A Little Bit of Everything and Everyone

Sick Day (James Maslow)

The sun shines through the window next to my bed and even though my eyes are closed, it's really bright. The sounds of the waves crashing against the beach outside of my house is soothing as always and I lay there, awake but eyes still shut, listening to them.

A pair of lips finds my shoulder and a small smile crosses my lips. James. I keep my eyes shut, still listening to my waves.

"Babe, it's almost one in the afternoon. Why are you still in bed?" he asks softly. I groan and turn over to face him, my eyelids fluttering open.

"I don't feel good," I tell him. I was up most of the night with a stuffy nose that constricted my breathing and a sore throat and hot flashes mixed with chills. Needless to say, I tossed and turned a lot and didn't fall asleep until about seven this morning. James was up at eight to go to the gym.

"What doesn't feel good sweetheart?" he asks me as he pulls me to lay on his chest.

"My throat. And I have a stuffy nose. And a headache now," I say, closing my eyes again. James traces patterns on my back, under my t-shirt.

"Good thing you have me to take care of you," he says. I smile, cuddling into my boyfriend.

"Yeah, good thing," I say. We lay there for a while. I fall back asleep and James slowly gets up, trying not to disturb me. When I open my eyes again, it's three in the afternoon and I really need to get out of bed. I kick the covers off, slowly standing and stretching with a yawn. I grab one of James' hoodies and pull it over my head before walking out to find him in the kitchen on his computer.

"Good morning Sleeping Beauty," he says with a smile that shows his perfect white teeth.

"Hi," I say. I sit at the counter next to him and lean on his shoulder.

"You feel warm," he says as he types on his laptop. He presses his lips to my forehead.

"Definitely warm," he tells me.

"Do we have any Tylenol?" I ask. He stands and rummages around in the cabinet for a second.

"No, I'll run and grab some for you though babe," he says.

"I can go get it, the store isn't that far," I say, standing.

"No, you stay here. I'll go get all of the sick day supplies. Take a shower and relax. I'll be back before you know it," he says, slipping on his shoes. He kisses the top of my head and I smile at him.

"Thanks baby," I tell him. He leaves and I shower, the warm water relaxing me and clearing my sinuses for the time being. Following my shower I am sitting on the couch, once again dressed in James' hoodie and a pair of sweatpants. I flip through the channels before settling on Friends. James gets home moments later.

"I have medicine, ice cream, tissues, and chicken noodle soup in a bread bowl from Panera," he says as he walks through the door.

"You're literally the best boyfriend a girl could ask for," I say to him. He brings everything over to me and hands me the Tylenol with a bottle of water.

"Need anything else Leah?" he asks, taking the water bottle from me and setting it on the table in front of the couch where I am sitting. I grab the Panera bag, opening my food.

"Just for you to sit with me and watch TV," I tell him. He smiles and joins me on the couch. I eat in silence, eyes on the TV. James has his arm around my shoulders and when he laughs I can feel the movement.

"Want to watch a movie?" he asks when the show ends and I have finished my food. My head is still pounding and I nod my head as James stands to find a movie in our case that's full of DVDs. After finding what he is looking for he comes back and pulls me close to him. Footloose with Kenny Wormald starts playing and I smile a little.

We watch the movie in silence and soon I'm starting to get sleepy again. When the show ends James turns off the TV with the remote.

"Ready for bed?" he asks. I nod and he scoops me up in his arms before heading to our room. He gently sets me down and pulls the covers back.

"Just a second," he says as he disappears into the bathroom. I pull off the hoodie I am wearing, knowing I won't be able to sleep with it on. James reappears moments later in the pajama pants he always wears and a plain white t-shirt. We crawl under the covers and he holds me close, running his fingers up and down my back. I feel him kiss my forehead before I fall into sleep.