The Painful Beauty Of Spring

Part 7

Note: Sorry I haven't uploaded the rest of the parts. I put it off one day and then forgot about it the next for several months, and I just remembered now. However, now that SFF has suddenly disappeared and no one knows what happened, I will be reposting each of my stories (even the ones I now cringe at) on here within the next week and updating the non-finished ones here too. Now on to Part 7

I had sat with John for a few minutes until we heard a knock on the door. This time, John got up, and I laid down and buried my nose in the covers on the couch to try to avoid the pollen outside, breathing in the air under the covers instead.
When John opened the door, I saw Josh out of the corner of my eye and fought the urge to look at him. I knew doing so would be a horrible idea with my allergies since the door was still open, however my nose was already beginning to itch, despite being stuffed in the covers. My breath hitched as Josh spoke with John, and my eyes closed. "Hih, ih'stchh!" I sneezed weakly into the covers.
"Bless you," Josh said, and I looked at him as he closed the door, because now I knew that my allergies would act up no matter what. When I built up for another sneeze, which disappeared right before the release and left me horribly sniffly and annoyed, Josh added, "I didn't think you were awake, so I didn't want to disturb you."
"Thanks Josh," I said and blew my nose in the handkerchief John had given me earlier. "I need sleep, but my body won't let me w-hih-with—s'chiew!" I sneezed again and rolled my eyes, setting the handkerchief down absentmindedly. "—with all the pollen," I finished in a congested tone, rubbing my nose. "I can't lay there without sneezing every...every few seconds." I scratched my nose and watched Josh as he walked over to me.
He lightly kissed my forehead once before saying, "I'm sorry you have to deal with this." He then watched as I struggled to suppress a sneeze into the covers. "Bless you, Jess," he said and looked back at John. "Could you get her some tea while I sit here?" He asked. "It's in that bag." I now just noticed the bag he'd brought with him, almost forgetting he'd gone to get me tea.
"Sure, but you better not start smooching just because I'm not in here!" John joked, and—without waiting for a response—left the room with the bag.
"H'xtshiew!" I sneezed with a part-stifle into the covers.
"Don't stifle them," Josh said, slightly annoyed and then poking me accusingly on my itchy nose.
"Hihs'shh!" I sneezed instantly and freely, unable to prepare even slightly.
"You sneeze beautifully," he continued, rubbing my leg gently to comfort me as I succumbed to a sneezing fit.
"Hih, hs'shiew! Hkt'chiew!" I sneezed into my right palm. "Hih, hgt'chh!" I reached for the handkerchief with my left hand, sneezing into my right hand again in the process. I searched and furrowed my brow in confusion. Where on Earth had I put that handkerchief? I swiftly pinched my nose. "Hgxt'schh!" I now started to get annoyed but remembered what Josh had said. "Hyih'shiew!" I sneezed strongly into my sleeve and wiped my nose on the back of my hand, looking up at Josh. "Where did I put m-my—huh, h'tchh!—my handkerchief?" I caught the sneeze in my fist and immediately looked back up as if nothing happened. Josh looked around for a moment.
"Here," he said, almost immediately locating my handkerchief on the table. Why hadn't I thought of that? He handed it to me and watched me blow my nose loudly. He then stood up, brushing my hair to one side. I looked at him over the handkerchief in confusion and felt my hair begin to gently tickle my nose. "I need to get something real quick. Stay here," he stated and went to turn away but noticed the problem as my eyebrows knitted together and I crinkled my nose. "Sorry, I didn't think about that," he said.
"Hih, ti'shiew!" I directed the dainty, quite high-pitched sneeze into the handkerchief, sniffling afterward and pushing my hair back behind me. I felt my tiredness was starting to make my sneezes even higher in pitch than usual. Or maybe that was just because I wanted Josh to stay and he'd mentioned he likes my sneezes. It seemed to work, because he immediately paused and blushed. He watched as I sneezed daintily once more, though this one was audibly wetter than the previous.
"Okay, you got me!" He said, throwing his hands up. "I'll stay. You and your sneezes are so adorable that I just can't leave you."
I smiled briefly until my eyebrows drifted downward, my eyes began to close, and my nose twitched. "Ihs'shiew!" I sneezed into my fist.
"Bless you, sweetheart," Josh stated and settled down with me on the couch.
"Hah, HIHG'schh!" I sneezed wetly and harshly into my handkerchief, sniffling liquidly after and wiping my runny nose with the cloth, my throat aching from the force of the sneeze. Josh flinched at the sneeze and looked at me with wide eyes.
"Bless you. Are you okay?" He asked in surprise. "I've never heard you sneeze so violently." I then responded, though my voice was extremely congested and almost impossible to understand. However, I was relieved that the itch had finally subsided but otherwise annoyed with the last sneeze that drove it away. "What?" Josh questioned in confusion to respond to what I had said and chuckled slightly. "Please blow your nose so I can understand you."
I blushed, nodded, did as he told me—but cringed a little in the process, even though it wasn't really that bad—and repeated, "Oh, it was much worse that one time when you weren't home," I said, remembering one instance last year when I'd run out of allergy medicine and was home by myself since Josh had to go to work. The pollen count was so bad that I was walking around the house, constantly sneezing loudly and violently, doubling over and almost passing out from the force. The memory made me relieved Josh hadn't been there to experience it, especially since he was nervous now. Luckily, however, we'd gotten access to some more allergy medicine not much later in the day. Maybe I'd bring that story up to him in detail and possibly act it out later when he wasn't as scared for my health. "I'm fine," I continued. "Sorry I scared you."
"That's alright," he replied, watching me carefully as I laid there with my face halfway beneath the covers, though I could still see him. He leaned over to me and kissed my forehead. "You better sleep now, my darling," he stated softly, his calm hazel eyes meeting my exhausted brown ones. "You've had a rough day."
I leaned my head back and yawned widely, my eyes closing tightly. When I was done, I looked back at Josh and wiped my eyes. "Thank you," I said softly, covering my mouth politely as I yawned again. I sniffled and drowsily watched Josh over the covers until my heavy eyelids finally closed, and I drifted off to sleep once again.