That Stupid Little L-Word:

Chapter Twenty Four:

The first coherent thought that forms inside my head is, "Owe." 

I must have voiced that thought, or made a face, because all of a sudden the quiet that had settled around me erupted into a flurry of movement and voices. I poke one eye open and hiss at the sunlight that streams into the unbearably white room. Someone lets out a sigh, and then a deep voice rumbles "Good morning, Alice." 

Both of my eyes shoot open in shock. "Blue-Eyes?" I choke out.

Said male blinks, and I watch as his dark eyebrows mash together above his vibrant eyes. Confusion floods his features. He presses his lips together into a firm line, and then tentatively says, "Well, I do have blue eyes."

The world suddenly shifts into place, and I am able to comprehend the gravity of the mistake I have just made. 

"Oh shit," I swallow, and my throat burns dryly in protest. "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to come out." My mind races to find a suitable explanation. "Um..."

He smirks that dazzling smirk of his, and a single eyebrow arches. "Is that supposed to be a nickname or something?"

I flush an ugly beet red color and nod. My fingers clench the flimsy white sheet that covers my legs and bunches around my hips. "I am horrible with names, so I usually dish out nicknames. Yours just kind of stuck." 

Blue-Eyes makes a face, "I see." 

I panic, "What?" 

"I don't know," he props his elbow against the edge of the mattress I'm sprawled out across, and rests his chin against his knuckles. "I was just expecting mine to be something more along the lines of 'Sex God' or 'Mr. Sexy'. Or Lama Buddy, even." 

I punch him in the arm, and knock his arm out from under his chin. His shoulders shake with laughter as he grips the edge of the bed to keep from completely tumbling over. I fold my arms across my chest and my cheeks burn. "Ha ha, you're so very funny," I mutter.

He grins and pokes my side, which makes me squirm because I may --or may not-- be ticklish there. "It's cute." 

"Don't lie to me," I shoot him a glare, but it melts almost instantly. His wide grin makes my heart beat a million miles a second. I take a deep breath and then look around to asses my surroundings. It is kind of obvious that we are in a hospital room; the room was nothing but bleached walls and quiet machinery. 

My gaze flickers back to him, and I take note of the somber expression on his face. "What happened?" I whisper. 

He swallows. His gaze shifts around the room, following the same pattern as I had. Then he steels himself and looks at me, "How much of yesterday do you remember?"

I have to think hard. "You took me to see my favorite movie...and that's it." 

"We were walking around, and you dropped your purse as we were crossing Star Street," Blue-Eyes folded his arms atop the edge of the mattress, and my eyes widen into saucers as I notice the bright blue cast that covers his left forearm. He smiles grimly at my expression, "Devon's breaks malfunctioned, and I broke my arm trying to pull you out of the way. You got a severe concussion and a broken leg."

I stare at my legs. Only now do I see the difference between the two mounds beneath the sheet. One is large, and chunky, while the other is its normal scrawny line. Hesitantly, I pull the sheet away from the chunk of leg, and grimace when I see a neon pink cast the size of Jupiter. 

"I tried to tell them you wouldn't want pink," Blue-Eyes chuckles at my disgusted expression. 

"I'll just tell everyone that I didn't get to pick my battle scar."