Tori

Dragging the washcloth down my bare arms and chest, Bash whispers adorable things into my ear, making me feel less self-conscious about sitting naked on the floor with him. It also helps me forget that I just puked up my dinner in front of him. Again.

How many times will I repeat the same thing with Bash over the course of one weekend?

This is humiliating, but I’m also glad Bash is here instead of Jessica. Bash just lets me do my thing without freaking out, where Jessica would have been a total spaz and tried to take me to the emergency room at least ten times by now. Plus, Bash has changed so much from what I can tell in the short amount of time we have spent together.

The Bash I once knew would do the same things he has done for me in the last two days. I guess this side of him has always been there. I had always known Bash was a decent person deep down inside, even if he buried that part of him around others. But I didn’t want to admit that to myself after everything that had happened between us.

The night I’d given Bash my virginity was special. He spared no expense and rolled out the red carpet. He told me he loved me that night. But I already knew he felt that way about me. It was in his actions and his words.

Bash presses his lips to my ear and says, “Do you have a robe or something you can wear?”

It must have hit him that we’re still naked and Doc is on his way.

“Uh-huh,” I say, leaning my head back on his shoulder, too tired to offer any more information.

I could sit here with Bash’s arms around me forever. But at some point, the doctor will be knocking on my door. Judging by the way Bash scans the room, his eyes landing on a pink terry cloth robe on a hook by the shower stall, it must be soon.

“Doc will be here any minute. We need to get some clothes on. And you need to get back into bed and get some rest.”

Using the floor to push himself up to his feet, Bash takes a second to get his bearings and then holds his hand out to me. I place my hand in his, my body still trembling. In one swift motion, Bash lifts me off the floor and into his arms, cradling me against his chest once more. He treats me as if I’m a piece of fine china. I’m sure by now everyone at Strickland University knows about how fragile I am. Or at least how breakable I used to be.

Bash already broke me once. I don’t think he would do it again. His apologies seem sincere. If he were only after sex, he wouldn’t stay here while I vomit for the hundredth time in two days. And he wouldn’t have slept on my couch for the weekend so that he can nurse me back to health. He cares about me, loves me, even. I still can’t believe he uttered those words to me an hour ago.

We were about to have sex, and this stupid concussion had to get in the way. That’s just my luck. Maybe it’s for the best. After waiting years, I think we can hold out a little while longer.

By the time we get dressed, and Bash helps me back into bed, we hear a loud knock at the door. Bash rushes to answer, in jeans that hang low from his narrow hips. When the room isn’t spinning, I get a perfect view of his ass, as he struts out of the room. How is this real? I keep thinking that my concussion is a dream and that Bash will disappear as fast as he walked back into my life.

“Hi, Victoria,” Dr. Holland says with a wave. He flashes an apprehensive smile the closer he gets to my bed, staring down at me with a concerned look on his face. “I hear you’re getting worse. Can you tell me about what’s going on? When the episodes start again are you doing any strenuous activity?”

I glance up at Bash, a devious smile plastered on my face that mirrors his. Then, I shift my attention back to Dr. Holland, thinking over my answer.

“I wouldn’t say I was doing anything strenuous, per say.” I give him a sheepish grin.

“Okay.” He kneels next to my bed and sets a black medical bag on the floor. “Can you tell me what you were doing before the last incident occurred?”

“Um…” I bite down on my bottom lip, focused on Bash. “We were about to—”

“We were making out,” Bash interjects.

Dr. Holland shakes his head in disapproval. “You were supposed to be taking care of Victoria, not putting the moves on her, Bash. That is not why I had asked you to stay with her.”

Bash turns away from Doc. He knows the doctor is right.

Hell, even I knew that what we were doing was a mistake with how I was feeling today. Even though I made it through a steamy shower with Bash and some playful make out sessions, my head was throbbing, and the room was spinning for most of it. If I'm honest with myself, I haven’t felt one hundred percent since before the football hit me.

“I’m almost sorry that I asked you to watch over her,” Dr. Holland says to Bash. “If anyone should know better, it is you.”

“Look, Doc, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for things to get out of hand. Tori’s health is my number one priority.”

They continue the back and forth banter about my condition and how Bash should have done the right thing for a few minutes before the conversation ends. Dr. Holland removes a flashlight and shines it into each of my eyes. I have no idea what he’s looking for, but he asks me to follow the light.

“You need to get some rest, Victoria.” Dr. Holland says, his voice firm. “It’s important that you stop all activities, including reading, studying, and texting. Anything that requires thinking or moving—no matter how big or small—needs to stop until your brain has had the time to recover. Do you understand?”

I nod.

Doc looks up at Bash. “I thought you understood this the first time, but I will ask the same of you. No activities whatsoever. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, Doc, I get it. I promise this time I will follow your orders. We won’t even kiss on the lips until Tori is feeling better.”

Dr. Holland places his instruments back into the medical bag and comes to a standing. Hovering over me, he removes a bottle of Tylenol from his satchel and hands them to me. “Make sure you take these if you have a headache. Do not take anything with Ibuprofen in it, as it can cause bleeding and worsen your condition, and we don’t want that. If you get enough rest, you should be back on your feet in a few days. You’ll have to miss the first few days of classes. Just let me know your class schedule, and I can speak with your teachers about make up assignments and tests.”

I missed a ton of school after I lost my shit over Bash and ended up in the loony bin for almost two months. More time away from coursework is not ideal, especially when I’m back on track to graduate this year. What choice do I have? At this rate, there’s no way in hell I will be able to sit through a class on Monday morning. Maybe I can send Bash in my place to take notes. Well, if he doesn’t already have another class at the same times.

“Thanks, Doc.” I hold out my hand to shake his. “I appreciate you making all these house calls.”

“No thanks are necessary,” he says with a smile. “I’m just doing my job, and I want to see you get better and back to class.”

Bash slaps a hand on Dr. Holland’s back, thanking him as they leave my bedroom. He walks the doctor to the doctor, and a private conversation ensues, one that I cannot hear.

A few minutes later, the door slams shut and Bash waltzes back into my room, looking like he just stepped off the cover of GQ or Sports Illustrated. He’s so perfect, chiseled and tanned, the perfect All American boy. And here I am, laying in bed with my sweat drenched hair and vomit breath, wondering how I ever landed the attention of Sebastian Prince. He can have any girl he wants, which is why it still amazes me that he’s still here, desperate to have me back in his life.

Bash gets in bed with me and pulls the covers over us. He wraps his arm around my stomach, his touch going straight between my thighs. Despite the pain in my head, I still want Bash to finish what he started over dinner. I still want him inside me; our bodies tangled up in the sheets and connected as one. But the room keeps spinning as if I’m on a never-ending ride at an amusement park.

Bash pushes my hair back and presses his lips to my ear. “You should get some sleep, Queenie.”

“I’m not so sure if I am ready to go back to sleep. I just woke up from my last nap less than two hours ago.”

“Don’t be stubborn. You heard what Doc said. Rest is the only thing that will heal your brain. Trust me. I have been through this many times. I thought I was invincible and that I didn’t need to sleep it off and could do whatever I wanted, and I learned the hard way.”

“I remember the one you had while we were dating,” I say, resting my cheek on the pillow. “You threw up for at least a week straight.”

“Right, and that was all because I didn’t listen to Doc. I kept acting as if nothing was wrong with me when in reality, I was sick as shit and shouldn’t have been out of bed. Our relationship was so new that I didn’t want to leave you hanging until I got better. You were a big part of why I wouldn’t listen to Doc.”

“Oh, that’s just great. Blame it on me why don’t you?”

His laughter shakes right through me. “I’m not blaming anything on you. All I’m saying is that I was so crazy about you that nothing and no one could keep me away. I had to be around you all the time—even at the expense of my health. You had me from the start, babe.”

I smile at his words.

Only last night I had hated his guts and wanted nothing to do with him. And, today…well, things have changed since he took me home and comforted me. It doesn’t take long before I close my eyes, and my nostrils fill with Bash’s manly scent. Our fingers intertwine, and I hold his hand against my stomach, as I drift off to sleep.