Angelo & Julian [Boyxboy]

Chapter 26: Bandanged

AN: So this is the final chapter dun dun dun... of the first book that is. I feel I should take a break between this one and the second one (which is barely fleshed out). I actually wrote the outline for this ENTIRE story from beginning to complete end, so I know the direction I'm headed in. But the second one is probably only... 5% done beginning to end. But this story wasn't too far along before I started so we'll see. But there'll definitely be a hiatus TBA. If nothing else but to leave proper suspense.

oo

Angelo flipped through the channels on the hospital television, scanning through them mindlessly. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd watched TV. The white-walled room was bright and sunny, there was a potted plant left by his kind older nurse who'd told him that someone had left it and she thought such a handsome young man would enjoy a nice plant. She actually made quite a few references to his looks. He couldn't really distinguish the line between flirting or her just being nice, but he was thankful all the same.

His doctor had been condescending, probably assuming that he was in a gang fight and was some vagrant off the street. But Angelo didn't let that faze him. His left leg had been stitched and bandaged and he would need crutches for a while until the wound healed. There was still plenty of soreness and standing up was almost impossible but lying down in the white covers with the sun streaming in, he wasn't looking to move anytime soon.

He thought about the romp with Julian the night before and wondered how he'd felt virtually no pain in his leg that whole time, the adrenaline and endorphins pumping through his body like crazy. Angelo was sure it'd been Julian who'd called the hospital and he awoke to loud pounding on the front door, followed by the RA frantically sticking in the key and turning the loud lock and being rushed by EMTs with a stretcher in tow.

It was nice, though he'd missed breakfast. His kind nurse had given him an apple juice and a muffin once they'd suited him with his stitches and after he mostly slept.

Now that it was late noon he was awake, and with nothing worthwhile on the television he shut it off. He sighed, thinking of his laptop back at the dorm and stared out the window. He had a nice view of the city, though it was mostly obscured by the large old trees surrounding the property. It made him think back to his conversation earlier in the semester with Angelica about the trees in the city. These were huge and nearly made it up to his sixth floor window. He relished the view. His view on campus was an uninspiring view on the inner courtyard of his dorms as his room was situated inside the box shape. No wonder Julian was never there.

There was a soft knock on the door and Angelo responded with, "Come in," assuming it to be his nurse.

When Angelica poked her head in, he immediately sat up. She glanced around the room before walking fully in. She smiled beautifully as she approached him.

"So I hear you're a cripple now." She sat on the edge of the bed against his thigh and he swallowed.

Angelo chuckled. "I guess. How'd you know?"

She put a finger to her pastel pink lips. "I can't give all my secrets away or you might not find me mysterious anymore." She winked and Angelo knew she was joking, but he did think she was a mystery. He couldn't imagine what she wasn't telling him and she didn't seem the type to keep secrets or have any secrets to keep. But there was a maturity in her eyes sometimes that haunted him. And a falter in her smile sometimes that made him wonder. She didn't talk about life much outside of school, though, Angelo knew that she and her parents weren't close.

They shared a laugh and Angelica's gaze settled outside of his window he took the opportunity to rake his eyes over her features. Over her petite nose and big dark brown eyes. She was pale. Not as pale as Julian, but paler than Angelo's own olive brown. And the dark waves were pulled back away from her face in a ponytail at back of her head and Angelo noted her exquisite bone structure and how perfect her cheekbones were. But under her eyes was dark and the skin was loose. As if she hadn't been sleeping. Angelo wondered how he hadn't noticed it before.