A Very Reckless Christmas

Maya

This vacation is cursed.

Or maybe it's me. I'm cursed.

Everything I've wanted us to do for this trip has been a complete disaster. The AirBnB was a scam, lunch turned into a disaster; Nick now has food poisoning! We did have a nice time at the zoo, so the whole day wasn't a complete wash.

We had to have a car come pick us up because he got sick all over the street. He was just as sick now, but thankfully the vomiting had stopped for the moment. He laid with his head in my lap and his eyes screwed shut. I ran a gentle hand through his hair, he looked awful. He moaned as the car jostled him back and forth.

"We're almost there." I could see the hotel up ahead, it would only be a minute or two and we'd be back in our hotel room. "You'll be able to use the bathroom and rest in a few minutes."

"Okay," he grunted. I was proud of him for being able to hold everything in for this long. He was in for a long night, and it was all because of the restaurant I chose.

We arrived back at the hotel with no incidents. Nick used his last burst of energy to rush from the car to the lobby. I followed closely behind him carrying his coat that he'd abandoned on the car seat.

Our concierge, Savanah ran to meet us in front of our private elevator. I sent Nick up to our room while I spoke with her.

"Maya, how are you? How's Nick?" she asked.

"I'm fine. He's been better."

Savanah gasped. "Oh, no, should I call a doctor?"

"I don't think that's necessary," I told her. "He has food poisoning."

"Food poisoning!" she exclaimed. "It's not from anything here, is it?"

"No, no, it's from the lunch we had. His burger must have been undercooked or something." I closed my eyes thinking of Nick's washed-out face. The restaurant has a solid four stars on Google, who knew we would be the ones to catch them on their off day?

She exhaled, relieved. "That's a relief. I'll have somebody send some things up as soon as possible."

"Thank you for all your help, Savanah," I said stepping into the elevator. "We both appreciate it." 

"Not a problem, Maya, it's my pleasure." 

 Guilt threatened to swallow me whole as I rode up to our floor. I'd never seen him look so frail and weak, it was devastating. My eyes started to well with tears as I thought about it.  "Maya Scott you will not cry," I told myself as I held back tears. I took a deep steadying breath. "Get yourself together."

Me from a few months ago would be disgusted by how soft I've become. Crying was a thing I never did before, refused to do actually, but now the tears come so quickly. And they're not even tears of sadness! Nick makes me so happy that I literally burst into tears.

He's turned me into a marshmallow.

I squared my shoulders walking out of the elevator with my head held high. It's just food poisoning, he'd purge his system and in a few hours, he'd be on the mend. This was just another bump in the road that we would get over together.

I made a beeline for the bedroom where I stopped in front of the bathroom door. "Nick, are you okay?"

There were the distinct sounds of rustling and grunting on the other side. After a moment, Nick replied, "I'll be fine."

I exhaled. "I'll be here...whenever you're done." And who knew how long that would be, but I was willing to wait.

Stepping away from the door, I went into the living room. Discarding my coat and hat on the sofa, I paced the length of the room until I heard the service elevator ding in the entryway. A uniformed butler rolled an overflowing cart into the living room.

Savanah had outdone herself, the cart was filled with everything Nick will need to recoup. Medicine, saltines, bottled water, and Gatorade; the works. If Nick's grumbled answer was any indication of his condition he was going to be in there for a long time. It didn't make much sense for me to continue wearing a dent in the floor with my pacing.

I rolled the cart into the bedroom and slipped into something more comfortable. Keeping a steady eye on the bathroom door, I climbed into bed. I sunk into the cloud-like pillows with a sigh. The bed was so big that both Nick and I could sleep in the middle.

Ryan Ainsworth may be my least favorite person in the entire world— universe—galaxy, but I am in love with his hotel. I never knew how much I needed heated floors until I experienced them for myself. I almost hate that I've experienced this level of luxury because I will forever be comparing anywhere I stay to this wonderful place.

The shades were still up on the large panoramic windows. From bed, I watched the beginning of the snowfall and I thought, "What a trip this has been?"

I prayed our vacation to Disney World would be better. If it wasn't, Nick could shoulder the blame. Despite everything that has gone wrong I couldn't think of anyone else I would rather experience this with.  

It would be two more hours before Nick emerged from the bathroom. In the time he was in there, he'd come out of his clothes and was now only in his boxers, his face was ashen and a slick sheen of sweat covered his bare chest. He grabbed a bottle of water off the cart, draining it in one go.

I paused the TV. I was able to catch a Harry Potter movie marathon while I waited for him. "Feeling better?"

"For now." He collapsed on the bed next to me. "Whatever it was must be gone by now. There's nothing left in my stomach."

"I'm sorry," I apologized. Running my fingers through his hair, I gently scratched his scalp. "I should have picked a different restaurant."

Nick shifted so he could lay his head on my stomach. "Don't apologize. It's not like you knew this would happen."

I frowned down at him. "It still sucks."

He looked up at me. "I'm glad it was me and not you."

Do not cry. Do not cry. Do not cry. I chanted over and over in my head. My tears would only make this whole thing worse. "I'll clean Charlie's litter box every day once we get back home."

"For a week," I added quickly. I felt bad for him, but not bad enough that I would saddle myself with that chore.

He gave me a watered-down version of his usual smile. "That almost makes all this worth it."

"Don't get any ideas this is a one-time promise."

"Okay," he sighed. "I'll take whatever I can get."

"We should stay in tomorrow." It didn't matter what he said after I had no plans on going out with him in this condition. He was too fragile.

He nodded against me before giving me a playful smirk, "Maya Scott are you trying to keep me in bed? All you had to do was say so."

He chuckled quietly, nuzzling closer to me.

I rolled my eyes, continuing to caress his neck and shoulders. "You wish."

Nick's eyes fluttered closed. "You can't resist me," he murmured before drifting off to sleep.

I leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead. He was right, I couldn't resist him, because Nick Ainsworth was my person and I'd do anything to make sure he was safe and healthy.