May I, Stand Unshaken?

Honor

The next morning

When Arthur woke from a dreamless sleep, he was sore but oddly enough, well rested. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, when he noticed a piece of paper sitting beside him on the nightstand. 

He tossed his legs over the side of the bed, and snatched it off the table.

Arthur,

I went to town for a few supplies.
Stew is warming on the stove.
Be back soon.

Lorna

He stood up and grabbed his shirt off the floor; he got overheated sometime in the middle of the night and took it off. 

He was a little embarrassed that she saw him without his shirt on, and he hoped she didn't stare too long. He'd been losing a lot of weight lately and up until just yesterday, he never questioned why. He knew he didn't look that great anyway, so he couldn't imagine how he looked near death. 

The house was nice and toasty, as opposed to outside. The trees swayed with each gust of wind, and the clouds were dark and gray; snow clouds.

He walked over to the stove, where a pot of stew sat just like she mentioned, and his stomach grumbled. It must've been a good sign that he was hungry, he mused.

He dished out a little extra into a bowl, and then sat down with a cup of cool water. And as he spooned some meat and carrots, he heard a noise at his feet. He glanced down and saw a small black cat looking up at him. He chuckled to himself.

"Hey there," He reached down."...D'ya want my food, huh?"

The front door creaked open, and Lorna walked in with a basket dangling from her arm. The black cat ran towards her, meowing loudly as if it had something important to say. And maybe it did; Arthur wasn't an expert on cats.

She shut the door, placed the basket on the counter, and then knelt down to pick up the screaming cat.

"I'm glad you're awake-" She breathed."How'd you sleep?"

"Uh good, actually. What time is it?"

"It's just about noon."

Arthur nodded and sipped his water. 

Lorna kissed the cat on the head, then placed her back on the floor. She pranced towards the opened bedroom door, which Arthur could only assume was Lorna's.

"How're you feeling?"

"More like me, I guess."

She smiled and walked to him."Can I feel your head?"

He shrugged, not really sure why she asked. Nevertheless, he leaned in and she placed her cool hands on his forehead.

"My hands are too cold to tell-"

"Tell what?"

"If you have a fever," She leaned in and pressed her lips to his forehead, then pulled away just as quick."...Nope, no fever."

Arthur looked down at his bowl, blushing. He always blushed and acted foolish in the presence of a lady, and considering that he hadn't had many lady friends, he'd forgotten what it felt like to be close to one. 

Lorna walked to the sink and leaned; what was she thinking? Well certainly not with her head, she concluded. It was pure and simple lust.....lusting after a sick man - what a terribly new low she's reached!

She spent the majority of the night conjuring up ridiculous fantasies in her head, instead of sleeping like she should've been doing, and now she was running purely on adrenaline and coffee.