Summer Solstice

Fevers and Dreams

I walked carefully down the stairs, trying not to make a sound, not that the storm wouldn't muffle my footsteps. A herd of bison could run through the house and no one would know.

I stood next to the couch, my eyes adjusting to the dim light from the lamp next to Konai. He looked sick. I knew it, he probably had the flu now, or worse. What had they been thinking, going out in this? His long black hair wasn't pulled back as usual, it lay in a matted mess across his face.

He looked bigger, he seemed to take up the whole couch. Had he grown? I recalled when he had stormed over to us at the docks, yes, he was definitely taller, and huskier. I had never seen Konai without a shirt on, and he was well muscled, the contours of his chest and arms curving in a very appetizing way.

I must have been tired, I was delusional.

He moaned and rolled slightly in his sleep, the thin sheet tugging lower, Konai turned and almost fell off the couch. Then I realized the small sheet covering him was the only thing he had on. My eyes snapped shut. Good grief, had he been skinny dipping or something?! I grabbed an old afghan off the back of the easy chair and laid it across him.

My hand brushed the inside of his arm, and he felt like he was burning up. He moaned again, sweat dripping off his forehead. I felt helpless. Here he was, being miserable, and I didn't know what to do to make him feel better. Wait, why should I bother? His treatment of me over the years had been more than contemptible. I thought about snatching the afghan back off of him. Then I blushed, no, I didn't want to have to deal with a half naked man in the morning.

"Make it stop..."

His words startled me. A moment later I realized I was holding my breath. A let it out as quietly as possible. He twisted slightly, from side to side, he must be in pain, he was visibly hurting. I walked to the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth, getting it as cold as possible. I went back, and stood by Konai's head, not sure if this was going to help, or make things worse.

I knelt down, my face almost level with his. Softly, without touching him too much, I pulled his hair away from his face, and tucked it behind his ears. As gently as possible, I laid the cloth over his forehead. "Mmm...." His eyes flickered open for a fraction of a moment, then closed again. I dabbed the cloth to his head, then turned it over, trying to keep the coolest side against his skin. I saw his arm raise, and I pulled my hand away just before his touched the cloth. He brushed it to the side, sliding it off his head and leaving it there between his shoulder and the couch.

I waited for another moment. His breathing had become more even. I reached up cautiously and laid my hand across his forehead. He was still too hot for my liking, but better than he had been.

I sat there for a moment, leaning against the couch, my hand on his head. I was pathetic. No matter how mean this boy could be to me, I just couldn't be mean back. I had never been able to. I looked at him again. No, not a boy, his features were harder, more defined.

He looked much more like a young man now. This shouldn't have been a surprise, he had turned eighteen. I just hadn't expected to see a visible change overnight. A strange twisting started in my chest and worked it's way down to my stomach. Maybe being down here alone with a half naked Konai was a bad idea. I stared at him, his face almost angelic.

Oh yeah. It was bad. I went to pull my hand away from his forehead, but it wouldn't move. I hadn't noticed Konai moving, and he had laid his hand over mine. His eyes were closed, so he was still asleep. Good. I tried to tug my hand free, I leaned to the side, tugging to no avail. I tried lifting his hand, and his fingers curled around my captured hand.

Oh no! His hand, with mine in it, lowered to his chest, lingering for a moment on his heart. The steady 'thump thump' of his heartbeat against the palm of my hand was almost hypnotic. Suddenly he rolled to his other side, almost yanking me on top of him. I pulled hard, my hand snapping out of his, and I rushed up the stairs. I stopped and turned just inside Kaida's door, listening, but there was no noise. I sighed and crumpled into a heap on her floor, falling back into her pile of polar bears. I should not have went downstairs, that was obvious, and I prayed my dreams would not be about Konai.