Chapter 6:

OVERDOSE

I found myself surrounded in blinding light, and I strained my eyes to find something around me. I began to think I was seeing things when a tall, seemingly male silhouette appeared in the distance, and began to close the distance between us.

"Hello?" I called, still squinting.

"Hello," said an all-too-familiar vaguely-British voice.

I took a deep breath and gritted my teeth, clenching my fists angrily. Apparently, the sleeping pills had been nothing but a rip-off.

"Why are you here?" I asked, abruptly exasperated.

He feigned confusion. "I thought you wanted me here."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, shut up. Do me a favor and cut the crap. How did you find out?"

"About...?" he asked, his voice trailing off, painting on a perfectly innocent faç ade.

I tried to maintain a level head. "You know what I meant," I said.

He cocked his head to the side, and almost mockingly said, "I'm sorry, I still don't know what you're talking about."

I threw my hands down at my sides angrily. "The sleeping pills!"

He laughed dryly. "You actually think over-the-counter sleeping pills are going to keep me away? You're dreaming."

I wasn't amused, and he noticed. His smile evaporated, and he glared at me pointedly. "Why did you want to get away from me so badly?"

I exhaled, composing my thoughts. "It's nothing personal."

"I'm being serious," he added.

"So am I," I retorted.

"Then why? Honestly explain to me why you are so desperate to have me out of your hair? Are you still upset because of what I can't control?" he snapped, his eyes portraying how livid he was.

"No, that's not it--" I began.

"Then what? What is it, Brooke?" he exploded. When I simply exhaled and stared down at the ground, hoping the question would dissolve away if I dodged it long enough, he became angrier. "Well?"

"Sebastian, I can't handle a lack of privacy. I'm sorry, and I know you're going to take this the completely wrong way, but I just can't handle it. It's...it's uncomfortable," I explained weakly.

"Uncomfortable?" he repeated dubiously, exhaling in an acidic laugh, looking up to the ceiling. "That's so interesting. Was it as uncomfortable two days ago, when I was near you and you had no idea?"

"No, that was different!" I snapped. "You really expect me to become accustomed to someone knowing my every thought? I had no idea when I first met you that you could read my eyes and hear my every thought. I'm sorry I'm so human."

He rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"I don't understand," I whispered. "Can you tell me? Because I'm hopelessly confused."

He took a step closer, but I inched backwards by a sudden reflex. His eyes met mine, questioning me, and he edged towards me again. I was abruptly aware of our height difference, and I felt so feeble and small compared to him as he softly placed his fingertips on my cheek.

"Brooke," he murmured. "I can't help hearing your thoughts. It's...--"

"Inevitable," I finished for him, my voice barely more than a sigh.

He nodded, smiling faintly. "And I honestly thought you wanted me to come tonight."

I pressed my lips together before I spoke. "I did. But at the time, I didn't know about the sleeping pills yet. When my mother got home, she planted the idea in my mind, and since I knew you were coming, I wanted to try it out."

"Why?" he asked gently.

I shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. I just wanted to experiment with it, to see if it worked. But obviously it didn't."

He chuckled. "No, but I could feel some resistance."

I blinked, looking at him in shock.

"What?" he asked, startled by my expression. "What is it?"

"They worked?" I gasped.

He seemed to relax. "Not completely, seeing as I'm standing right here," he muttered.

I took a deep breath. So my devious experiment hadn't been a complete failure. Interesting.

Sebastian noticed my thoughtful expression, but I was careful not to look him in the eyes.

"Don't even think about it," he said, instantly sensing my plan.

"What?" I demanded.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You're going to down all those pills now just to spite me, aren't you?"

I frowned indignantly. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know exactly what I'm talking about, and I wasn't born yesterday. You are so predictable! It's written all over your face," he growled.

"What is?" I asked, annoyed.

"Your bright idea," he snapped.

I rolled my eyes. "So what's your point?"

"My point is, don't try it, Brooke. You'll end up hurting yourself," he muttered.

"Try what?" I pressed.

"Overdosing!" he shouted.

I stared at him, confused. "I wasn't even considering that. What, do you think I'm stupid?"

"No, I was just warning you," he said, suddenly backpedaling.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "That would work, wouldn't it?"

"What would?" he asked oh-so-innocently.

"Nothing, forget it," I said, playing along.

He smiled sweetly, a hint of resentment in his eyes. "I'm going to leave now."

I looked at him incredulously. "And leave me here?"

A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "Exactly."

"Wha-hey! You're going to leave me here alone?" I demanded.

"You'll be fine," he promised, suddenly flickering out of sight, leaving me trapped in the blindingly white room. I strained my eyes to look for him, but something in my gut assured me that he was already gone. I plopped down onto my knees and sighed, waiting for him to return.

I was left waiting longer than I had expected. How long was he going to take? And what exactly was he doing?

"I'm back," his voice suddenly said, startling me.

I took a deep breath. "Where did you go?"

"You'll see," he said conclusively. "I think I should let you go now."

I blinked, confused. "Huh?"

"You need your sleep. Goodnight," he said hurriedly, sending me back into the dreary all-too-familiar scene of my room. I groaned quietly, untangled my limbs from my blanket and instantly made a beeline towards my bathroom.

I flicked on the light and searched on the counter for the foil pack of pills that I'd left there. I cussed under my breath when I found that they were gone, and when I turned back to stomp out of the doorway, a smug Sebastian was standing there.

I shrieked, and then clamped my hand over my mouth. A shrill scream this late would confirm my mother's paranoid suspicions about serial killers in our area.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed angrily.

He simply held up the pills. "It's for your own good."

I exhaled sharply. "No. It's for your own good, because you just want to prance around in my dreams while I'm trapped against my will."

He laughed dryly. "Funny. Go to sleep."

I rolled my eyes and bumped my shoulder into his purposely as I stormed past him. He didn't hesitate to follow right after me, and leaned against the wall opposite my bed while I climbed back into bed. Silence dragged on as he sat there watching me.

"I'm not going to sleep until you get out," I reminded him.

"Well I'm not getting out until you fall asleep," he said, imitating my tone.

I glowered at him in silence.

"Please go away," I finally said. "It's late, and I want to go back to sleep."

"Go back to sleep naturally. Don't destroy your body like this," he said, his tone severe.

"I'm not destroying my body," I said stubbornly. "What do you know?"

"I know enough that you would do anything, even something potentially dangerous, to get your way. Don't hurt yourself, Brooke," he warned.

I rolled my eyes. "Will you leave me alone? Maybe I wouldn't be so desperate to get away from you if you actually left," I muttered.

He exhaled, then crossed the room swiftly and closed the distance between us. "Good night. Sleep well. And please don't do anything stupid." His cold lips gently pressed against my forehead before he disappeared into my bathroom and out the window.

I sighed, nestling back into the comforters. It was eerily quiet for a few minutes, and the ideas that Sebastian had tried to dismiss suddenly seemed reasonable to me. He'd said that the sleeping pills had put up some resistance against him. If there was a little resistance to one sleeping pill, what would happen if I took a couple?

Well, that wouldn't work anyways. He'd confiscated the sleeping pills from my bathroom, so even with my brilliant idea, I was still out of luck. But wait--what was that medicine my mother always spoon-fed me when I got the common cold and had trouble sleeping?

It was that nasty-tasting "cherry-flavored" syrup that nearly induced vomiting on contact, but it always worked like a charm, making me sleepy and lessening my symptoms overnight. I wasn't sick, per se, but how much could it hurt to drink a little bit and test how much force is put against Sebastian?

I grinned evilly to myself and tiptoed out to the medicine cabinet in the kitchen, skimming through every bottle of cough syrup for the specific bottle. I wasn't having much luck finding it in the dark, so I reached over to flick the light switch on, also succeeding in knocking an entire line of bottles onto the floor.

I groaned and began to pick them up, reading the labels absentmindedly until I came across one that read Nyquil.

Success.

I replaced the medicine in their rightful places and rushed back to my room with the bottle of Nyquil in my hands. As long as Sebastian wasn't around to watch me like a hawk and scold me every five seconds, I could experiment all I wanted. I popped the cap off the bottle and read the dosing information.

Only two tablespoons were allowed? I'm sure that would restrain Sebastian for a split two seconds. I unthinkingly decided that doubling the dose would be more effective.

I poured the amount into a plastic cup and downed it quickly, trying to ignore the pungent taste as I filled the cup with water and washed it all down.

Well that was pleasant. I shuddered and flicked the light off. I hid the bottle in the drawer of my nightstand and crawled back under the covers, waiting for the medicine to take effect.

The faint ticking of the clock on the wall lulled me to sleep, and I was instantly in the blindingly white room with Sebastian again. I could see his silhouette pacing a couple feet away from me, and even in my dream, I felt limp and woozy.

"Sebastian?" I said weakly.

He froze in place, and I could see his chest rise and fall once before he turned towards me, his eyes piercing and his nostrils flared. Oh, boy, he looked thrilled.

He didn't say anything, though, just let me squirm underneath his powerful, reproving glare.

"Please say something," I said quietly, my eyes on the ground.

"What's there to say besides 'I told you so'? Or how about this: What the hell's the matter with you?" he thundered. "In order to spite me, you're also hurting yourself! You do realize that there are warnings on these medicines for a reason, right? Overdosing on these things is harmful to your body! Do you realize that you're severely damaging your liver by overdosing? I don't know what possessed you--"

"I get it!" I snapped. "And thanks for the lecture, Dad, but it's really not necessary. I only doubled the dose, it's not like I drank a whole drugstore's worth!"

He groaned. "You don't get it, do you? You're so set on trying to defy me that you don't even realize that you are hurting yourself! If the only way to get you to take care of yourself is to avoid you, then fine. I won't associate with you anymore. Your health is worth more than my company."

"No--" I protested.

"Don't argue with me. You're waking up right now," he said, still annoyed, fading slowly.

"Sebastian," I whispered just as I snapped back into reality.

I blinked numerous times and swung my legs over the side of the bed quickly. The blood rushed to my head, stunning me temporarily, and I toppled to the floor. Suddenly my stomach lurched.

"Bathroom," I gurgled, stumbling to my feet and into my bathroom. I just barely made it to the toilet and coughed until my stomach was empty. My ribs ached from coughing as I crouched, doubled over the toilet, my hair unrulily spread over my sweaty forehead.

"Feeling better?" came Sebastian's unruffled voice from the door.

I cleared my throat and forced myself to look at him, tears forming in my eyes. "Say it."

"Say what?" he asked softly.

"You know what, and you know you want to," I muttered.

"That I was right and I told you so?" he guessed. "Yeah, I could say it, and I could also never let you forget how badly you messed up, but I think you already know you messed up, and you're sorry."

I nodded, holding my head up with my hand. "I feel dizzy." I stumbled to my feet, and Sebastian came to my rescue just as soon as I began to topple over.

"Uh, would you mind--can I have a minute alone?" I stammered.

"Oh, sure," he said, making sure I was fully balanced before he left, closing the door behind him.

I began to brush my teeth while the hot water in the shower heated up, and my mind wandered to Sebastian. He'd been so angry while I was dreaming, and surprisingly gentle a couple minutes ago while I had my head in the toilet.

I took a deep breath, trying to relax, as I stepped into the warm shower. The steam surrounded me and the water streamed down my back. I let it soak my hair and I sighed, enjoying the warmth, although I couldn't shake the dizziness I'd felt earlier.

The steam was becoming heavier around me and I suddenly felt lightheaded. My breathing was loud in my ears, and my eyelids were droopy. The last thing I remembered was collapsing in the bathtub, the water pelting my body, and everything going back.

The frantic, yet undeniably angelic voice belonging to Sebastian was right in my ear, the cool breath tickling my skin.

"Brooke? Brooke, can you hear me?" he asked worriedly.

I felt a small smile on my lips, but my eyes wouldn't open. "Yes?"

"Listen to me, I think you might have a concussion," he explained, speaking almost too fast to comprehend. I could feel his cold hand at the base of my neck, sending goosebumps up and down my spine.

"Could you do me a favor?" I whispered.

"What is it?" he asked gently.

"Kiss me," I said, biting my lip.

"You aren't listening to me. I'm taking you to the hospital," he said.

I pouted. "I'm not going to the hospital. I'm staying here. With you."

"Brooke, under any other circumstances, I would love to sit here and argue with you for hours, but right now I am being dead serious. You have to trust me on this," he urged.

"I'll go if you kiss me," I offered.

"You promise?" he asked hesitantly.

"I promise," I said enthusiastically, suddenly realizing he was leaning on top of me.

"Okay," he murmured, his lips only inches from mine. My eyes were still shut, but I could smell his cold breath just close enough to drive me mad.

His lips gently touched mine, staying completely still for a few torturously long seconds. Why was he tempting me like this?

"Please," I whispered from underneath his lips.

"You promised," he reminded me quietly.

"Kiss me," I repeated.

And he obeyed. His lips were suddenly hungry against mine, and he was completely pinning me to my bed. It was just now that I realized I had collapsed in the shower with no clothes on.

"Holy--" I gasped, my hands pushing Sebastian away fiercely. I had finally opened my eyes, and I held my breath as I threw the covers off me.

Sebastian's eyes were concerned as he watched me.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his breathing as ragged as mine.

"I was--I was in the shower. What happened?" I stammered, struggling to remember.

He sighed, his golden eyes searching mine for a second while he gathered his thoughts. "You were in the shower and I heard you fall. I had no other option but to get you."

I closed my eyes, thoroughly mortified, and put a hand over my eyes. I was too ashamed to look at him. An unavoidable question hung in between us. "You didn't see me naked, did you?" I finally asked.

He laughed. "No."

I sighed, relieved. "So you wrapped me in a towel without looking at me even a bit?"

"I swear," he whispered, coming closer to me again, luring me in. As soon as his lips almost touched mine, he pulled away and clapped his hands together, smiling sweetly. "Well, time for a visit to the hospital!"

"What?!" I demanded, my voice cracking.

"Well, you promised, and I kissed you, so it's time to go," he said, his eyes showing nothing but pure innocence. When I glowered at him, he even had the nerve to flash another breathtaking smile.

"Stop that. You and I both know I don't have a concussion," I grumbled.

"No, we have absolutely no way of knowing that without a doctor's diagnosis, and we both know it," he said smugly. "Come on, put some clothes on, I'll drive you there."

"My mom will know," I pointed out.

"Please, if I can read eyes and visit people's dreams, don't you think I can put a car in neutral and sneak it out of someone's driveway?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, just give me a second to get dressed."

I held the towel up around myself and gathered a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

"Are you seriously going to force me to go to the hospital? You know, it's really not necessary," I said.

"You promised," he reminded me in a singsong voice.

"Shut up," I said, mocking his tone. "I was temporarily under the influence...of cold medicine," I paused and glanced at his face. His eyebrows were raised and his eyes were silently questioning my sanity. "Oh, shut up, I'm coming!"

I shut my bathroom door behind me and shed the towel in exchange for my clothes. For some reason, I couldn't get the warm red blush to disappear from my cheeks after the awkward conversation with Sebastian. I shook my damp hair out and opened the door, jumping a little when he was right outside the door.

"I won't force you to go right now if you don't want to," he said, biting his lip.

I looked at him, confused. "But--"

"But you can't sleep anymore tonight," he finished.

I grinned. "So don't let me fall asleep."

He sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't enjoy this."

"Why do you say that? It gives me a chance to ask more questions," I said, my grin becoming more and more pronounced.

"Oh, joy," he mumbled under his breath.

We both climbed onto my bed, and I got comfortable on my pillows while he stretched out at the foot of my bed.

"What do you want to ask me?" he asked, trying to fake eagerness.

I sighed. "Have you ever been in love?"

He suddenly looked unsure. "Define 'love'."

I looked down at the covers. That wasn't the response I'd been hoping for--but how realistic could my expectations be? What girl didn't pine for her very own Prince Charming, who'd been waiting his whole life to find her? How likely was it that I would get my own Prince Charming?

I never responded, just waited patiently for him to elaborate.

"When I was still human in New Hampshire, I grew up with this girl named Samantha. We first met when we were both in diapers, and she was Anneleise's friend. As we grew up together, she only saw me as a friend. Around sixth grade, I started seeing her as more than that, and once we were in high school, I had completely fallen for her, and I was convinced that I loved her," he explained, gauging my reaction.

I kept a light smile on my face as he explained, slightly impressed by his honesty, even if it did sting a little.

"But she was a year older than me, and she never even considered someone younger than her. She was preoccupied with a college sophomore who had been showing some interest in her. One day she just went missing, and it turns out she had eloped with him.

"Of course, I wasn't happy, but what could I do? I was heartbroken, but I healed over time," he said, seeming suddenly distant. He placed his hand over mine, and I glanced up at him with my eyebrows raised. "How about you?"

"Have I ever been in love?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Kind of like you did. In fourth grade, I developed this huge crush on my friend Cody. His twin brother Aiden was the only one who knew about it. I decided I wanted to tell Cody that I liked him on Valentine's Day by leaving him a card in his desk, but his reaction was definitely not what I'd wanted.

"He was a little weirded out by it, and he stopped talking to me. Aiden was really sorry and he was still my friend, but things were different. It sucked, and I was heartbroken. Four years later, Aiden and I were still friends, and Cody and I had established a sufficiently awkward relationship where he exchanged "hello's and got it over with. When middle school was over with, we just went our separate ways and went to different high schools," I explained.

He nodded. "So we've both had our broken hearts, but never a relationship?"

"Yep."

"But now what about us?" he asked.

I smiled, not meeting his gaze. "What about us? We're just 'pretending', right?"

"I don't know, are we?" he asked, smirking at me.

I looked at him, questioning his motives. "What are you proposing?"

"Would you be willing to try?"

"Try...?" I said, grinning.

"Try us," he replied.

"Sure."

He smiled widely, flashing his bright white teeth. "Okay, now I have a question for you."

"Shoot," I said, leaning back onto my pillow, completely at ease.

"How do you feel about me?" he asked, his smile growing even wider at my reaction. I would bet that as soon as he was finished asking the question, he would read my eyes, so I quickly closed them.

"Cheater!" he said playfully.

I grinned, feeling victorious.

"You still haven't answered my question," he reminded me, his voice suddenly closer.

"I..." I paused, trying to gather the right words and hope that I could deliver them coherently, "I like you."

"Good," he breathed, even closer, if it was possible. "Because I really like you."

"Really?" I asked, smiling involuntarily.

"Really," he replied hurriedly, his lips on mine.

"Wow," I said when he paused.

His lips gently trailed down the base of my throat. "Won't you open your eyes now?" he murmured.

"Nah, not yet. Too much fun to drive you crazy," I replied. "What time is it?"

His cold lips disappeared. "Quarter to four."

"All this kissing is exhausting," I lied, yawning, finally resolving to open my eyes.

"You're such a liar," he laughed. "But you can't go to sleep."

"What about school? I'll be a zombie tomorrow if I don't get any sleep," I pointed out.

His eyes were serious. "It's either zombie like or comatose. Pick your poison."

I guess I deserved that.

"Yes, you did," he said, answering my unspoken thought.

"Don't do that," I ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." He grinned, lightening the mood.

"Now I'm really tired," I admitted. "Please can I sleep? I'm telling you right now; swear on my grandmother's grave, that I do not have a concussion. I didn't even fall on my head."

"You wouldn't remember anyways," he muttered.

"I remember that a towel was magically wrapped around my naked body," I said under my breath.

"I told you I saw nothing," he said defensively.

I giggled. "I know, but you seem awfully on edge."

"I am not," he grumbled. If he could blush, he would right now.

I spread out under the covers and snuggled up to my pillow. "Good night," I sighed sleepily.

He stroked my now-dry hair softly and spoke wistfully, "I guess you can sleep. You only have a couple hours anyways. Get some rest, sleepyhead. I'll be waiting."

"Okay," I said, my eyelids drooping.

I was already nearly unconscious when I imagined Sebastian whispering, "I love you," in my ear.

I had to just be hallucinating. I was suffering from sleep deprivation anyways, and the overdose on cold medications could not have helped me in the coherency department.

But was it possible he might actually love me?

And there you have it! Chapter 6! This chapter was fun to write after my extremely extended break from writing. Thank you to my handful of readers, especially La Sorciere, for being loyal. If I lost any readers due to my extreme laziness, it's all my fault and I accept that. But please, if you enjoyed that or just have any thoughts at all you want to express, please please please give me a review! I love hearing your thoughts! If you have the time to favorite/subscribe to me or any of my stories, please take a couple minutes to review. I promise I won't take so long to update again, so please stay tuned and review =D

And I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!