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Stifling a sigh, he went into the living room and flicked on the television, absently flipping through the channels.
None of this was fucking fair. She was twenty-five years old, and now she might be saddled with a muscle disease for the rest of her life.
She had to be really freaked out. Anyone would be. The crisis that some people experienced with Myasthenia Gravis sounded terrifying, but at least there were things she could do to minimize the chances of it happening. And the medicine options to control symptoms seemed promising.
All he wanted to do was hold her and tell her it was going to be okay. To let her know that he was going to do anything he could to help her through it.
Whether she'd let him be there for her remained to be seen.
He turned on Netflix, killing the next few hours with an action flick until it was time to order dinner. Holly hadn't eaten anything since early this morning, so she ought to be starving. When the food arrived, he knocked on her bedroom door.
"Holly? I ordered Chinese for dinner. Do you want to come eat?"
"I'm not hungry," she mumbled from behind the door. "I just want to sleep."
"Well, the food is here if you want it."
Eli put her dinner in the fridge, then settled down on the couch to eat his. When he finished, he lay down and closed his eyes. Fuck, he was exhausted. A nap sounded like a damned good idea.
It felt like he'd just gone to sleep when he heard his name being called.
"Huh?" He rubbed his eyes and sat up. Holly stood next to him. "Hey. What time is it?"
"It’s 9:30," she said hesitantly. "Can I sit down?"
He yawned. "Yeah, sure."
To his surprise, she sat down on his lap, and he instantly wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, cuddling close to him.
"I'm sorry." Her voice broke, and she trembled in his arms. "I'm so sorry, Eli."
"Hey," he murmured, stroking her hair. "Hey, no. Holly, it's okay."
"No, it's not okay. What I said to you in the car? I didn't mean it. We're not just fuck buddies. I'm such a bitch."
"Stop," he ordered, pulling back to look at her. He brushed her tears away with his thumbs. "Don't beat yourself up. I know you didn't mean it. You'd just gotten life-changing news, Holly. You were upset, and I was the closest target to lash out at."
"That doesn't make it right! You were there for me, and I just..."
"Sweetheart, it's okay."
"Just let me apologize. I was wrong, and I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."
"And I forgive you."
She traced her fingers along his beard, then brushed a kiss against his cheek. "Thank you. For forgiving me, for taking me to my appointment, and for being my friend."
"Fuck buddy," he corrected, then grinned. "But you're very welcome."
She snorted with laughter, then shook her head. "You use everything against me, don't you?"
"Maybe. I just like to tease you. And when I tease you and get a smile, it makes me happy." He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Want me to heat up your dinner?"
"That sounds really nice," she admitted. "I'm so tired. How can I sleep so much and still be so tired?"
"It was a long day, babe."
"Yeah, it was." She slid off of his lap and lay down on the couch. "Very long."
