Torn (Connections #2)(5)

I carefully pull off my sweater and hastily wrap a towel around me. I consider a shower, but decide against it. It seems like it would require too much energy right now. I do manage to brush my teeth. Once I finish, I look back into the mirror and see that he's standing behind in the doorway with such sadness in his eyes. He walks over to me as I wipe my mouth with a towel.

"Let's put this on you," he says while pulling his long-sleeved 30 Seconds to Mars T-shirt over my head. "It will be easier to get on and off than one of yours and it will keep you warm."

I let him dress me like I'm a small child. Happy memories of my father getting me ready for school pop into my head. My dad would help me get dressed and drop me off at school when my mother had to leave early for work. I loved those days. I loved every day my parents were alive.



       
         
       
        

"You alright, Dahlia?" he asks with concern.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

Then smiling, I tell him, "You dressing me now just reminded me of happy times when my dad would let me pick out whatever I wanted to wear to school whether it matched or not. Since my mom wasn't home to make me change I usually wore his concert T-shirts."

He smirks, "You mean your mom, the fashion designer, didn't like it when you wore your dad's grungy T-shirts to school?"

"How did you guess?"

"Intuition," he tells me. "Personally, I think you make everything you wear look incredible, but I could see where your mom might have a different opinion."

I lean into him just to feel his warmth and nuzzle his neck. "I wish you could have met my parents."

"I may never be able to meet them, but I know them through you."

Pulling away, I smile at him and press my palms against his chest. "That means everything to me," is all I can say because it does.

He nods and we stay silent for a few moments.

"I think you should lie back down." Carrying me back to the bed, he sets me down on the opposite side I woke up on. But I don't care which side I sleep on as long as he's next to me. I take his hand and squeeze it. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," he says, kissing the top of my head. "I ordered you something to eat while you were in the bathroom."

"I'm not really hungry. I'm just really thirsty."

Pulling the covers up over my legs, he sits beside me. "You have to eat something when you take these pills." He opens the medicine bottle on the night table and pours two oblong, white, horse-sized pills into his palm then sets them down next to the open bottle.

"There's no way I can swallow those."

He laughs quickly and then stands up and walks toward the TV. "I ordered you grilled cheese and French fries to eat and a milkshake to swallow the pills with." He opens the adjoining room door and says, "Hey Xander, just bring the food over here when it comes."

I'm staring at his backside when he turns his head over his shoulder and catches me. He throws me a wink and I smile back. We don't exchange words but we both start laughing and I have to say, that is my all-time favorite sound. God, I love it when he laughs, it's soft but husky and oh so sexy.

I hold my bruised ribs in pain, and he apologizes for making me laugh.

"River, it's okay. I want to laugh. And, really, I just couldn't resist the view."

He stifles more laughter and I ask, "Why did you order food and have it delivered to Xander's room?" I pause a moment before adding, "And why are we sharing a room with Xander and Caleb anyway?" 

His laughter stops and he becomes more serious. "We aren't sharing a room with them. The door closes between us, silly girl." As if to prove his point, he opens and closes the door in a swinging motion. Leaving it open, he walks back over to the bed and sits next to me. He cups my unbruised cheek before leaning in to kiss my forehead. "And I ordered food to be delivered to their room in case you fell back asleep. I didn't want the knocking to disturb you."

"Oh, that makes sense. Well now that you mentioned my favorite-grilled cheese dipped in a chocolate milkshake-I might be feeling a little hungry."

"Have I told you how gross I think that is, by the way?" he asks, raising his eyebrows.

"Only a thousand times, and yet every time I order it you manage to steal a bite. And don't think I haven't noticed you dip it in your shake first."

Chuckling, he pinches his thumb and index finger together and says, "Well, I might like it just a tiny little bit."

I smile at him and lay my head down on the pillow just as Xander brings in the tray of food. River points to the empty spot next to me on the bed. "Thanks, man, just put it down right there."