Page 47 of Care: Part 1

CHAPTER TWELVE

Care for Happiness

Avelina woke up to the sound of the shower running. She sat up in bed before running her hand through her hair. Her mind was continually replaying last night's events on repeat. All Avelina could do was pinch her lip as a smile formed on her face.

Just in time, the sound of running water suddenly came to a stop. Avelina turned to look up at the door just as Adrik opened it with a towel around his waist. She couldn't help but look at his wound to make sure it wasn't excessively bleeding.

"Are you okay?" She asked, moving the blanket from her body and attempting to stand. The moment she stood up, she allowed herself to sit back down due to the pain she felt deep down below. It was an intense feeling that stabbed her lower region, and her face made sure to grimace as evidence of it.

"I am okay. Well, my side is still in immense pain, which would result in my answer as bad. However, I am feeling more jubilant than normal, which is what I suppose is good. So, going based solely on averages of the two feelings, I am feeling okay," he explained.

Avelina nodded her head slowly in response.

She then watched as he walked off into the closet. A sigh moved past her lips while she found herself using her fingers to comb through her thick strands of hair.

"Avelina," Adrik called out to her from the closet.

"Yes?"

"May you come in here for a moment?"

She bit down on her lip and moved to stand up again, but the movement welcomed pain.

"Uh, is it important?" She asked, wincing slightly.

He stepped out of the closet with a tie in his hand. "I want to impress you.”

He began showing her the second tie he had in his other hand. One was blue, and the other was black. "Which one do you prefer on me?"

"Blue," she quickly let out.

He nodded his head and walked back into the closet. A smile thrust itself onto her features at the realization that he always wore black ties with his suits. It made her proud to see he was stepping out of his comfort zone, even if it was for something as small as a tie.

After just a few seconds, he walked right out of the closet and toward the bed. Avelina couldn't help but gaze at him until he was directly in front of her. She loved looking at him.

"I'm going to go take a shower," she spoke out randomly to fill the silence that was bouncing off the walls.

Adrik sat down beside her on the bed. Avelina placed her hand on top of Adrik's while never meeting his gaze. She could feel his eyes drilling holes into the top of her head, but she couldn't manage to look up at him. All she could focus on was his hand and how badly she wanted to grab it and hold it for as long as he'd let her.

"Last night was amazing," she told him before finally looking up into the depth of his eyes.

He didn't say anything after that, so she finally decided to grab hold of his hand before pecking his lips.

"Are you in any pain?" Avelina questioned as she allowed her other hand to feel the bandage through his shirt.

"No, primarily because of medication. I am sure if I weren't taking any, it would be excruciatingly difficult to perform tasks, much like how difficult it is for you right now.”

Her jaw dropped in response. She didn't even know Adrik realized how much pain she was under.

Suddenly, she grabbed a pillow from behind her and lightly swung it at him. His face was suddenly covered in shock, leaving her to drown the room with her laughter. Her head tilted back, and her eyes shut with each sound that escaped her lips.

"Adrik, your face," Avelina laughed out.

He stood up from the bed and pulled her up by her hand, along with him. His arm wrapped around her waist as he pulled her closer to his body. She quickly placed her arms around his neck, leaning her head to rest on his chest. There was still this huge smile that never managed to go away.

"I would be happy to assist you with any of your needs," he told her.

Her body completely melted against his. She loved it when he held her and allowed her to get lost in his homely warmth. It was moments like this where she felt most protected.