A Firefly's Glow

Chapter Twenty: Part Four

I heard a heartbeat.

It was a little fast but it sounded faintly in my ears. I predicted that this was my own heartbeat and that I was in one of those moments where I could hear my heartbeat in my ears, but wasn’t it a little too faint?

My head felt like it was swaying.

I felt my breath collide with my face and it felt hot, like how you’d feel if you were lying face down on a pillow for several of minutes. There was something in front of me.

I shifted a little. I couldn’t exactly move around much. There was something restraining me and it made it sort of difficult to shift around.

I opened my eyes. My eyes landed on something black. I took a deep breath, taking a whiff of the fabric that was pressed against my face.

It smelt good. It smelt a little like some sort of cologne or laundry detergent, but it was nice and calming. I felt like I was lying in a bed that had just been covered in newly clean sheets that had just been pulled out of a dryer.

That was when I felt something tighten around my shoulder. It was like I was being squeezed.

The sound of that heartbeat came back to my attention. I pressed my head harder against the fabric in front of me.

The heartbeat grew just a little louder.

I froze. That heartbeat was not mine.

My arms were sitting in my lap. I raised them, reaching around me. I moved my hand over whatever was squeezing me. I felt the same texture as the fabric in front of my nose.

These thoughts started coming into my mind. “What’s going on? Where am I? What’s happening?”

Was I just sleeping?

I heard a sharp breath and the fact that that breath was definitely not mine confirmed that there was someone in front of me. I took my arms and I clutched onto the fabric, trying to pull my face far enough away to see what was in front of me. My eyes adjusted to the light and I squinted.

And then my eyes widened.

“Keita?” I whispered.

He glanced back at me with a strange expression that wasn’t it’s usual blankness. I never got to see the details of that expression, because just a few seconds after I leaned away, I felt my surroundings seem to sway and I had this weird sensation go through my head.

“Whoa!” I exclaimed, ramming my face back into Keita’s chest. His scent surrounded my nose again as I shut my eyes.

I wrapped my arms around him, not thinking about anything other than, “What the heck is going on?!”

The world seemed to be spinning. I did not expect this!

“Are you going to vomit?” His whispering voice entered my ear. It seemed lower and quieter than usual.

I tightened my grip around him. “Are we in a car?”

“Yes, we are.”

“I just might vomit, Keita.”

“Don’t. Close your eyes and go back to sleep.”

“I don’t think I can do that.”

“Why not?”

“You’re suffocating me.”

I knew this should have been where Keita would let me go. I expected his arms to unwrap from around me, but instead, I heard him whisper.

“Stay suffocated a little longer.”

The squeezing around me tightened. I felt his hand against my shoulder, and I felt the arms that wrapped around me.