It wasn't until I got home that I realized something was wrong. I had taken a warm bath after being in the cold rain. I had wrapped myself in a warm fluffy towel and as I reached into the sink drawer for a hair brush, I stopped in front of the large mirror that hung above the counter.
My dark brown hair was now past my shoulders when it was wet. Once dried, the natural curls would make my hair appear just above my shoulder. It had taken more than two years before my hair had even begin to grow the way it had from birth. The curl had only come back in the past few months. I hadn't seen my hair in this condition since I had been a little girl, a pretty child with natural cork screw curls. I moved my gaze from my drying hair to my eyes. My eyes were the color of the sky, right before it begins to rain. A stormy grey with a tint blue. The first time I opened my eyes my mother declared that she would only call me Raine, and that was what I was from then on. Raine Carson. The little girl with stormy eyes born during a thunderstorm.
I brushed my hair out as I walked back into my room carefully tugging at the knots that always fixed themselves within the dark brown locks. I slipped into my pajamas, flannel shorts and a light tank top. As I walked back into the bathroom to let my towel dry, my stomach curled and I dropped the towel on the floor in my rush to reach the toilet before I ruined my carpet. I emptied my stomach and was glad to note that there was no blood mixed in with my partially digested dinner. When my stomach settled down again, I walked slowly back into my room, and picked up the towel I had dropped carefully making sure not to upset my sensitive stomach. I hung it up and layed down on my bed, not bothering to get under the plush white comforter than adorned the softest bed I had ever slept in. I was warm, and my thoughts were getting murky as I slowly reached higher and higher temperatures. Before too long I was shaking and there was a sheen of sweat covering my entire body. I took off my tank top and shorts in an attempt to cool myself, but the fire only continued to raged on. Only a few moments later, I couldn't fight anymore and I knew nothing but darkness.
My consious seemed to swim through the darkness and I tried to rise above the pressure I felt, but it was too hard. The fire burned me when I fought, and I knew that giving in would just be so much easier. So much less painful. And then, I felt a hint of ice and then, it was surrounding me completly. The heat continued to burn and I focused on wrapping every bit of myself against the ice.
Later, much, much later I began to sense realitly again. I was wrapped completly against something, or as I now began to realize, someone. As the darkness seperated itself from me I began to take into account all that was around me. The quick mental scan of my well being told me everything I need to know. I could feel cool cloth in my hands that were clutching the a shirt, and pulling the it closer to my body. My chest was pressed tightly this someone, and I realized that every part of my body was focused on bringing the cold closer to my blazing heating. I could feel the indent of the buttons on the shirt I was clutching on my stomach. I felt what I now knew to be arms wrapped around my waist, gripping tightly. One of my legs was wrapped around what I could tell was his slim waist. My other leg curled inbetween us. My head rested in the crook between his held and shoulder. I seemed to fit perfectly against him.
I should have been shocked, ashamed, embarrased any of those would be normal. But instead of even lifting my face up those few inches to see whom I clutched so tightly, I clung to him tighter. My body was still hot, and he felt to good to let go. Summer's heat against winter's chill.
After a while (and after gathering some major courage) I pulled my face out of what had become my safe spot and looked into the face of the man who had probably saved my life. His eyes were open and he searched my face, just as I searched his. His golden eyes were beautiful and they felt familar to me. His hair was black and short. He looked like he stepped out of much older times. He had high cheek bones and while he was pale, it seemed there was still some dark complexion to his skin. He didn't look like a greek god, but if there was a mixture of every culture on the European content he would hve embodied their god. I could only find one thing wrong with his perfect face. His nose. It looked almost as if if had been broken, and had never had a chance to heal correctly. It was only slightly crooked, but I focused on that part of his face to most. It made me think that he was truly there. I noticed that his face looked almost as if he hadn't shaved in a few days and you could only see the lightest stubble. He was sexy, and that was something I had to admit to myself.
It was only when our eyes connected that he started to realese his hold on me. Before he could move anymore I shifted my face back into my safe spot. I felt safe with him, and I didn't have the energy to move or even begin to wonder why the hell he was here. I could only appreciate the fact that he was. His hold on my waist tightened again after only a moments of hesitation.
We stayed this this for a long time until my fever came down and I became too cold. I peeled myself away from his body, only then remembering that in my fevered state I had taken off all but my underware. Lace, black boyshorts and a matching bra. The straps of my bra had fallen down off of my arms and my cleavage, as small as it was, was almost falling out without the support. A quick glance down his body told me that he was wearing dark blue jeans and a crisp white button shirt.
The blush that came to me seemed to sweep through my entire body and I quickly grabbed my straps and snapped them into place before sweeping the sheets under me to around my body. When I thought myself to be completly covered, I looked over to him again a blush still burned red on my cheeks. He seemed almost frozen where I had left him in my rush. But he rose into a sitting position that mirrored mine. A moment of akward silence passed as he looked into my eyes, aparently waiting for something.
"Thank you" I muttered quickly, and quietly. His head quirked to the side, and his eyes looked thoughful, but still; he said nothing. I made the mistake of looking him directly in the eyes, and as he looked back into my mind, I could think of nothing. I felt the need to explain myself.
"I'm not going to ask how you seemed to know that I needed help, or even how you got in here because I think you just saved my life. I'm just curious though...who are you?" He gave me only a considering look before he answered.
"My name is Eli" His voice was melodical, angelic but still deep and it gave me shivers. And I knew, knew that I had heard it before. I searched my memory for where the hell I had heard him before. And then I remembered.
"You were there, weren't you? In the parking lot, and then the ambulence. You've saved my life twice. Twice in less than a week. How...?" This heartbreakingly beautiful man had saved me. Again. I was shocked ino silence.
He began to stand up and before I could even think about what I was going to say I shouted-
"Wait!...I mean, please don't go. I won't ask any weird questions you don't want me to...My name is Raine, by the way. It-it's nice to meet you again." A small smirk made its way onto the side of his mouth and I knew then that he would stay. For a minute longer at least.
"It is a pleasure to meet you as well Raine, again." His voice was enough to send my brain scattering and I couldn't seem to focus on the sound of his voice and the content of his message at the same time. Meantime, in my stupor he sat back into his seat on my bed. I thought of every question I wanted to ask him, and tried to get rid of every one that seemed too personal. But he beat me to any question I wanted to ask him.
"Why are you so sick?" His question startled me. When I didn't answer him immediatly he continued.
"You must understand, I have never been sick. But I do not think that any common sickness was like this." He explained. He had never been sick?
"That's because I have something, that people don't. I have cancer." I kept my face away from his as I told him. I didn't want to see it. The pity that entered anyone's eyes when I told them. But I was curious when he didn't say anything. When I looked up, he was looking out of my window. I took this chance to get a better look at him. His pale skin and perfection reminded me of the Cullen's. But he wasn't lanky and skinny like the majority of the Cullen males were. He had more of Emmett's muscle structure but he was still smaller than the largest of the Cullens. Even sitting down, I could tell that he was tall. Much taller than my 5'8".
He was the figure of alpha male, and he was coincidentaly the vision of my perfect man. Whoever was cruel enough to bring him into my life as it went down hill was a sadistic bastard.
I'd never felt this way before around a man. My skin was flushed and I blushed at the warmth I felt in my belly as I thought of him touching me, holding me, kissing me.
He turned back to me again and I was caught once again in his eyes.
"I have to go now." He told me softly, like he regreted it. His body moved almost too quickly for me to watch as he got up. He moved with a grace not quite accustomed with a man quite as large as him. Before he left, I asked him the top question on my mind.
"Will I see you again? Or do I have to be in trouble first?" I could almost hear the smirk that would be on his lips. I didn't know him at all, but I knew this somehow.
"If you really want to see me, I'll know." He replied as he opened the door that emptied into my hallway.
"Wait! you didn't say that you would see me again." This time, I heard a chuckle and i had to force myself to focus on what he said and not crumble from his laugh.
"I will come to you, do not worry" he told me in a light tone.
And then he was gone, before I could say anything else. I sat in my bed for a few more moments as I went over everything that had happened. Even though I had been cooled down by Eli, I was still covered in sweat, and I just hoped that he hadn't smelt it. That would be embarrasing.
I was just coming out of the shower when the doorbell rang. I ran into my room and quickly slid into under garments and a tank top covered by a thick warm sweater and some shorts before I ran down the stairs. I almost fell down the stairs on my hurry to reach the door.
"I'm coming!" I yelled as I entered the front room. I ran a hand through my dripping wet hair, and sighed in annoyance as I noticed that my sweater was getting soaked. I took a deep breath before I opened the door.
I hadn't realized that Dr. Cullen had been quite so serious about the home check ups.