The Author and Her Bodyguard

Chapter 30

Something was wrong with me. With my lungs. They burned. Blocked by fire that threatened to tear me apart as it worked its way into my veins. I felt it on my skin. In my chest. Against my mouth— 

"Laliana!" Someone shouted a name. Was it mine? The voice was distant but continued to say the name, urgency in every syllable. A prayer that demanded to be heard.

Something new worked its way into my body. Raw light pushed against the fire, and just as quickly as the fire came, it flew out of me, hurling me back into the world where fire was not what I breathed. 

"Laliana!" The voice shouted again. 

My lungs remembered their nearly forgotten friend. AIR. 

Air filled me as water left me. My vision swam, a swirl of stars, and city lights mixed with a pair of blue eyes. I knew the name. I knew those eyes, but my brain was tired. I was so tired. I just wanted to sleep. 

"Laliana," the voice said again. "Breathe!" It was an order, and with all the energy I had left, I obeyed. Breathing down a raw and burnt throat, I felt my lungs begin to work again. Ocean eyes full of relief filled my vision. "Thank God," the deep voice murmured, breaking on the words. 

Then, the world went dark again. But this time, the fire was gone. 

...

The world was soft. Has it always been so soft? And everything hurt. Is that normal? I opened my eyes to find myself lying in a large soft bed under several heavy blankets. I tried to sit up, but it hurt to move. Then, the night's events hit me in a set of flashes. Like my brain was redownloading my life. 

But the most startling thing was what I found at the edge of my bed. Aiden, fast asleep, head and arm drooped on the bed, the rest of his body on the ground. He hadn't changed clothes, still wearing the blue flannel. But now it was covered in splashes of rust. Cuts all along his clothes bloomed with red, matching the petals that still covered the ground. Blood?

I scrambled out from under the covers and crawled to the edge of the bed. Reaching out with shaky hands, I carefully took his pulse, fingers against his wrist. Oh my gosh. Don't be dead, don't be dead, don't be dead. "Aiden?"

"I'm alive Summers," Aiden breathed, from behind closed eyelids. 

I spotted a cut along his jaw and touched it gingerly. His dusty eyelashes brushed my fingers as I traced the cut up the side of his face. His brow furrowed. "That hurts."

"You look like a victim from a Slasher movie. What happened?" 

"Someone crashed into the yacht," He mumbled.  "Got a few scratches when I dove into the water after you." 

My eyes filled with tears. "These look like more than a few scratches," I said, my voice raspy from the water I swallowed. 

"Better scratches than not getting to you in time." Aiden's eyes finally opened. He placed his hand over mine, trapping it against the side of his face. "You nearly died. If I hadn't dragged you out and given you mouth to—"

"WHAT?!" I squeaked pulling my hand away and touching my lips. My heart hammered wildly as I asked myself the one question that any sane girl who had nearly died would ask... DID GETTING CPR FROM A VERY HOT BOY COUNT AS MY FIRST KISS?!? AND IF IT DOES... I MISSED IT?!?

"Summers?" Aiden asked alarmed. "What's wrong?" 

"You gave me mouth to mouth?!?" I squeaked again. I tried to stop myself from reacting like a lunatic, from caring about something so stupid when I had almost died, but I couldn't.