The first thing I realise after waking up in the morning is that my throat hurts. It takes me a while to properly wake, but I know I've got a cold. My nose feels itchy and I'm sure it's red. My body also feels heavy, and I exhaust myself just by sitting up in bed. Ugh, why did I have to get sick now?
I somehow manage to get out of bed, walking out of my room to look for my mother. I always turn into a baby when I get sick, and I need my mom. I hope she hasn't left for work already. Wait, what time is it? I had to be at work, too.
"Mom?" I call out, standing at the top of the stairs.
"Beatrice, are you okay, honey?" She comes up the stairs.
"No, I feel sick." I whine. She checks my forehead for a fever and tells me it's a mild one.
"I was worried when you didn't wake up at your usual time. When I knocked on your door, you didn't answer, so I came in to check on you. You had the window open and the blanket was barely covering you, dear. When I realised you were not well I called up Tori and told her you wouldn't be able to make it to work today. She wants you to rest and take as many days as you'd like to get better." Mom says, leading me back into my room and onto the bed. I sit down and lean against the headboard.
"Okay." I murmur, coughing a little. God, my throat really hurts.
"How about some warm oatmeal for breakfast? It'll help you feel better." Mom suggests, caressing my head.
"Okay, that sounds good, mom." I agree.
Mom goes downstairs to get the food, and I let out a loud sigh. I hate being sick, feeling useless. The accident was enough for a lifetime, the recovery and healing process made me go crazy. And now, this. It's so frustrating.
I hear my phone buzz, and I pick it up from the nightstand. There are a few messages from Tobias along with four missed calls, and one message from Tori. She tells me to get plenty of rest and wishes a quick recovery, and to not worry about work right now. I send her a thanks.
Then, I open Tobias's texts. First one reads: "Hey. Where are you, Tris? Are you okay? Call me when you see this."
Another one says: "I got so sad when I didn't see you. I really hope you're okay."
The last one says: "My morning just wasn't the same without you. I miss you :("
I decide to call him, he must have been really worried. The line rings only once before he picks up, and I hear his deep voice. "Are you okay, Tris?"
"Hey. I got sick this morning. I'm so sorry to have worried you, but I just woke up and saw your messages." I say, my voice sounding scratchy.
"Oh, no. Should I come over? I'll get you some soup." He says.
"No, I'll be fine. My mom's here with me, and you have work." I don't want him to miss work because of me.
"Work is not important, Tris. But if your mom's there, then I'm sure she'll take good care of you." He sighs.
"Are you afraid of meeting her?" I chuckle.
"What? No. Well, maybe, I don't know what your parents would think of me." He sounds nervous.
"I'm sure they'd love you, Tobias." I assure him.
"If you say so." He laughs. Behind him, I hear someone call him, saying that he's late for an important meeting.
"You should go. Get back to work." I whisper.
"Yeah. I'll keep texting you, okay? And you have to tell me how you feel every hour. And remember to drink lots of water, and most importantly, please rest." He orders.
"Okay, sir, I will." I giggle, making him laugh. We say goodbye and hang up.
I feel a lot better after having breakfast, hopefully this will pass quickly. Mom reluctantly leaves for work, insisting that she'll stay home to look after me. But I decline. She's already missed quite a few days because of me when I was recovering from the accident. And I hate to feel like a burden on her. She's the best mother anyone could ask for, she never complains and is always there for me. But I need to be able to do stuff on my own.
I decide to take a nap after setting aside the book I was reading. It didn't really hold my attention and I'm drowsy because of the painkiller I took. My eyes feel heavy and soon I'm in a deep sleep.
Thunder crashes outside loudly, and I'm pulled from my slumber. I look around my room, which is dark, and try to make sense of the time. How long have I been asleep? I slowly get out of bed, checking the time on my phone, it's well past noon. Almost dinner time. Wow, I slept the whole day. There are a few texts from Tobias, although this time he's not so worried and rightly assumes that I'm napping.
I hear raindrops starting to fall down on the ground, rapidly increasing in speed till it's pouring. I walk out of my room, carefully making my way downstairs. I see mom sitting at the dining table, sorting through some bills.
"Hi, sweetie. You feeling any better?" She gets up to check my temperature.
"Yeah, a lot better. But I'm hungry." I say.
"I knew you would be. You skipped lunch. How long were you asleep?" She asks as she ladles some hot soup into a bowl. It smells delicious.
"I don't know. I fell asleep shortly after you left, I think. Thank you, mom. This looks really good." I smile, taking the bowl and sitting at the table. "Where's dad?"
"He's stuck at work, working on a big case that needs some overtime." She says.
"Oh. Have you eaten?" I ask her.
"Yes, just before you woke up. I missed my lunch, too. It was a long day at the shelter. In fact, I think I'll turn in early. I wanted to stay up to wait for your father, but who knows how long he'll be." She sighs.
"Of course. Go get some sleep, mom. You've been working awfully hard lately." I tell her.
"You'll be okay? Wake me up if you need anything." She kisses my forehead.
"Yes, mom. I'll be fine." I assure her.
Mom heads off to her room, and I slowly eat the soup, letting the warmth of it flow through my sore throat. It feels good. After putting the dishes away, I turn off the lights and go upstairs. I decide to take a shower, my body feeling sticky.
I undress and step inside, letting the hot water wash over me. I clean myself quickly, not wanting to stay under the water too long and catching another cold. Even if it's hot. My mom wouldn't even let me shower with a fever when I was younger. But I have to get the dirt off of me.
I step out and wrap myself with a towel. Quickly drying off, I put on a soft shirt with brown stripes on it, along with my most comfortable black shorts. The rain has slowed down now, only drizzling lightly. I don't usually like rain, the weather too gloomy. But I can't deny that it's nice when I'm inside, in my room, cozy in bed with a book.
I take my hair out of its bun, going to the mirror and brushing out the tangled strands. Just then I hear a noise, like a tapping. I turn and look around, not seeing anything. Maybe it's the wind outside. But I hear it again. And it continues. Is there a hailstorm? It sounds like rocks being thrown. Then I see one against my window. Oh my god.
Walking to the window, I open it, and there stands Tobias, waiting below for me. He smiles when I look at him, and begins climbing up by grabbing the pillar against the wall of the house.
"Tobias! What are you doing? We're not in high school!" I laugh as he swings his legs over and jumps inside.
"I know, but I had to see you." He grins, engulfing me into a big hug. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm doing a lot better, thanks." I say, looking up at him.
"Good." He leans down to kiss me, and all thoughts leave my mind. Woah. "You smell so good." He breathes against me, kissing along my neck.
"I just took a shower." I whisper, and he groans. "You okay?"
"Yeah, just thinking about you in the shower." He smirks, making my whole body turn red. I bite my lip, looking up into his eyes as I try to control my breathing.
"You really didn't have to come, Tobias. It's raining so much. I would've met you at the bakery tomorrow." I say, noticing his slightly damp shirt.
"It's no problem. I told you I wanted to see you. I did think about calling, but I knew you would have said no." He caresses my cheek.
"Come inside." He takes his shoes off in the corner, and I hand him a clean towel to dry off a little. The rest of his clothes are relatively dry, his jeans didn't get wet at all. His blue shirt must have gotten wet when he walked from his car to my window.
"Thanks." He murmurs. "Your room is really nice. Clean, organised, no clutters." He chuckles.
"Yup, that's me." I laugh, watching him dry his hair. "Here, let me." I take the towel from him after he's done, and go into the bathroom, putting it in the laundry basket. When I walk out, I see him standing by the small bookshelf I have, looking over my collection.
"These are all so good, Tris." He says.
"Do you read?" I ask, curious. I never thought of asking him before.
"Some. Nowhere as much as you." He replies. Coming over to me, he takes me in his arms, holding me to him.
"I've never had a boy in my room before." I whisper, my breathing shallow.
"How does it feel?" He asks, his fingers moving down my back.
"Unfamiliar. Good." I breathe.
Our eyes stay locked as he gently moves his fingers under the hem of my shirt, touching my bare skin. I stop breathing, my skin on fire. It's then I realise I'm not wearing a bra. God, I really don't want to give him the wrong idea. But hey, he came into my room. I stand on my tiptoes to kiss him, and we both get lost. The kiss is slow, sensual, and I can feel the sexual energy buzzing around us.
Tobias threads his fingers through my hair, pulling me closer. His other hand is still on the small of my back, not moving, but keeping me in place. His tongue brushes against my bottom lip, and I let him in, letting them tangle. I grab onto his shoulders tightly as our lips keep moving together.
And then, he picks me up, making me gasp in his mouth. Holding me by my knees, he walks to my bed and sits on the edge, me in his lap. He caresses my bare thighs, my shorts riding up my legs. I blush against him, letting him hold me as our kisses become deeper.
When he starts trailing his lips down, kissing my neck, I stop him. "Tobias." He pulls away to look at me.
"I'm sorry, Tris. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He apologises.
"Hey, you didn't." I hold his face between my hands and give him another kiss. "It's just that, this is all very new to me."
"I wasn't thinking, I guess I got carried away. We don't have to do anything till we're both ready, okay?" He presses his forehead to mine.
"Okay." I smile. "So, do you wanna watch a movie?"
"Only if you have popcorn." He chuckles.
"Of course, I do." I roll my eyes at him, still smiling.
We settle on the bed after I get us some snacks. He holds me close in his arms, my computer on his lap. The movie goes on, the plot requiring our full concentration, although for most of it, I feel Tobias's eyes on me, but I'm not complaining. And that is how we spend our rainy night.
A/N: What do you think of this chapter? Leave a review!