Duty-Bound: Chapter 39
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Without looking, she knew it was Natsume's hand holding hers. After tightly gripping his hand a bit, she felt his other hand caress her cheek. Slowly, she opened her eyes and met his crimson ones. The dimly lit room told her it was night time.
"How are you feeling, Mikan?" he muttered quietly.
Instead of answering him, she murmured, "I miss you, Natsume…"
Her voice came out hoarse, and he released his grip on her afterwards. Too tired to protest, she let him go and closed her eyes again. How long had she stayed in bed? Considering her stiff body, she must have been in bed for at least a week. Questions about her attacker flooded into her mind. Someone was after her life, she knew that much after exposing herself to the public, but what she didn't understand was they would go this far just to eliminate her. They had dared to attack her in plain sight. She groaned mentally as she did not know what to think about her current situation.
As soon as she opened her eyes again, Natsume helped her up to drink. The cool water relieved her dry throat in seconds.
"Do you want more?"
She shook her head and sighed. "I feel so tired…"
Before she knew was happening, she was already in his lap. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she leaned her head against his chest. With his strong arms around her, she felt so safe.
When she was about to nod off again, she heard him whisper, "I'm sorry."
Barely conscious, she still replied, "It's not your fault, Natsume…"
A smile made its way to her lips when he said, "Sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."
"I know…" she muttered, letting herself sleep more peacefully than before.