Torrential Love

Chapter Fifteen

~ YAEL ~

It was as if he knew all the cards Ian was dealt with at every single turn. But that wasn't possible. He was sitting right in front of him and the back of the cards were facing him. Ian did not have the tendency to hold his cards too low, and Duncan hardly looked at Ian's cards, anyway. His attention was always on the stack of cards in between them. She would know, she took note.

So how was he winning all the time? She understood he could simply be highly skilled at the game, but the card game was essentially a game of luck, and not entirely skill. It made little sense. She looked around the wall that was beside her bed. Had he hidden a mirror somehow that aided him in revealing Ian's cards to him, which was why he won so many times?

She studied the wall, but it was much too far away for her to get a good look. She wanted to... needed to see for herself. But she was still bedridden. She sighed as she stared at her useless legs. She attempted to move them from the bed, and they budged slightly. Overjoyed since she could not even feel her toes before, she moved her legs over to the side of the bed and they hung over the edge.

She touched her toes to the floor, but a sharp pain seared its way up her calves, to her thighs. She winced hard but shoved the pain into the back of her mind. She put her toe on the floor again, and this time, it did not hurt as much. Slowly, she put her weight on the floor just as Duncan was returning to the common area from the bathroom.

"Wait - " he called out.

But she was on her two feet and not balancing well. Her hands shot skyward as he sped over to her side and she collapsed into his arms. She leaned against his body as his arms wrapped around her back.

"Why did you try to stand?" Duncan asked her.

"I want to walk," she said.

"Your legs are not fully healed yet."

"But - " she said, looking down at her feet in exasperation. "I want - "

"It's alright," he said. "We'll get you walking if that's what you want."

"How?" she asked.

He lifted her by the waist into the air, then dropped her back onto her two feet, right above his two feet. She was standing on top of his feet as she leaned her weight into him. He held her close to him as he took a few steps backward. Her feet moved along with his and she felt her legs trembling as her muscles worked.

"Does it hurt?" Duncan asked her softly.

"A little."

He took more steps backward, his arms still around her waist. She stepped forward over his feet and he brought her around the common area in a peculiar, yet sweet dance.

"How is it now?" he asked.

"I think I try to walk now," she replied.

He lifted her off his feet and placed her gingerly on the floor. She tried to take some steps forward but fell over in an instant. He held out his hands to catch her midway, and they fell to the ground together. They laughed as she found herself huddled next to him.

"Sorry, Duncan," Yael said to him.

"I reckon I haven't seen a woman worse at dancing than you are."

She gawked at him, shoving his arm. "I am injured!"

"Then we'll have to see how well you can dance once you're healed."

"I dance well," she protested.

"Let's see, shall we?"

"Yes!"

"Then you better heal as quickly as you can, because you owe me a dance," he said with a laugh.

The hot air from his mouth blew at her cheeks and she felt her stomach turn. She looked into Duncan's eyes and slowly, his smile faded from his expression as his eyes dropped to her lips. Her breath hitched as their faces neared.