Beyond the Sinister (COMPLETE)

XV. playing nurse

For the next couple of days, Seraphina, frankly speaking, was paranoid. It got to the point wherein any second now, she expects the Headmistress to barge inside her room, pulling her hair, calling her such names.

Not only is the man she swore herself not to meddle with bunkered in her chamber, but she was also frightened at the idea of the Headmistress finding it all out, expelling her.

Imagine ascertaining a so-called-respectable gentleman sleeping in her bed all day long, asking for this and that.

Acting all mighty and all.

Zachary, due to his gun wounds, cannot, or so he said, walk all by himself, leaving Seraphina no choice but to let him stay in her room.

Seraphina's original plan was to hail a carriage, driving this wounded man off back to Colchester but I'm afraid our heroine has no such heart to do so.

That left the poor maiden to play nurse towards the playing ill. Her job includes spoon-feeding him three times a day, reasoning he has no energy to blow the hot soup or even grab the glass of water with his frail hands.

Sitting beside Zachary, one hand holding a bowl of potato soup and the other a spoon, completely feeding Zachary like an infant.

Zachary was, of course, all smiles to the point one might think his face will tear.

He even requested for a back massage. Who does that?

Obviously, Seraphina, despite having no clue how to properly massage someone, was left with no choice but to oblique him.

She would be lying if she said walking down his back as a back massage did not cross her mind. But look, she was stuck with giving him back rubs and had to suffer through his extra request.

He even dared to ask her to sing in the midst of the night while Seraphina was at the foot of the bed, reading.

Looking up from her book, Seraphina had a sudden urge to smack the book in his head. Instead, she pretended not to hear such a thing.

The opportunistic man let out a soft sigh, "Come on, study shows singing could fasten one's recovery,"

Rolling her heavenwards, Seraphina is not one to fall into ridiculous traps. "well, study shows book smacking can fasten one's death,"

That alone earned her a chuckle from Zachary whom she thought will finally shut up but no, he kept on bugging her for the next hours.

Both of them came up with a truce, agreeing they could share the bed as long as there's a divider between them- a mere pillow.

Besides, truth be told, Zachary was well aware he is the only heat source of Seraphina. Due to the constant downpour, every night seems so cold.

"That won't stop me," uttered Zachary, his lips brushing over Seraphina's earlobe, her cheeks turning into red.

And so, during his stay, every morning, Seraphina would wake up around the arms of Zachary, his chin on top of her head, her head against his chest, her fingers clutching his poor shirt which she washed yesterday. What made it all awkward was how her arm and even her leg slumped over him.

As soon as she realized the horror of it, Seraphina pulled the covers up to her head, hiding though she cannot deny how much she wants to seek his warm arms again since it is, indeed, freezing.

Seraphina was forced to digest the smirks Zachary would give her every single morning.

Dear God, little does the damsel in distress know, Zachary is all okay now as if he was not shot two times the other night.