Hey guys, thanks for the two reviews I received since first posting this! I really appreciate it.
One side note, I began this in Microsoft Word, and I've noticed that it changes the layout using the copy-paste method of uploading new chapters. So, I'm sorry, but it might seem weird when it switches from Mirasol's point of view to Sanjay's.
Thanks again for reading!
Mirasol began to prepare herself dinner the moment she'd walked in the door, to give her hands something to do. She quickly began mindlessly dicing tomatoes and throwing them into a bowl, for a salad. She chopped up lettuce, adding some carrot slivers.
She narrowly avoided chopping her finger off once or twice.
When she was done, she stared into a bowl of thin green salad leaves, squishy, horribly sliced tomatoes, with two or three half-hearted croutons strewn about the top, and flimsy carrot slivers sprinkled around.
The sight of it made her burst into tears.
She stared down at the salad, her tears streaming down her cheeks and dripping off her nose into the bowl. Why was everything so difficult? So confusing?
She had no idea why she was crying. She dumped the salad into the garbage, throwing herself onto her bed. She had no energy to pull the covers up around her. She laid there, curled into a ball, feeling extremely heavy.
Why am I still here? What am I living for?
Sanjay stood next to the entrance door, no longer allowing nervousness to ebb into his belly. He'd had some of his favorite tea, and even a cup of coffee, and was feeling confident. After all, Mirasol had mentioned having a good time with him the day before.
It had his mood soaring.
After an unusual amount of time of waiting, he began to wonder where she was. He checked the clock on the wall: 8:30. She was thirty minutes late.
Around five minutes later, Amir shuffled into the entrance room in his sleep robes. He rubbed his eyes, yawning. "Is Mirasol not here yet, Sanjay?"
"No, Master Amir." He looked at the young prince. "Shall we worry?"
Amir pulled back the first layer of his hair and tied it at the back of his head. "Not now. If she hasn't called by nine, we can check up on her."
Sanjay still stood by the door at nine. Amir, having changed into his day robes, strolled into the room.
"Hm," he said, looking to his servant. "Have you possibly missed the phone? Surely she'd have called by now."
Sanjay looked behind him, to the phone sitting five feet away on a table next to the door. "No, Master. I would have heard it."
"Hm," he said again, thinking. "Should this be cause for concern?"
"I don't know."
"Well, how about we go see?"
Sanjay nodded his head and waited on Amir to put on his shoes, before leaving for the woman's home. The both of them considered all of the possibilities; Sanjay's thoughts ranging from murder to a house fire, Amir simply thinking she'd forgotten to set the alarm.
When they approached her home, they noticed her red-haired friend knocking angrily on the door.
When they were near, Allen said, "I've been trying to contact her since around 8:30, when I didn't see her on the way to your home. I've called and called, and she hasn't answered. Has she spoken to you?"
The two shook their heads.
Sanjay's heart was leaping, while Amir stayed calm. "Maybe she isn't in there?" Sanjay suggested.
"Where else would she be?" Amir asked.
"I don't know, but she isn't in the barn or the coop. I looked." Allen shook his head.
"I suppose we couldn't…" Amir paused, unsure if the suggestion was acceptable. "Get… in, could we?"
"Sure we can." Allen smirked. "If either of you feel like smashing one of the windows and crawling through, be my guest."
Sanjay and Amir looked at the man, unamused.
Allen's smirk disappeared. "Joking, of course." He bent over, lifting up a watering can that sat in the grass right off the porch of the home. Underneath was a key, which he lifted up to show pointedly to the two men. He unlocked the door, and Sanjay and Amir followed him inside.
The house was dark, save for the morning light filtering in through the windows. Allen switched on the light.
The three men immediately looked to the bed, where Mirasol lay, exactly as she had when she fell asleep. None of them moved.
"Does this happen often?" Amir whispered.
Allen shook his head. "She's always up by at least seven."
Allen was the first to take a step toward her, and when he did, the other two followed. They all approached her bed, looking down on her somewhat fearfully. Something was wrong. She'd gone to sleep in the same clothes she'd worn yesterday. Sanjay's heart did a somersault as soon as he saw that she was actually breathing, but it didn't ease the fear in his gut. Her normally smooth, lively skin had gone a flat color, a sort of sheen covering her body. Her hair stood out in extreme contrast, laid out haphazardly on the pillow. Her breaths were shallow, inhaling and exhaling quickly through her slightly parted lips.
Allen gently placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a small shake. "Mirasol."
When she didn't stir, he did it again, saying her name a bit louder.
By the third shake, he was practically yelling her name.
Finally, after a moment, she began stirring. Her eyes opened. She sat up quickly, having been startled, sitting up and pushing herself away from the men. "Wh-what—"
"Shh, shh, Mirasol. Calm down. Are you okay? Were you sick last night?" Allen attempted to gently push her back down onto the bed.
She complied, lying back and resting her head on the pillow. Sanjay had his hand to his mouth, biting his finger. Amir watched in silence.
She wasn't looking good.
"No?" she said. "What time is it?"
"It's nine thirty, Mirasol. I think you need to go to the doctor. You... You look like shit." He added the last part with a nervous laugh.
She put a stubborn look on her face. "No."
Allen took her hand, attempting to lure her upward. "Yes."
"No, Allen. I'm fine." She didn't move.
"Mirasol, yes. The three of us will go with you and you'll be okay."
She looked up at Amir and Sanjay, as if seeing them for the first time.
When did they get here…?
Then Allen's voice echoed in her head. You look like shit.
With a gasp she threw herself onto her side, facing the opposite direction. She fumbled for the blankets and threw them over her body.
"No need to be so feisty," Allen said, giggling.
Mirasol was angry. "No one is going to wake up happy to see three men staring down at her watching her sleep!"
It had taken some time and effort from all three of the men, but eventually they'd gotten Mirasol up and willing to go to the doctor. To everyone's dismay, upon standing, she'd stumbled forward and nearly collapsed into Allen's arms, feeling very lightheaded. She'd had to sit back on the bed for a moment and sadly admitted that she wasn't feeling very good, at all.
"So, since she can't walk, how will we get her there?" Amir asked.
"Piggy-back would do," Allen said, looking pointedly at Sanjay.
Sanjay looked as if he'd been told to yodel in front of a crowd of people.
Mirasol glared at Allen. "How about you do it, Allen? Put your muscles to the test?"
He scratched his head, sighing. "Whatever, fine."
He crouched next to the bed as Mirasol hoisted her legs onto the side, hooking her arms around his neck. He stood, somewhat wobbly, but was able to walk fine. She'd considered making retching noises in his ear, but didn't for fear that he would drop her.
The quartet made their way to the doctor's office. People strolling around the town gave them funny looks, a couple of tourists taking photos. Neil hooted from the door of his home. Allen laughed it off, and Mirasol hid her face in his hair.
Sanjay was afraid for Mirasol. What if it was serious?
After some time, they reached Klaus' office. The sour doctor scowled at them as they entered the door, asking just why they hadn't allowed her to walk there herself, and after their answer, asked why she needed three different men to assist her.
He brought them all into one office, where Sanjay and Amir stood cramped in a corner while Mirasol laid down on the table and Allen sat in a chair next to the doctor's stool. Mirasol grimaced as Klaus checked her vitals, pressed a stethoscope to her chest, and shut her eyes while he took some of her blood.
After it all was over Klaus concluded the visit by prescribing her some medicine, saying it was a mild case of the flu and she should not do much work for the next three to four days. "If the problem persists, check back with me immediately." The look he gave them said, Don't let the problem persist.
Mirasol positioned herself on the edge of the table, looking at Allen to position himself to allow her easily onto his back.
He looked back at her and put his hands in the air defensively. "I'm just a lowly hairstylist," he said. "I'd much appreciate it if one of you would carry her back." He turned and winked at Amir.
Amir was quick to catch on. "That would be fine, Allen. But as you see, I'm just a lowly prince. The only lifting I do is when I drink tea. My servant, on the other hand, does all my lifting for me." He turned with that huge grin on his face, looking at his best friend. "Would you do the honors, Sanjay?"
Allen grinned down at Mirasol, who gave him such a harsh glare, he thought he felt heat radiating from her.
"Yes, Master Amir," Sanjay said. Amir could see the muscles working behind his eyes. "That would be fine."
He placed himself in front of Mirasol, stooping in front of her. She slid forward, slowly, afraid that he would think of her as weighing too much. Her face burned, and she ducked her head forward to hide it with her hair. She hooked her arms around his neck, finally allowing all of her weight on him, her torso pressed to her back, her chin resting on his shoulder. She felt his hands hook around the back of her knees, holding her securely in place, and standing up.
The two both looked toward their friends, who were smiling like idiots.
The group made their way back to Mirasol's home, no one saying a word. Mirasol tried to focus on the fact that she was once again pressed tightly against the current love of her life, and tried to pretend she didn't suddenly feel like she weighed five hundred pounds. Every now and then she caught a whiff of his natural, herbal scent, and would breathe it in.
Oh, how he smelt like home.
Suddenly, Allen stopped the group about halfway to their destination. "Wait a minute," he said.
Oh, God, Mirasol thought. Please not another one of his bright ideas.
"What is it?" Amir asked.
"The doctor said for her to not do any work for the next three days. When I had the flu as a kid, my mom wouldn't let me leave my bed. Mirasol has animals and crops to tend to. Shouldn't she have someplace else to stay, and someone to take care of these things while she's gone?" He looked pointedly at Amir.
Amir, once again, was very quick to catch on. "I agree one hundred percent, Allen. Honestly, I think the best place for her to stay would be our home." Amir gestured backward the way they came, in the direction of the exotic mansion. "We do have extra bedrooms."
"Ithink that would be totally fine, Amir," Allen said. "After all, I don't have any extra bedrooms, and I know Neil wouldn't have her."
Sanjay and Mirasol watched as the plans unfolded without either of their opinions. It was decided that Allen would take care of the crops, Neil would be forced to take care of the animals, and Mirasol would remain at the exotic mansion for the next three, or four, or maybe even five days (for good measure).
Then, still having not been asked of her opinion, Mirasol was carried farther and farther away from her home, farther and farther away from her comfort zone. Now, Allen and Amir had migrated to the front of the group, Sanjay following not so close behind. The two chatted happily about things, Amir loudly bragging on his "polite and honorable" servant/close friend, and Allen loudly bragging on his "highly faithful and intelligent" best friend.
Some time later, Mirasol was lying cozily in a plush, king sized bed, pillows nearly suffocating her with every move. Allen sat at the edge of the bed, playing mother.
"Now," he said. "I'll be back to check on you in three days and Amir and I will decide if you're ready to leave. Enjoy your stay and give me a call if you need anything. Or if you would like to chat. Or if you've got anything special to tell me." He grinned.
She didn't say anything, only glared at him as he made his way out the door.
Within the next few seconds Amir and Sanjay had entered the room, Sanjay carrying a tray of tea and a bowl of soup and crackers. He laid the tray next to her on the bed.
"What am I supposed to do for the next three days?" Mirasol asked the two of them.
"Well, hopefully you'll be mobile by tomorrow," Amir said. "But in the meantime you really must rest. We may have some movies for you to watch, but they're probably in another language." He glanced around the room. "We may have some English books somewhere. If you would like anything, please feel free to ask Sanjay."
The two men bowed to her and exited the room. She sighed, glancing to a clock on the wall: it was already six. She turned on the television on the opposite side of the room, not even bothering to find a show she wanted to watch. Soon enough, she found herself easing into sleep.
Sanjay sat in his room, undoing the braid in his hair and readying for bed. He thought about Mirasol, staying in his home, wishing that somehow a miracle would happen and he could snap through all the stress of trying to woo the woman. How was she still oblivious to all that was going on? By now, even her friend Allen had noticed and was in on it.
Sanjay sincerely appreciated all the help he received, but was embarrassed by how blatantly obvious Amir and Allen had acted over it. Either Mirasol was pretending not to notice, or she was truly blind to his affection.
I should do something to really catch her attention… He thought, settling into bed. But what could I do?
Ah, well. No use dwelling over it now. I have three whole days to spend with her ahead of me.