Faint snores and sporadic whimpers bounced off Shayne's bedroom walls. Shafts of moonlight streamed through slotted blinds that masked the window. Its iridescent light painted Courtney's sprawled-out form lying supine across his bed. Limbs strewn in every direction, laundered pink-satin sheets cradling her. A picture-perfect memory that infatuated Shayne.
Pleats of plaid gathered at her hips exposed long expanses of toned, muscular legs that twitched and flexed as she dreamed. A fresh, oversized T-shirt now coated her frame. White folds bunched up to reveal purple blotches that transversed her ribcage, stopping at concealed breasts. Serenity softened her features. The steady rise and fall of her chest the lone indicator of life. Too lost to her dreams to wake when soiled garments were exchanged for clean clothes.
The task had riddled Shayne with pain, straining his wet still-forming scabs. Rustic-brown stains caking his bandages evidenced their first rupture. Though fresh bright-red now obscured them, a result of peeling blood-stiffened jeans from uncooperative legs. It made dressing Courtney seem painless in comparison.
Baggy grey-cotton sweats allotted Shayne a friction-less gate, loose fabric brushing his boxer-less nether as he paced. A product of necessity after bequeathing Courtney his last clean pair.
Hours had passed since then, occurring closer to Damien's hasty departure than to whatever time the clock on his nightstand showed now. Hours spent enamored in Courtney's image as he waited for her to awaken, for the panic attack that promised to follow. Hours left to his own devices. Hours he used to delve into the chaotic jumble occupying his mind. An appreciated breather after this hectic week.
At least the pain had dissipated, the second round of over-the-counter pills taking the edge off. It enabled Shayne to move without doubling over, though not enough to lay Courtney across his stomach. Her favorite resting place ruined for the foreseeable future. Two to three weeks to be precise. The minimum healing period the internet predicted.
Almost a month of navigating pain and discomfort that a previous occurrence foretold devolving into intense itchiness and irritation. Agitation that no amount of scratching quelled. A minuscule part of Shayne hoped to switch before reaching that stage, let his Alternate suffer the worst of it.
The burns set a timetable at least. Everything delayed until Shayne's recuperation sustained a level safe enough to proceed with Damien's plan. Until holding her tight became painless. The biggest problem he now faced. The one he needed to circumvent before she roused into an all-but-guaranteed meltdown.
His inability to crush Courtney against him limited Shayne's options for prolonged and sustained pressure. The fastest way to quiet her panic and get her to listen. Something learned through experience. Though stomaching the pain would be manageable once settled, the risk of wound reopening if she started to squirm dismissed the option entirely, and draping her across his lap once again just seemed impractical if it even worked.
Broaching the topic of opening their relationship intimidated Shayne further. The prospect churned his gut, sloshing against membrane in a nauseating manner. Even if Courtney wanted it, he expected push-back, for her guilt-deluded self to perceive his proposal as coddling. For her to cover her desire to preserve face and patronize him. Breaking down her barriers, bypassing any argument, it presented a near impossible venture to conquer when reasoning eluded and doubt prevailed.
Why? Why am I choosing this? Why does this feel right?
Open relationships revolved around trust, something logic dictated shouldn't exist after her transgression yet endured without faltering. Intuition. A hunch. A gut feeling. Something enabled it to survive. Something beyond Courtney's heart-wrenching display of remorse. Something deep down that designated his trust as warranted. It danced on the tip of his tongue yet never jumped. This unknown fueled uncertainty.
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Glimpse
Fiksi Ilmiah[Removed for Rewriting; See Author's Note] Two best friends are thrust into a relationship after traveling to a parallel universe where they witness how perfect they could be through the eyes of their hot-and-heavy counterparts. However, they've jus...
