Cherished

7

Bri finished Eva's braid, letting the back of her hand run over Eva's forehead.

Eva flinched as Bri's hand came into view.

"Sorry," Bri said. "You're burning up. How do you feel?"

Eva shrugged. She didn't feel great. Her nose was all clogged up, and her head felt like it had been stuffed with tissues.

"It's probably just a cold. Your room is pretty drafty," Bri said, standing up from the bed.

Standing outside in the cold with no shoes will do that.

Bri layered the nice quilt with several other blankets before pulling them back and gesturing for her to lie down.

Eva didn't have it in her to refuse. She was freezing all over. She crawled into bed, almost immediately falling into a miserable sleep.

She woke up to a knock on her door. It was Miles who came through, surprisingly. She moved to get up, but he stopped her.

"It's okay to be in bed, Eva. Bri and Kenzie had to leave for a little while, but they wanted to make sure you got some medicine for that cold."

Miles offered her two pills and a glass of water. She took them.

"Go back to sleep. I'll be back with something for you to eat later."

Eva did end up falling back asleep, only to wake up covered in sweat. She did feel better, despite the fact that she felt like she was going to burn up.

She stepped out onto the balcony. The breeze cooled her heated skin, and she welcomed the change in temperature. She felt really lucky that she could have fresh air whenever she felt like it.

Miles knocked just as she stepped back inside. He had a tray of food.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Better," she admitted quietly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Miles said. She looked up, catching a glimpse of his small smile. "There's some more medicine on the tray. Try to eat a little bit before you take them."

Eva sat on the floor to eat after he left. The soup tasted familiar, in a comforting way. She ended up clearing the entire bowl, and she settled, attempting to read the same book. She had been slowly piecing the storyline together.

---

Eva was back to normal the next day, and the boredom returned full force, except this time, it was the middle of the day, not at night. There were definitely going to be people around.

She decided to take her chances.

It was surprisingly quiet. Eva went to the kitchen, finding an older woman at the stove. She had short, dark gray hair with bits of silver that caught the light.

"You must be Eva," she smiled. "I'm Rosetta. I keep things running around her."

"I'm glad you're here. I could use a hand if you don't mind," Rosetta said.

Eva stepped closer, eager to help.

Rosetta handed her a wooden spoon. "I'm caramelizing some onions for tonight's dinner. Can you watch them while I finish the cookie dough? Stir them frequently to make sure they don't burn."

Eva did as she was told, happy to help in some way.

"Alright, I'll take over from here. Would you like to help me roll out some cookie dough, too?"

"Sure," Eva agreed, moving over to the sink to wash her hands.

She followed Rosetta's instructions carefully. There was chilled dough in the fridge that she rolled into balls in the palm of her hand, placing them on a large tray.

"You have a lot of self control," Rosetta said, popping a piece of cookie dough into her mouth. "How can you resist?"

Eva was skeptical about eating the raw dough, but she copied Rosetta, putting a small piece in her mouth. She was surprised by how pleasant, smooth, and sweet it was.

Rosetta gave a warm chuckle.

"This looks good, but you don't want to crowd the cookie sheet so much. The cookies need space to spread."

Rosetta removed some of the rolled dough, making nice even rows. She slid the tray into the oven before returning to the stove to finish dinner.

"Everyone should be in the living room now. They usually gather before dinner. Why don't you go join them?" Rosetta asked.

Eva felt her heart pound in her chest. Everyone was out there? She was going to be in so much trouble.

She felt Rosetta's gaze.

"You can go out from the utility room right here into the garage. It'll lead you outside, and you can go upstairs from the foyer."

"Thank you," Eva whispered, doing exactly that. She stepped into a large garage that had three cars in it. It had a side door that led outside.

She was able to slip right back into the house through the front door, running straight into Graham as she did so.

"Sorry, Eva. I didn't see you," Graham said, steadying her with his hands on her arms before he stepped back. "I'll have to tell the girls to get you some shoes if you want to be outside."

She glanced at her sock-covered feet. She preferred it this way.

"Are you feeling better? I've heard you've been ill," Graham asked.

"Yes, Graham," she mumbled.

"That's good," he said, turning back in the direction he was heading, up the opposite set of stairs from her own.

She hurried back to her room.

---

"What the hell is going on?" Pierce demanded to Graham just as Graham stepped into his own kitchen for a drink.

"What do you mean?" Graham asked, pulling a glass from his cabinet.

"You talk to her. You've gone to the kitchen almost every night hoping to see her," Pierce said.

"I was thirsty," he defended.

Pierce reached into the fridge, revealing two brand new bottles of orange juice.

"You haven't done that with anybody else," Pierce said, softer.

"Except you, and Miles," Graham said, stepping closer to Pierce, crowding his space. "Does it make you jealous, Pierce?"

Pierce clenched his fists.

"No," he said.

"You're a terrible liar," Graham whispered back, letting his nose run along Pierce's cheek.

Graham stepped back, picking his glass back up. "I don't know what it is. You should get to know her, too. Maybe you'll see what I see."