Begin Again ✔

thirty seven

ALEC SQUEEZES HIS eyes open to find the other side of the bed empty. He runs his hand through his hair and sits up straight, roaming his eyes throughout the room only to find it empty.

"Lea?" He calls and realizes that she is nowhere to be found nearby. Without giving himself a moment of thought, he rushes towards Ms. Walker's ward.

His blue button-down shirt is disheveled and rolled up to his elbows. Relief and guilt combine together and flood his features when he sees Lea sitting next to her mother, her head lying near her chest.

Slowly opening the door, he walks in and the whisper of his footsteps wakes her up. "Lea," he breathes.

"Alec?" She asks. He expects her voice to be loud and cranky but it's soft and weak. "Mom-"

"Shh," he shushes her, walking towards her. He wraps his arms around her body so that she buried her head in his chest. His warmth travels into her skin giving a sense of warm comfort. Brushing her hair, he lifts his head to meet her eyes.

She stares at him, his eyes looking into hers. She allows herself to break into a fit of tears and he allows her to bury her rush of sorrow inside his chest. Brushing her strands of hair, he lets her stay like that for a while, confined in nothing but the silence of her mother.

The faint sound of the monitor echoes throughout out the room, mingled with the sniffling sound of Lea's tears drenching his shirt. He tightens his hold on hers as the intensity of her crying increases whilst rubbing the small of her back to find her weak and pale.

Alec knows he could say something, something to console her, something to make her feel better, giving her confidence, convince her that her mother would get better but he stays silent knowing silence would soothe her over everything.

They sit like that, curled up in each other's arms, giving each other comfort and warmth while staring at her mother who looks peaceful, yet so troubled.

●●●

LEA WRAPS HER FINGERS around Alec's as they walk through the hallway to her room. After hours of convincing her that Lea needed to take care of herself in order to take care of her mother, Alec finally sighs a breath of relief.

Her head had hit the pole quite hard and the doctors said that it was imperative that she took rest to soothe the pain down.

She sits on the bed with his help while he pulls the chair nearby to sit next to her. Tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, she sighs. She watches Alec rest himself gorgeously in his seat, his hair a disheveled, beautiful mess, his eyes drowned in tiredness.

His brown eyes look into hers as her blue eyes look into his. "What are you staring at?" Alec breaks the silence, bringing forth a chuckle from Lea's side.

"I-" she smiles faintly. "I can't believe you're here."

He stays silent.

"Can I ask you something?" She asks, her voice soft and shaky. Licking her chapped lips, she lets her eyes wander into the room and they finally land on Alec's. Followed by his nod, she continues, "Are you doing this to repay me back? For what I did to you..that time?"

He clears his throat. His face grows confused. "..No?"

"Okay," she gulps. "You know, just in case. You don't really have to."

"Lea," he chuckles. "You're my girlfriend. Why do you always have to be so formal? I'm being here for the girl I love. You simply can't close your eyes without sinking into a couple of weird thoughts, can you?"