come out?” I ask, worried that he’ll have to undergo another surgery.
“They’ll remove them bit by bit as he heals. The whole process can take nine months to a year and a half,” Noah informs me.
I let go of Kao and stand back so Noah can administer the drops. I watch closely what he does so I can help out in the future.
Noah picks up on the fact I’m taking in what he does, and he explains, “You have to wait a couple of minutes between the different eye drops.”
“Why?” I move a little closer, and seeing how red Kao’s eyes are, makes me wish I could do something to make this process easier for him.
“It irritates his eyes.”
I nod, and when some of the solution runs down Kao’s temple, I quickly reach up and brush the drop away with my thumb.
“Careful,” Kao murmurs. “I’ll get used to all the attention.”
Noah lets out a chuckle, and then he administers the next set of eyedrops. I pick up a bottle and ask, “What are they all for?”
“That one is so Kao’s body won’t reject the donor cornea.”
I glance at Noah. “I was telling Kao, you should’ve become a doctor like your mother.”
“I don’t have her patience,” he chuckles.
“Could’ve fooled me,” I tease.
Noah gathers the three bottles of eyedrops. “They’re just to help with the healing.” Then he looks at Kao. “Don’t forget to put on the eye shields when you go to bed.”
“Are you turning in for the night?” Kao asks.
“Yeah, taking care of your stubborn ass is tiring,” he jokes.
Smiling at Noah, I say, “Night.”
When Noah disappears down the hallway, I turn my gaze back to Kao. “Do your eyes feel better after the drops?”
“Yeah, they aren’t as scratchy then.” A mischievous grin spreads over his face. “Looks like it’s just us.”
I glance at the time, and seeing it’s already midnight, my eyes widen. “Damn, we should actually head to bed, or we’re totally going to oversleep tomorrow.”
Kao begins to get up, and it has me saying, “Wait a sec. Let me just rinse the cups, then I’ll help.”
I quickly clean up after us, then walk to Kao. “Let’s go.”
As we walk down the hallway, he says, “Thank you for tonight.”
Entering his room, I switch on the light but then pause. “Should I leave the lights off?”
“No, leave them on.”
I walk to his bed and pull the covers back. Noticing the eye shields on the bedside table, I ask, “Do you need help putting on the eye shields?”
“In a minute.” Kao first makes his way to the bathroom. “Can you help me with the toothbrush and paste?”
“Sure.” I dart forward and go stand next to him. I reach for the toothbrush and squirt some paste on, then place it in his hand.
I fill the glass with water and wait until Kao’s finished, then hand it to him. I quickly rinse the bristles before placing the toothbrush back in the holder.
Getting a taste of how much help Kao still needs is an eye-opener. I wish I could’ve helped him sooner.
I follow him back into the bedroom, and instead of getting in bed, he turns to face me. “I really want to hug you right now.”
I hesitate for a moment, but not wanting to ruin the ground we’ve gained, I move forward and wrap my arms around his waist. I press my right cheek to his shirt, and when his arms lock me to him, everything feels right again.KAOActually, I want to drag Fallon into bed with me and hold her all night long. But knowing I can’t rush things with her, I force my arms to let go of her.
I sit down on the side of the bed, and again a smile plays around my lips as Fallon carefully helps me put on the eye shields. Even though I can do some of the things myself, I’m holding back so Fallon can help me because I know how important it is to her.