by Laura DeLuca
Rebecca was glad she wasn’t the only one who thought she was being signaled out. She was starting to think she was paranoid. Still, she really just wanted to put the whole awful day behind her. She was glad when they said their goodbyes for the night and started home. But she should have known Justyn wasn’t going to let it go so easily. She was working the combination on her bike lock when she felt his eyes boring into her. His gaze was never easy to ignore. She turned and looked up at him suspiciously.
“What?” she asked.
“Who says you aren’t a good actress?”
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe Megan and Quinn didn’t notice how upset you were,” Justyn said, “but you don’t really think you can hide it from me, do you? Do you want to talk about it?”
“It isn’t a big deal.” Rebecca tried to sound confident as she swung her leg over her bike. “Professor Carter tore me apart. But I survived, and I’m moving on. I’m not going to let it defeat me.”
“Good for you!” Justyn cheered. “Never let anyone stop you from living your dreams, Becca. I knew you had what it took from the first time I heard you sing.” He leaned down to kiss her forehead. “You’ll always be my angel of music.”
Rebecca smiled. It was her first heartfelt smile since the meeting with the director. Justyn always knew the right things to say. Without him, she would never have the confidence to get up on the stage at all. Between his adoring stare and the full moon smiling down on them, it was hard to stay upset. She actually started to feel a little optimistic again. She was still starving though, which was obvious when her stomach let out an obnoxious rumble that was so loud it made her blush. Justyn couldn’t help but hear it and glanced at her just before he started to peddle.
“Do you want to stop and get something to eat?”
Rebecca shook her head, still a little embarrassed. “No, that’s okay. I have a big exam tomorrow. I should get home and study. I’m sure I can scrounge something up to eat when we get there. Unless you’re still hungry….”
Justyn made a face. “No, I’m not hungry at all. That pizza really was awful. I feel a little sick.”
Rebecca frowned, concerned. “Are you going to be okay riding home?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He waved his hand. “It’s no big deal.”
Rebecca was still concerned. As a habitual worrier, she always made a fuss over her boyfriend. Justyn never complained. He liked having her attention, and she felt needed when she was giving it. She kept a close eye on him the whole ride back to the apartment. It wasn’t until they were safely home and she was immersed in her textbook that she temporarily forgot about him mentioning it. She had also forgotten about being hungry, until her stomach started to growl unattractively for the second time that day. Luckily, Justyn was too busy reading a novel about the true story of Sweeney Todd to notice.
“I think I’m going to make some Ramen Noodles,” she announced. “Do you want some?”
Justyn shut his book and placed a hand on his stomach. “I can’t even think about food right now.” He groaned.
Rebecca instantly forgot about eating. For the first time, she noticed Justyn was a little pale—even paler than usual. She shut her textbook, slid a little closer to him on the loveseat, and laid a hand on his knee.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded. “My stomach is just a little upset. I’m fine though. You can go back to studying. Don’t worry about me.”
Rebecca ignored him and went right on worrying, especially when she noticed his hands were trembling. “I’ve studied enough for one night. Besides, you know I can’t concentrate on anything when I’m worried about you.”
“That’s sweet.” He kissed her nose. “But really not necessary. Go ahead and make your dinner if you’re hungry.”
“I have some Pepto Bismol in the medicine cabinet,” she offered.
Justyn raised a pierced eyebrow. “Do you really think I’d allow anything hot pink anywhere near my mouth?”
That made her giggle a little, but not enough to stop her from feeling concerned. “Dandelion tea, then? I’m pretty sure there’s some in that basket of herbs Darlene gave us. Just let me go look for it….”
She started to stand, but Justyn grabbed her hand and pulled her back down beside him. “Shhhh. I’m okay. Really. Still, I have to admit, you’re beautiful when you’re being paranoid.”
She didn’t fight it when Justyn pulled her closer and kissed her. She fell into the embrace almost instantly, just like every time his soft tongue began its tentative exploration. He caressed every inch of her body, peppering her skin with gooseflesh. She was excited to reciprocate his sensual touch. Her hands traveled over every inch of his familiar body, starting at his shoulders, running down his back. Finally her fingers snuck beneath the grinning white skull on his T-shirt to caress his bare chest. She planned to venture lower, but he stopped her and pressed his hand against his stomach. Then, breathless, he pulled away, buried his face in her hair, and groaned.
“Justyn, what’s wrong?” Rebecca fretted
He didn’t reply for a long time, just pulled her closer with an almost desperate need. Eventually, she pulled free from his grasp and gently pushed him back against the sofa so she could study him closer. He didn’t seem to have the strength to fight her. He leaned back and closed his eyes, but he didn’t let go of her hand. He was squeezing it so hard her fingers were starting to feel a little numb. Rebecca was crossing the border from worry to complete and total panic.
“Justyn, what’s the matter?”
“I’m okay,” he said, but his voice was still strained.
“Liar.”
“Really, I just … aghhh.” He doubled over and moaned, his face losing color by the second. He finally stopped trying to act tough and squeezed her hand even tighter. “Becca, my stomach is killing me.”
“What can I do?” She brushed the hair out of his eyes.
He didn’t say anything else. Instead, he leaned back against the loveseat, shut his eyes, and pressed his hand against his stomach. She thought his breathing seemed a little strained. Wanting to comfort him in some small way, she rubbed her hand up and down his arm and hoped the worst of it would pass quickly. At the same time, she was trying to remember the directions to Urgent Care. She didn’t for a second think he was just being a typical whiny guy. She had nursed him through a bullet wound with very minimal whining on his part. So if he said he was hurting, she knew it had to be serious.
“Justyn?” she whispered after several minutes had passed in silence. “Say something. You’re scaring me.”
Finally he opened his eyes and took a long breath. His grip on her hand loosened slightly. “I feel a little better now. Sorry I scared you. Wow.” Rebecca imagined he might have blushed if his face wasn’t so peaked. “I’m never ordering from that pizza place again. They really were the worst pies in….”
Justyn stopped talking in midsentence. He didn’t double over again, but he definitely didn’t look good. In fact, he looked a little green.
“Justyn?”
“Oh, gods….”
He let go of her hand, jumped up from the couch, and flew toward the bathroom with his hand over his mouth. He very nearly knocked Rebecca off the sofa in his haste to get away. She blinked a few times before she got up to follow him. The bathroom door was closed, but even with the fan running, she could still hear the sound of him heaving. It made her glad she never got around to making herself dinner.
Rebecca paced nervously in the narrow corridor, not sure whether she should knock or give him some privacy. After a while it started to get quiet, but still he didn’t come out. She didn’t want to embarrass him, but when she started having visions of him passed out on the linoleum, she knew waiting wasn’t going to be an option. She gently tapped on the door.
“Justyn?” she called. “Justyn, are you okay in there?”
“Yes. I’ll be out in a minute,” he replied almost instantly, though his voice was a li
ttle hoarse. Rebecca heard the faucet turn on and figured he was splashing water on his face or brushing his teeth. A few seconds later the door clicked open. If his face had been white before, now it was ash-gray and covered in beads of perspiration. He leaned back against the wall on shaky legs with his hands still clutching his stomach.
“Sorry about that, Becca.” He sounded a little sheepish. “I’m not feeling well.”
“I noticed.”
Rebecca lifted her hand to his forehead to check to see if he was feverish. He felt a little clammy, but not really warm. With her brow furrowed in concern, she wrapped her arm around his waist and helped him to their bedroom. He fell backward on the pillows without even thinking of taking off his shoes. So Rebecca pulled off the metal-tipped boots for him. Then she grabbed the little plastic trashcan from the corner and put it beside the bed, just in case. Finally, she ran back into the bathroom to get a wet cloth before lying down beside him, as gently as possible so as not to jostle the bed. She dabbed his sweaty brow with the damp cloth and rubbed her other hand along his body in gentle circling motions.
“Well, this is embarrassing,” he muttered without opening his eyes.
“Don’t be silly. You’re sick. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Rebecca reassured him. “Besides, I seem to remember you catching me with my head in the trashcan last year on opening night.”
“That was different.”
“I know. That was just nerves. This is more serious.” Saying it out loud made her even more anxious. She checked his forehead for a fever again. “Maybe I should take to you the hospital. It might be your appendix or something.”
Justyn opened his eyes, just so he could roll them. “I don’t think that’s necessary. I heard the flu was going around early this year. I’m sure that’s all it is. Really, Becca, I’ll be fine tomorrow. You don’t have to be so dramatic. You shouldn’t be so close to me though. I wouldn’t want you to catch this.”
It was Rebecca’s turn to roll her eyes. “I think it’s a little too late to worry about that. Besides, I know if I do catch it, you’ll be here to take care of me.”
“Always,” he whispered and pulled her closer to him.
She noticed he was trembling even after she pulled the blankets over him, so she figured he was right about his ailment being the flu. Though at times, he still seemed so mystical to her, it was odd to think of him being susceptible to something so commonplace. When she saw him vulnerable, all she wanted was to somehow make it better for him. She wrapped her arms around him to try to quell his shivers and gently massaged his abdomen when he doubled over in pain. She was glad to see her touch seemed to relax him. He dozed off for a little while, but twenty minutes later, he darted up in bed and ran back to the bathroom. It went on like that until about three a.m., when he finally fell into a deeper, but still fitful sleep. It was only after he stayed asleep for a full hour, that Rebecca finally allowed herself to drift off beside him.
Chapter Ten
Rebecca opened her eyes around six a.m., feeling as though she’d only just shut them a few seconds before. She was exhausted, and she would have loved to stay in bed for another half hour. Her alarm was set for six thirty, but she didn’t want the loud noise to wake Justyn when he was finally getting some rest. Instead, she rolled over and watched him sleep for a little while. Even with his face so pale, she found him exotically handsome. It was still a thrill for her to wake up beside him. She could have lain there all day, just staring at him, admiring every chiseled feature. But she knew she had to get ready for class. So she slipped out of bed as quietly as possible, showered, and dressed without disturbing him. She combed her curly brown hair into a ponytail before tiptoeing into the kitchen.
Once she reached the counter, Rebecca yawned, rubbed her sleep-deprived eyes, and thought about how much she was going to enjoy her first cup of morning coffee. She was just about to pull a filter out of the package when she had second thoughts. The last time she had a stomach bug, the smell of her mother cooking had sent her running to the bathroom more than once. She wasn’t going to do that to Justyn. Instead, she put some water in a teapot and searched through the dozens of jars of dried herbs Darlene had gifted them. Inside she found all the herbs she needed—dandelion root, dandelion leaves, fennel seeds, and peppermint leaves—as well as the recipe card with instructions on how much of each to portion out. By the time she had them all measured, the water was already boiling.
Rebecca opened up the cabinets and reached for Justyn’s favorite mug—it had a picture of a skull inside an ace of spades. Strangely enough, it wasn’t in its normal spot. She moved their meager supply of glassware around, but still didn’t see it. With a shrug, she pulled out another, plainer mug, and assumed it would turn up eventually. While the leaves simmered in the diffuser, she pulled out a few slices of bread and gave them a light toasting. Once it was ready, she carried them into the bedroom and laid them on the nightstand just as Justyn began to stir.
“What’s all this?” Justyn mumbled through half a yawn
“Dandelion tea and some toast in case you’re hungry.”
“Look at you.” He nodded his head in approval. “Not only are you becoming a full-fledged kitchen witch, you even managed to carry that cup in here without spilling anything.”
“You are so mean!” she said in mock offense as she sat down on the corner of the bed. “Am I really that clumsy?”
He gave her a cocky smirk. “Only when you’re awake.”
“You can be such a jerk sometimes.” She swatted his arm, even though she had always found his sarcastic way of flirting to be one of his more endearing traits.
“You still love to insult me, even when I’m sick in bed.”
“You can’t be too sick if you’re making fun of me,” she challenged but then turned more serious. He did look pretty pale. Being as chronically paranoid as she was, it made her nervous. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay.” He shrugged and pulled himself up to a sitting position. He lifted the mug to his lips and took a tentative sip before setting it back down on the nightstand. “Not bad for a novice,” he approved.
“Well, I had a good teacher. Darlene never ceases to amaze me with her all-natural cures. But since you aren’t actually drinking it, I guess I have to assume that I failed miserably—”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not that. It’s perfect … I’m just….”
“Not really feeling any better?” Rebecca finished.
He shrugged again. “My stomach still hurts a little, but really, it’s not a big deal.”
“Well, I’ll have to see if I can’t make that any better.” She shimmied a little closer to him on the bed and massaged his neck with one hand while rubbing his sore belly with the other.
“You really do spoil me, you know.” He sighed and leaned into her touch. “Thank you for taking such good care of me last night. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky.”
Rebecca only smiled as she continued his full-body massage, kneading and pressing all the spots she knew were the most sensitive. Yet she couldn’t help but think that she was the lucky one. In the beginning, she had doubted him more than once, but he had never given up on her, never stopped fighting to make her see who he really was. She squeezed him a little tighter as she remembered how many stupid mistakes he’d forgiven. Their relationship really had nothing to do with luck. It had more to do with his stubborn perseverance. Maybe that was why she coddled him so much. When he was sick or hurt, she felt an almost desperate need to make it better in any way she could to make up for all the times she had hurt him. She certainly felt that desperation when he moaned and pressed her hand harder against his stomach.
“I don’t think you’re better at all,” she fretted.
He tried to give her another cocky grin, but it looked more like a grimace. “Okay, so maybe my stomach still hurts a lot, but I’ll still be okay. It’s just the flu, Becca. It has to run its course. I expect to feel like crap for at
least twenty-four hours.” He sighed. “I hate to do it, but I think I’ll have to skip my classes today … and practice.”
“Maybe I should stay home too,” Rebecca fussed. “I don’t want to leave you alone if you aren’t feeling well.”
He shook his head. “You can’t do that, Becca. I won’t let you miss your exam because of me, especially after you studied all night. I don’t want to give Professor Carter any more reasons to give you grief either. I’m sure he wouldn’t have any compassion about you playing nursemaid.”
That made her chuckle a little. “He probably won’t even be happy about you cutting practice. Can’t you just act with a bucket around your neck in case you need to—”
“Please don’t say it.” Justyn held up his hand and gave her an exaggerated flinch. “I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Sorry.” She snickered and glanced at the clock. “You know, if I’m going to get to class on time, I’ll have to leave now. Then I have work study, practice, and my acting class tonight. I won’t be back until after dark. Are you sure you’ll be okay alone all that time?”
Justyn rolled his eyes. “I’m a big boy.”
“You’re also a big jerk.” She gave him a playful nudge as she rose from the bed. “Can’t I even worry about you without you teasing me?”
“Worry all you want if it makes you hurry back.”
She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “I definitely will. In the meantime, is your cell phone actually charged for a change?” He nodded. “Good. Keep it on the nightstand. I’m going to call you every hour to make sure you’re okay.”
“That really isn’t necessary, Becca. I don’t want to distract from your classwork and…wait a minute. ” He stopped to grab her hand before she could walk out the door. “I must be more out of it than I realized. I just remembered you have that acting class tonight.”
