Be sure to pay attention to the changing POVs. (:
The song for this chapter is:
All I Want- Kodaline
Gena's POV
I wake up with start, my entire body jerking as if I was falling in my dreams. I immediately stretch out an arm, searching for Sidney. My trembling fingers brush his cotton t-shirt and I relax. I gaze at the boy to my right and trace tiny, slow circles on his broad shoulders.
Sidney's hair is no longer combed into the perfect mess of fringe he always keeps it in. Soft wisps of black line his pale face. I frown when I see his troubled expression as he sleeps.
I almost laugh at the way he involuntarily twitches his nose in his sleep. Gently, I run my thumb over his cheek.
Sidney's eyelids flicker, and for a moment I'm hoping he wakes up just so I can look into his eyes before the pain fills them again, like water in a bottomless glass.
Sidney's POV
Gena sniffles next to me and and electric charge is shot through my body. Instantly my hand twitches, searching for her. When my fingers bump her flannel-clad thigh, a rush of relief floods my veins.
I feel her eyes on me, on my messy hair and the stubble sprinkled lightly on my chin. I try to open my eyes and meet her gaze. My heart ached to see her face. I'm about to attempt waking up when I feel the pad of her finger brush my cheek.
I open my eyes, but my eyes hurt and I automatically jam them shut again. Gena's finger is frozen on my cheek for a moment before she sighs and the bed dips next to me. I feel her lips on my forehead, and she's gone. The room is silent, the air still.
I'm falling asleep again when I feel her weight on the mattress. This time, her hand's on my shoulder, shaking me gently. "Sidney." She's whispering. I hear something in her voice- something she's trying to disguise with fatigue.
Before she can fall farther into herself, I open my eyes and look up at the blonde princess in pajamas.
...
Gena's POV
Sidney stares at his coffee, picking up tiny chunks of eggs with his fork. I could tell he was still recovering from last night. Although it didn't seem like he was aware that he was shouting in his sleep, something still fogs his face. His head turns towards me and I quickly direct my eyes back to my own plate. "Gena?" His voice is different than usual.
"Mmm?" I sip at my coffee. Sidney brings a forkful of scrambled eggs to his full lips before he says something again. "Thanks."
"Thanks for what?" I ask him.
"For..." He mumbles, a blush creeping under his cheeks. I know at once what he's talking about, and I feel a rush of numbness take over me when he says, "for everything." His huge hands are shaking in his lap, and I can't stop myself from reaching out to him.
It takes everything I have not to turn his head towards me and kiss him.
Wait, what? I shake my head microscopically and take another sip of my coffee.
"I'm sorry if I woke you up last night." Sidney says, setting his fork back onto the light blue plate. "I just... I thought that I was okay, now."
My chest tightens at his words. I squeeze his hand, not saying anything.
"I thought I wasn't sick anymore." Bile rises in the back of my throat and I'm about to push up from my chair and scream. "I really thought I was better." I turn my head towards him, and watch him stare at his empty plate. The hurting is coming off of him in waves, slowly enveloping him. It hurts to breathe now. I want to say something to comfort this caldera of my best friend, but I know deep down there's nothing I can do but hug him.
We stay like that for minutes, but it only feels like years before Sidney gently shrugs my arms off of his huge shoulders. He turns his head to me and silently looks into my eyes.
I'm praying that the worry isn't as clear in my face as it feels, but my eyes are blurring with tears and it's evident that every breaking piece of Sidney beelines for my heart and pierces it, too.
He kisses my forehead, and for a moment I feel a tidal wave of pain pulling me under, before Sidney pulls away and closes his eyes, his head rolling onto the headboard of the chair. He grabs my hand, and brings it to his face, making my fingers trace his jawline. Sidney murmurs something I don't catch, but I keep my silence and don't ask.
Even in plaid pajamas with his black hair a mess, this boy is strong, and I love him. For as long as I can, I stare at his unmoving face, creating an endless list of everything I adore about the warrior next to me.
