you had always hated being unwell. whether it was just a simple common cold or an incapacitating migraine, sickness was your worst enemy.
It was even worse when you had to go through it alone. Your parents were never home, always away on a business trip, or a romantic getaway or a holiday that they couldn't afford to bring you on. You had no siblings either, and growing up an only child was always rough when you needed someone to lean on.
That was until a few years ago, when your boyfriend wandered into your life on a rainy sunday morning in a coffee shop not too far from your home, and ever since, he was the one who took care of you on your down days: the days where you couldn't lift your head up off of your pillow or mutter a single word. no matter the day, time, or place, the boy was always there for you, and for that you would be forever grateful.
the curtains were closed, but the early morning sunlight seeped its way through the gap where they didn't quite meet.
the windows were closed, and yet you could hear the birds singing loudly in the trees just beyond the house.
you couldn't remember what time you fell asleep last night, but it couldn't have been very long ago.
matt was still sleeping soundly beside you, just as he had been since the moment he put his head down, unlike you who had tossed and turned all night, admittedly waking him up a few times from your restlessness.
you checked you phone for the time and it was 5:34am. you had only slept for three hour and you could feel the migraine beginning behind your strained eyes and the cough tickling its way up your dry throat.
deciding it was best to attempt to block the pain before it started, you carefully rose from the bed, making an effort not to wake the sleeping beauty beside you, and padded down the stairs and into the kitchen.
you grabbed your favorite glass from the cupboard and filled it with water and ice from the fridge, and scavenged through the drawers in order to find some ibuprofen.
after checking the date, you broke two out of the pack and swallowed them quickly before your mind got the better of you and you were too afraid to.
"you need to eat if you're gonna take that" A voice sounded from behind you.
almost throwing the glass of water out of your hand in fright, you put your hand on you chest and turned to face the boy whose rough voice broke the morning silence.
"don't sneak up on me like that!" you tried to shout, but it came out as more of a croak, so you quickly drank some more of the water that remained in the glass you held.
"you don't sound so good, love" matt stated, his eyes immediately turning soft as he walked over to you and placed his cold hand on your forehead. "fuck, you're really hot, baby" he exclaimed, his tone laced with panic.
"thanks" you rasped, as a smirk appeared on your face, but was quickly wiped off when you started coughing uncontrollably.
Matt's hand gravitated to your sweaty back and began rubbing, in an attempt to ease the coughing. "drink your water, my love" he muttered, lifting the glass to your lips and helping you drink. "come on, let's get you back to bed, yeah?"
"but I need to eat something matt, you just told me that!"
"I will come back and make you something, I just want to get you back into bed first"
"okay" you replied, sniffing, as your nose began to run too.
matt lead you back into his room, lifting the covers so you could climb in, then he tucked the duvet around your body, tucking your hair behind your ear and leaving a kiss on your rosy cheek.
"don't come too close, I don't want you to catch whatever I've got" you warned, trying to back away slightly.
"I don't care. I just want to make you feel okay." he replied, placing another kiss to your hairline, before quickly turning and going back to the kitchen.
you didn't know how long it had been since you had fallen asleep, but it must have been a while because what woke you was the sound of the door creaking as your boy walked through with a tray in his hands, which was occupied by a mug of tea, a bowl of vanilla ice-cream and a plate of toast spread with strawberry jam.
despite taking the pain killers, the pounding in your head remained and as soon as your eyes opened, you seethed in pain and covered them with the duvet.
"shit" matt muttered, placing the tray on your bedside table and running to switch all the lights off and make sure the curtains were closed properly.
It wasn't long before you felt the bed dip beside you as matt sat on the edge, and he helped you sit up and prop you up with your pillows, and his for extra support.
"matt, my head really hurts, like it really, really hurts" you spoke, your voice catching as you felt yourself begin to cry in pain.
"oh my love, it's okay, come here" he spoke gently, wrapping his arms around you as you buried your head in his neck, his hand massaging your head.
you stayed there for a while until the boy broke the silence. "Okay love, you really need to eat something now" he spoke, moving away as he grabbed the toast and lifted it to your mouth, which you refused to open.
"I can't. I feel really sick matt." you refused, fear in your eyes. he knew how much you hated throwing up.
"It's okay if you're sick love, I'll be right here, but you need to eat something or you will feel even more poorly, okay?"
"okay." you whispered, a tear falling from your eye which Matt was quick to wipe away.
you had eaten all of your toast and drank half of your tea, and was now eyeing up the ice-cream. matt grabbed the bowl and spoon and began to give it to you in small portions, as you were finding it increasingly difficult to keep your eyes open for long periods of time.
once you had finished everything, matt picked the tray up and took it back into the kitchen, and soon returned to his bedroom, making sure the light in the hallway was off before opening the door.
as soon as he stepped into the room, he was met with the image of you shaking in bed but yet your hair was stuck to your forehead with sweat, your face whiter than a sheet of paper.
"oh my love, you really aren't well are you?" he stated, climbing into bed next to you, and lifting you onto his chest so he was your bed instead.
you wrapped your arms around his body, and you tried to match your breathing patten with his, feeling his heart beat in rhythm with yours. his right hand drew patterns on your back while the other one held a cold rag to your forehead.
"thankyou matty" you whispered into his chest.
"anything for you, my love" he replied.
"I love you."
"I love you more"
