ethereal (k.l.)

•FORTY EIGHT•

•••

A couple hours later, Kian was released from the hospital and Karen gave us a ride to our apartment. I immediately took him to our room and laid him down on the bed. "You rest, I'm going to make dinner." I told him as I pulled the blanket over his body.

He smiled and leaned back into the pillow, grabbing my hand lightly. "You can't cook."

"No, but I can boil pasta."

I made my way to the kitchen, and as I started getting to work, I let my worries mull over in my mind. I thought about about the car and our lack of good jobs, how we weren't as prepared as we thought we'd be. Kian's dad did everything he could to help us, but time was running out. We needed to start making money and obtaining what was necessary to survive on our own.

I thought this was going to be so easy. It had been, until today, until I saw Kian's car obliterated and him laying in the back of an ambulance. I couldn't get it out of my head. I wanted to believe that everything was fine, but it wouldn't be unless we started making changes.

Once dinner was done, I brought it to our room and laid down with him. We began eating while Bruce Almighty played on our TV. I could barely focus on anything but my worries. They were eating at my brain, causing a stress bubble to evolve in my chest and burst throughout my whole body. I felt Kian's fingers brush against mine, but I didn't move like I normally would've.

"Babe?" Kian said, so I turned to face him. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." I didn't know why I thought I could get anything past him, he knew me too well. He could sense something was wrong without even looking at me.

He sighed and rested his head on my shoulder. I was careful not to move in case it would hurt him. "D, everything's okay. I promise. Please don't stress so much, I'm fine."

I laced my fingers with his. "I know."

He was fine, that was true. I just didn't know if I could handle what was about to come in the next few months.

•••

I had been taking care of Kian for the past few days and any spare minute I got, I was researching things like insurance, car dealerships, all of that adult shit I had no clue about. I couldn't believe that we jumped into this blind, thinking that his dad had covered us completely. There were so many things that we needed to get settled right away. Adulthood was proving to be a pain in the ass and it had only been a month since graduation.

Barnes and Noble emailed me and told me that I got the job. It eased my mind a little, knowing that a steady income was in the works. Kian wouldn't be able to go the parlor for another week. At least we were smart enough to save any and all money that he was given.

While Kian slept beside me on the couch, I was on my laptop, trying to figure out how to get insurance. I was feeling dumber and dumber as each second passed and I was glad that Karen hadn't removed Kian from her policy yet. She even offered to get him a new car, which I was grateful for since we couldn't afford one, of course.

"Davina," Kian mumbled, stirring awake. "Put away the laptop and cuddle with me."

I smiled and glanced at him, internally swooning over his messy hair and rough voice. "Give me a minute."

"No," He said before grabbing my laptop and setting it aside. He then gripped my thighs and pulled me beside him. "That's better." He whispered as he snaked his arms around my waist.

I bit my lip as I rested my head on his chest. I wanted so badly to just lay with him all day and not have a care in the world. That's what I thought this would be, not stressing over things that technically wouldn't become a problem yet. But that's always been a flaw of mine.

I wished that my brain could be simple for just one day, one goddamn day. I didn't want to think about taxes, rent, or insurance. I didn't want to worry about everything crumpling to pieces even though Kian and I were fine. I shouldn't be this stressed out, but I couldn't help it. Everything always proved to be too much for me.

I watched as he fell back into an unconscious state. He was so beautiful and carefree. I've always wanted to be someone like him, and I thought I had before the accident happened. Now I'm back to being a walking epitome of anxiety.

•••

hey lawleypops! new chapter :)

DON'T ATTACK ME IM SORRY THIS IS SO SHORT ITS A FILLER BUT ITS ALSO LIKE PLANTING A SEED FOR SOMETHING YA KNOW?? SO DON'T WORRY, THERE'S MORE TO COME!

btw i bought kian's "almost marilyn" shirt today!!! i kept trying for an hour since the fandom crashed the website 😂 but i was one of the lucky ones, thank god ❤️

did you guys get any merch?

comment, vote, and follow!

love, maddie