Divine Affinity

16

Eddie turned around in bed and stretched his arm in an attempt to wrap it around Eiry but it only rested on the mattress. Still with his eyes closed, he palmed the mattress trying to find her but only found a cold vacant place by his side. Eddie frowned slightly at the realization and took a deep breath trying to shed the sleep from his brain and then tried to open his eyes as he rolled on the bed to lay on his back facing the ceiling. His eyelids flickered a couple of times trying to cope with the daylight piercing from under the curtains. Not that it was sunny outside, he could tell it was still gloomy, but it wasn't raining. He raised his arms and stretched and as he regained his full senses, he heard the noise coming from the bathroom.

"Jesus..." He whispered as he rubbed his eyes and the sound of Eiry vomiting in the bathroom became more realistic.

He pulled the sheets away and sat on the bed, pulling his unruly curls away from his face. The clock flashed 8.30 am. They didn't sleep much, he concluded. Then, he got up and barefoot, he got out of the bedroom towards the bathroom. He assumed it must have been a sudden thing since she didn't even close the door. At the door, he saw her kneeled on the floor holding onto the toilet with her head leaned over it. Her hair surrounding her face.

"Hey..." Eddie approached her.

"Oh God..." Eiry whimpered with her head down, breathing extremely rapid and then another vomit came.

Eddie crouched by her side, forgetting all about their fight the night before. He ran his hand over her back, trying to give her some sense of comfort. His other hand closed around her hair, pulling it back and he kept patting her. He didn't say or ask anything while she threw everything out, he just kept her company consoling her the best way he could. Eiry released grunts, choked at times as she kept vomiting. He had never seen her that way. After a minute or two, she raised her head still gasping for air. Eddie stretched an arm and flushed the toilet and let her catch her breath for a while. When he felt her breathing normally, he got up and grabbed her under her arms.

"Come..." He whispered in her ear and he held her body close to his. He guided her to the sink and opened the water. "Splash your face with cold water." Eiry's eyes dull. Her lips lacked color. "Can you do that?" He asked.

Eiry nodded and curved over the sink, cupping water with her hands and then splashing it over her face. She repeated the process several times until she felt her senses were coming back to normal and her stomach wasn't rumbling anymore. She cringed as the aching in her skull ebbs and flows like a cold tide, yet the pain always there. Her mouth dry sticky with thick saliva.

"My head..." She complained, cringing at the sound of her own voice.

"I bet." Eddie kissed her temple as he reached for a towel. He turned her around to face him and dried her face with gentleness. Their eyes met that instant and he tenderly smiled at her. "Are you feeling better?"

"I have such a bad taste in my mouth..."

"Tequila gives you terrible hangovers." Eiry shuddered hearing the word and closed her eyes.

"Don't even say that word." She asked, turning around to the sink once more, and seeing her reflection on the mirror. Then, she opened the small door of the cabinet.

"You need a shower. It will be good." Eddie advised as she grabbed her toothbrush and the paste.

"Can you open the water?" Eiry asked as she put some paste on the tooth brush. "Please..." She then looked at him through the mirror.

"Sure."

Eddie opened the water, letting the cascade fall down from the shower head and came back to Eiry who was still running the toothbrush on her teeth. The corners of her mouth white with foam and smelling of mint. He stopped behind her and they stared at one another for brief instants through the mirror. Then, he rested both his hands on her shoulders squeezing them lightly.