Tricking Death

Chapter 26 - Rainy Bubbles

I fought tooth and nail to crawl back into consciousness, and was surprised to find that we were only a few feet away from where I remembered passing out. 

"Are you going to behave now?"

"Fuck you," I wheezed, still feeling weak and limp in his arms, though I immediately resumed my struggle anyway.  

"I will just put you back under again," he said, making it clear he wasn't joking as my vision started to swim again. 

"Alright, alright, I'll behave!" 

"Good," he said softly, and the blackness receded from my vision. The rain was still pelting the outside of the umbrella, making a steady beat to accompany his footsteps as they splashed through the puddles on the sidewalk. I was steadily swaying back and forth in his arms, almost like a baby being rocked: I couldn't deny that the sensation was soothing. 

"See? Isn't this so much better than trying to fight me?"

"I am capable of walking, you know." I chose not to directly answer his question, since I was sure it was meant to be more rhetorical anyway. I also wished that he had chosen to stay silent, as his comment more than ruined the peace of the moment.

"You're also capable of getting even more soaked when you are walking. So, I have no intention of putting you down anytime soon." 

"Asshole," I muttered under my breath. 

"Language, Em."

I thought of a snappy comeback, but then stopped when the thought occurred to me that it probably wouldn't fall under his definition of "behaving". I opted for pouting instead. 

"You're learning."

"Excuse me?"

"I know you were thinking of some snarky comment to make," he said, pausing at an intersection before turning down a street that was unfamiliar to me, or what little I could see of it from under the umbrella. "But you chose not to make it. So I commend you for that, since that definitely would not have counted as you behaving yourself." 

"Can you just shut up again? This was almost bearable until you decided to open your mouth."

"I know it's been more than bearable for you; I know that you were enjoying it. So, don't bother trying to lie to me."

I punched him once, square in his chest before I crossed my arms over my own once more, staring sullenly at the wet concrete passing by below. He barely flinched, but I could tell he wasn't impressed. 

"I'll be getting you back for that later." 

"Yeah, right." 

"Don't test me." His voice was flat. 

"Don't tell me what to do," I mumbled without much conviction. Being carried by him made it hard to feel like anything other than a spoiled child.

"I don't think you're really in any sort of position to be trying to tell me what to do right now, either." 

I went back to pouting in silence again and thankfully, he decided to stop talking. I didn't even catch the fact that I was dozing off to sleep in his arms until I felt my feet hit the ground. 

"It's hard to maneuver these key-card locks with one hand. I didn't want to wake you up, since you seemed rather comfortable. You can go back to sleep in a minute if you want." There was a satisfied smile on his face, as if he was proud of the fact that he had managed to lull me to sleep. The door opened with a click, and I pushed past him with my cheeks burning. I was too angry to focus much on where we actually were, and I couldn't deny my delight when I entered the room.