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He swallowed audibly.
“And that would mean I took you from someone else...”
For a moment, I was speechless.
“What are you talking about?” I demanded. “There was no one else.”
“No one that you knew yet,” he said and damn him, he sounded so broken by the news that I wanted to tear my hair out.”You think that someone else would have won you.”
“I didn't say that,” I argued. “If I went to auction, the winner very well may have been you.”
It was weak comfort, but it seemed to help. I was glad because I had no clue what else to say that would make him understand that this alternate reality that he had created would never have happened.
“Please, let's forget all of this until the morning,” I suggested.
Thankfully, he allowed me to pull him back down into a hug but for ages I could not sleep.
“You know I love you, right?” I asked into the darkness and at my uncertain voice, Addy's hands cupped my cheeks.
“Yes, my sweet Lili,” he whispered. “I'm sorry. You're right, we'll talk about this later.”
Relieved, I breathed in his scent, instantly soothed by his nearness.
Still, I clung to him all night long.
fourteen
. . .
ADDY
I would never get used to the pleasantness of waking up next to Alil.
We either slept holding hands if it was too hot, or wrapped around each other all night long.
Already, hearing his breathing, feeling his warmth and presence near me, felt as familiar as my own heartbeat.
He shifted in his sleep and I smiled, not opening my eyes to roll close enough to engulf him in my arms.
The early morning was still chilly. I assumed that he was cold, but after a moment, he shifted again, making a distressed sound and suddenly pushed me off of him.
Before I could say a word, he scrambled from the tent, leaving the curtain wide open in his haste to get away.
Surprised, I didn't move for a moment until I suddenly heard him heaving up the contents of his stomach somewhere nearby.
I sat up, wide awake now, and rushed outside to help him where he had fallen to his knees half on top of a bush.
I bent down, carefully holding back his hair while he finished vomiting.
“Are you alright?” I asked when he finally stopped.
He remained bent double, trying to catch his breath.
“Alil?” I asked, worried.
He moaned piteously and gave me a shaky nod before finally straightening himself.
The only thing that we were without happened to be medications. If he had caught a serious bug, I wouldn't be able to do much but sit on my hands and the thought made me feel like a complete failure.
