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PennyLane

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Aww. That ending was so sweet. I can’t wait for these two to finally admit their feelings to each other. 

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On 6/8/2021 at 11:53 PM, Jettous said:

Aww. That ending was so sweet. I can’t wait for these two to finally admit their feelings to each other. 

Same here!!! I’m kinda hoping that somehow Thomas catches a nasty cold at the gala and while Emma takes care of him it all comes out!! But however it happens I know @PennyLane will make it amazing!!

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20 hours ago, bcj1027 said:

Same here!!! I’m kinda hoping that somehow Thomas catches a nasty cold at the gala and while Emma takes care of him it all comes out!! But however it happens I know @PennyLane will make it amazing!!

Omg that would be ideal 😍

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I cant believe I missed this! It’s so good!! I feel like I’m reading “To all the boys I’ve loved before” but the SFF version! 😂

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On 6/8/2021 at 11:53 PM, Jettous said:

Aww. That ending was so sweet. I can’t wait for these two to finally admit their feelings to each other. 

Dude me neither.

 

3 hours ago, emten10 said:

I cant believe I missed this! It’s so good!! I feel like I’m reading “To all the boys I’ve loved before” but the SFF version! 😂

    AWE haha THANK YOU        

 

               Crisp, cool air. Muffled laughter and wonder of children. Water reflecting on every wall. Vague scents of fish and wet floor. The aquarium.

                Ever high on Thomas’s date “wish list”, he’d picked Emma up that morning with a bouquet of flowers and a smile on his face. Radio music filled the vehicle while he rambled on and on about his favorite exhibits, and she sat shot gun, crafting a flower crown to wear on the trip. It was their last week till the gala, and an unspoken agreement bound their lips. Neither one of them wanted to acknowledge the expiration date on their relationship.

                Entry tickets were paid, and Thomas made a b-line to the tunnel- an entire tank built so that one could walk through and experience fish swimming all around them. Emma followed close behind him, laughing at his enthusiasm and loving every minute.

                “Sure is a contrast to the lavish greenery you grew up with, huh?”

                “You could say that again.” Standing side by side, Thomas grabbed Emma by the small of her back and pulled her into a side hug. She welcomed the embrace with a giggle while he took a deep sniff from the crown on her head. “Mmm. Smell almost as sweet as…as youuuuhhhhh.”

                “Woah there.” From within their embrace Emma pulled her arm and pressed two fingers under the glowing appendage. “Not yet. There’s something I’ve always wanted to try.”

                Out from the tunnel and to the next exhibit she drug the sniffling man, savoring every wild hitch that would escape his throat. They stopped in front the seahorses, looking not up at the creatures, but down at the description bellow. Emma stepped between her boyfriend and the writing and pulled him to hug her from behind. The flowers on her head rested just below the ever-reddening nostrils,

                “You’ve boasted about your ability to holdback before, but now I want you to read while you do it.”

                He chuckled, and she could feel every movement on her back. “You sadistic little woman. Fine, I accept your challenge.” The statement was punctuated with a long, deep sniff, nearly pulling the flowers out from her hair and up to his nose.

                “’ Seahorses are an upright fish. Rather than a…snf…a head out front and a tail in back…heh…hih, these creatures ‘stahhhhhhhhnd’ in the water colu..coluhhh…COLUMB!!”

                Increasing desperation pressed itself onto Emma’s back. Subconsciously, Thomas pulled her in tighter with every hitching breath. Her beating heart traveled from her chest to between her legs, spreading a wave of warmth that pulsed in time with his breath.         

                “I…I…HINNNGTCHU!!” Thomas swiftly pushed his pollen filled nose through her hair and onto the nape of Emma’s neck. The heat radiating from her neck warmed his nostrils as they squished against her skin. “HIhihiHHHH!?!?! AHGH!?! INNXXSHOO!!! HAGGGCHTUUU!! HAH?!? HIHH-HINNNGGGGSHHH!!!!!

                The way he pulled her toward his body had her pressing back in return. Their bodies moved as one with every sneeze, forcing Emma to bite her lip in fear of her response. Wetness was spreading on her neck, followed closely by goosebumps that bloomed in the spray’s wake and flooded down her arm. Even as close as she was, Emma yearned to press herself more against his shaking body.

                Thomas’s fingers pressed deeply into her abdomen when he felt her pressure onto him. In the midst of his fit, Emma was still as alluring as ever.

                When the sneezing tapered off, Thomas gave one more squeeze before pulling back. The glow of the fish tank illuminated Emma’s face as he turned her around to face him. Pupils were dilated to full capacity, and a bright blush sat prettily on her nose and cheeks.

                “Bathroom break?”

                “Bathroom break”

.               .               .

                The rest of the aquarium was just as wet. Laughter echoed through every exhibit as Thomas and Emma passed through, daring each other back and forth.

                Emma had walked outside the building to grab a bench while Thomas stopped by the bathroom once again, teased by his lady for the super large soda he’d drank earlier.

Stepping into the sun, the smell of the nearby river was all around. Townsville’s river walk was just outside the aquarium, and benches were littered all across the way. Now where did she go…

                “Hey!” Out of the sun’s glare came a man sprinting toward Thomas. His army tags around his neck, engraved “Phillip”, jingled to a still when he halted at Thomas’s feet. “Are you with Emma Mond?”

                “What? I-“

                Emma. Mond. Did you take her to the aquarium today?”

                Urgency stung the stranger’s eyes, nearly hidden by the perspiration fogging up his glasses.

                “Yes, I did. Why? What’s happened to her?”

                “Come with me”

                Fear creeped up Thomas’s spine. It crawled all through his rib cage till it found his throat and made a hot, suffocating home there. Phillip took off sprinting again, this time with Thomas in toe, until they came across a bench hidden in a bundle of trees. There was a figure in the thick patch of grass beneath the shade of the trees. It sat hunched over on its knees, rocking back and forth. The surrounding trees did well to muffle the trembling sobs. Emma.

                “Oh my god! Emma- Emma I’m comin-!!” A firm hand stopped Thomas in his tracks. The stranger adjusted his glasses before replacing his hand on the trembling boyfriend’s shoulder.

                “She’s having an anxiety attack. You can’t touch her right now or talk much sense to her. What you need to worry about is her hyperventilating.” Thomas strained his ear to listen more closely. He was right. The sobs were hardly a cry at all, but instead a desperate attempt to breathe. “She dropped to her knees when she thought she was gonna pass out. Give her the ice from your drink. Either get her to play with it or suck on it. She’ll open up when she’s ready.”

                The sight was almost terrifying. Emma.  Ever strong. Ever independent, blunt, confident…now so weak, and helpless. A tightening in his chest had reduced Thomas to shallow breathing when he turned to face the Phillip… but finding nothing there. He was gone.

                Approaching her felt like approaching a stray cat, or a forest bunny. He didn’t want to startle her worse than she already was. Getting down on her level felt right. There in the trees, they looked like quite a pair: Thomas crawling like a cautious dog, and Emma huddled like a cat in the cold.

                “Emma…” Her eyes snapped onto him, and her anguish only seemed to worsen as her breathing became shallower and more ragged. She tried backing up to create more distance but found herself up against the foot of the bench.

                Thomas kept a sizable space between them and chose to sit facing his anxious counterpart. Her eyes locked with his, welling with more tears than she’d allow to fall. Even here and now, she grasped for some semblance of control.

                The military man’s words echoed in Thomas’s ear. He played them and replayed them to decide his next moves. Get her ice. From the aquarium mug two ice cubes were fished out and offered to her. She took them cautiously and began playing with them between her fingers. As if the attack was fueled by flames, it calmed in the presence of the cold, and melted along with the water that drips from the ice onto the ground. Every slowed breath Emma produced loosened the fear that held Thomas’s heart in his throat.

                “I have more ice, if you’d like to suck on one.” His voice was hardly a whisper, controlled and low as to not startle the progress they’d made.

                “…can’t.” Hard to believe one small word could bring him such relief. She was talking again. In all the internal rejoicing, Thomas had to process what the word had meant.

                “Can’t? Can’t what?” With a water-soaked hand, Emma lazily pointed to her nose. At a closer examination, one could see the glistening of mucus settled just behind the rim of her nostrils. A sniffle was attempted for demonstration, but all she could accomplish was moving the liquid in her sinuses.

                Brown eyes softened at the sight of her struggle. “Oh, you can’t suck on the ice cause you can’t breathe through your nose.” Thomas rocked on his knees to allow himself access to his back pocket and retrieve a pack of emergency tissues. Three squares were passed her way.

                Her uncomfortable shift was obvious, and Thomas turned away to provide her some privacy. A thick blow resonated in his ears, reminding him of his summer allergies- they somehow always left him congested.

                When he turned around again to face her, she seemed much more comfortable. The slower rise and fall of her chest confirmed that the hyperventilating had ceased, and the worst was behind them. Another ice cube was passed her way to suck on as Thomas rose to his feet and offered a hand to help her up.

                “Emma, what happened while I was gone?” She stood with her hands held tightly in his, looking at the ground in search of the words to say.

                “I…He…”

                “He? Who is he? Did someone hurt you?”

                “No…”

                “Please, Emma, what happened?”

                “…Phillip was here.”

.               .               .

                Multiple apologies were attempted on the car ride home, but Thomas dismissed them all. “No one should ever have to apologize for how they feel. Seems your feelings are just too big for your little body.” That made her giggle.

                At no point during the ride did Thomas find it necessary to pry further into what Emma saw, or why it caused her to react the way she did. He especially did not want her to know who it was that brought him to her, and coached him in how to calm her down

                They arrived at the dorms earlier than expected. Emma invited her boyfriend up to her dorm for sodas, saving him the trouble of asking to stay- just to make sure she was alright.

                “This is me: 306.” Emma swung the door open to reveal one of the nicest dorm suits Thomas had ever seen. A small kitchenet divided a common area between two bedrooms and two bathrooms. “Looks like a hotel, huh? I’m part of the advanced biology program so I got to live in the better building with the other smarties. Speaking of which…” She marched to the bedroom on the right side and swung open the door. “WHAT’S UP SLUT?!”

                Perched on the bedroom floor was another girl Emma’s age, sporting athletic/casual wear and a head full of curls. She sat at what seemed like an eye to a hurricane of papers, all sprawled around her. “HELLO QWEEN!!”.

                Both girls laughed in unison, easing any initial tension Thomas had felt. “Thomas, this is my suit mate, Nori. Nori, this is my ‘boyfriend’, Thomas.” The boyfriend in question moved to shake the roommate’s hand but was met with no response.

                “I know who you are. And I know all about yall’s little deal,” Emma felt the sideways glance cast from Thomas. “I don’t quite agree with the deal, but I love Emma, and if she likes you, then I do too.” With that her door was closed and the pair crossed the minifridge to the other bedroom in the suit.

                “Sorry about that. She can seem kinda cold if you don’t know how to read her.” The desk chair groaned as Emma took a seat, and Thomas was left lurking in the doorway. Dorms are usually so dull and prison-like, but this

                The walls were painted with papers, hosting a variety of calligraphy, music notation, old pen pal letters, and some watercolors. Christmas lights dripped from the ceiling, crashing into the tapestry of starry night that hung above her bed. Pillows and blankets, all of a variety of pink, piled high on the mattress, making the twin-size frame seem much larger in scale.

                The interior designer herself giggled in her chair, “You seem so awestruck. Just be sure not to look down.” This, of course, prompted just the downward view: a floor covered in clothes and empty water bottles. A clear path started at the door and made a fork to either the bed or the closet. Besides this, no other walking space had been spared.

                “Can’t say I’m proud of this; depression room, amirite?” The observer’s awkward, confused smile confirmed he hadn’t a clue what she meant. “Never mind. Come sit on the bed with me, just follow the path haha.” He did as he was told, and Thomas found himself in bed with his girlfriend…not exactly as he’d imagined in secret. From the bedside table a yearbook was produced, laid on Emma’s lap like a fragile piece of glass. Her fingers hovered above as if afraid to graze it.

                “Can I…can I dare you to listen to me, without judgement? And never tell a soul what you hear?” It was a desperate plea; one that broke his heart. How could she feel so unsafe to open herself if not in the security of a dare?

                “Of course, bugaboo,” her chin was held delicately in his hand, beckoning her to see his words for their true worth. “There’s not a thing in this world that could change what I think about you. Not a word you could say that would deter me. Not a day could go by I could forget you. Show me everything. Shatter on me like glass.” Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but were willed to stay as she turned to the book in her lap, letting the words he’d said sink in as she caressed the spine.

                “I’ve always been sort of…codependent. Always felt the need to be with someone. Growing up I felt empty and isolated from the other kids, and it hurt. My friends were far and few, but when I did find one, I held on for dear life. I shadowed their every move every breath. I wanted nothing more but to jump into their skin and never be alone again. Reasonably so, my best friends never stuck around for long.

                When high school came, my body developed, and I found boys to be much better friends than girls. They would dote on me, laugh at all my jokes, and they were never as mean or petty as the girls that filled the halls. I had my first boyfriend in middle school, and he was really just my best friend… but he broke up with me when I wouldn’t kiss him. I was thirteen at the time and didn’t feel ready.

                My next boyfriend was a football player. He had a handful of girls that fawned over him daily and did not appreciate me plucking him from the dating pool. He was old fashioned, and so charming. He made me feel ready for my first kiss, and every one after that, but we would never talk. Once every two weeks we would hang out just to end up making out behind a corner somewhere. After seven months I asked him if our relationship was “just physical”. He confirmed it was, thinking nothing wrong of it. I broke up with him that day.

                The next man to catch my attention was exciting. So mysterious and open about sex and all the things my mother would never talk about. I was young and naive, and I told him about my fetish…over text. Stupid, I know. When the initial glamour of his charm melted away, I realized I didn’t want to date him like we’d planned. He didn’t take that well. He started to post poems about me and threatened to expose my fetish to the world. I don’t know how many people he told, just that I stayed quiet till he graduated.

                Next was a close friend, too close of a friend. One of my best girl friends at the time adored him. When I felt as if my heart couldn’t live another day without him, I approached her and asked her permission to date him. She said yes. After a week of dating, she ceased to talk to me, as did most of my girl friends. But at least I had my boyfriend…until he said I made his depression worse. He said I was too clingy. But I wasn’t too clingy to ask for sexual favors. The ‘favors’ got more and more extreme until I agreed to let him take me into the woods near our school and make out…where he threatened to do awful things unless sucked him right there. He stripped me to my skin and left me stranded when we heard a group of kids coming our way. I’ve blocked him so many times but…sometimes he still comes back.

                Finally, there was him, my love, one and only: Phillip. We knew each other from Sunday school till he moved away, only coming back our senior year of school. My new best friend was immediately smitten by him and though I knew it was wrong, I fell too. He and I talked on the phone till the sun came up, him swearing I was all he thought about all those years he was away. The time came for me to confess my feelings to my best friend. She selflessly gave her blessing…and I ruined it. Phillip asked if she had a crush on him and being my stupid self, I said yes. Well, she found out, and cursed me to my core. She took every friend I had. My name was whispered from ear to ear in the hall and you’d swear I’d become some urban legend: the legend of the bitch.

                So, there I was, my senior year, not a friend in sight. Every class was hell when I sat lonely, hearing their spiteful words. My every achievement was spat at by my peers. You know, it’s one thing to THINK everyone hates you, because then you have the benefit of the doubt. But to actually KNOW that everyone you’d ever trusted…despised you…

                At least I had Phillip. We were in love, true as could be. He sat with me through my first anxiety attack when I received death threats from my old friends. He introduced me to his family and friends at a time when I had none. He watched everyone in the world turn against me…and still chose to stay. Phillip gave me all the family heirlooms he was saving for his future wife, and we planned to be wed.

                That was, until his mom found my dairy… and read it. She flipped through every page and saw my worst deeds and inner thoughts. After that she took her son on a ‘no phone vacation’. When they came back, Phillip broke up with me, saying he could never marry me, saying I abused him and used him for his body. Saying I never even knew him at all… And so, he left, finding a new girlfriend the next month, and proposing to her five months later.

                I was left completely and utterly alone. Alone to sit and stew in my life’s mistakes. I spiraled so low I thought I might never return.

                That’s when I decided to turn it all around; use my pain to make sure that no one would ever feel like me. First, I decided I would become independent, whatever that would take. I never wanted to rely on anyone for anything ever again. Next, I chose my career from the pile of interests I’d had; I was to be an OBGYN.  By my hands, I swore no girl in my path would be ashamed of her body. No woman slut shamed. No worth dependent upon the men in her life. I would help to create a world full of sexually confident, independent women, who didn’t fear loneliness, and never questioned themselves or their body.”

                The yearbook had been open the whole time, used to provide faces with all the names given. Displaying the identities of all whose handprint stained Emma’s very identity. She slowly closed the book, turning her eyes to Thomas in search of some kind of response.

                He could give none. He felt frozen where he sat, but pried himself from his invisible chains. Thomas engulfed Emma into a hug from his core. By his love, he would protect her, and by his hands, he would fight anyone who got in the way of her shining purpose.

 

 

 

Whew that was plot heavy one, huh? I warned yall this would be a plot filled bitty. The next chapter has way more sneezes, I promise. Hope you enjoyed!

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

              Time management was never on the top of his resume, but even Thomas knew that Emma shouldn’t have been 45 minutes late to their campus walk-date. He’d texted her numerous times and even tried calling a few- to no avail.

                So here he stood, at the door of her dorm, praying to god that no RA walked by. The knock on the door resonated a little too loudly through the hall when he heard the pitter patter of footsteps behind the door.  It swung open, and a zombie greeted Thomas with a low groan. Its hair was matted, clothes hung from the limbs like moss, and its eyes sat far sunken into the face.

                Emma cleared her throat as she rubbed one eye and asked, “Thombas, what are you doing here so early?”

                “What do you mean, ‘early’? It’s 12:30.”

                “Ndo? It’s still dark out.” The doorway was cleared as the deceased gestured to her still dark room. Thomas skeptically passed though and made a b line to the windows. Black out curtains. One swoop of the material filled the small dorm with sunlight.

                “Shidt…” From behind him, Thomas could hear the scurrying of feet and tussling of clothes from the ground. “If idts already 12:30, that mbeands I mbissed mby biology lecture. Bio lab starts ind half an hour so if I get ready ndow I can…hhhhh?...hishhhhew!”

                Her head whipped to the ground, spraying the mound of clothes before her. She spastically pulled a navy-blue blazer over her tank top and slacks on bottom. A sniffle was all that stalled her momentum until the frenzy started once again.

                “Bless you, Emma-”

                “Can grab mbe mby grey tenndis shoes from the closet for mbe please? They should be on the second…the second shelf…hhihhhehhh???...heh-ishhh!!”

                No effort was spent on a sniffle that time as Emma bolted from her room to the vanity to brush her teeth. Back at the closet, Thomas had the tennis shoes in hand while he surveyed the state of his girlfriend. Overslept, pale, congested…

                Hihh?!?! Hah!!! AGGGH-SHHHEWW!!”

                Sneezy.

                Studying herself in the mirror, she decided a ponytail would have to do. All that was left now was to pack a bag and hihhh put on shoes and “HihhHIH….NNCHHHEW!!” A firm hand braced on her shoulder as she pitched down with the force of the sneeze.

                “You’re trembling.” Thomas’s eyes met hers in the mirror, their reflections looking on while Emma shook off his hand to retrieve her bag.

                “I’mb finde.” Her voice was rough, and firm. Missing a day of class was more effort than it was worth. There were notes to write hhhhhh and questions to ask heghhhh and you never know when a pop quiz could sneak HHHIEEEESHHHHHHH!!!!

                The bookbag was taken from her hands. Strong arms picked her up off the ground and gently placed her onto the bed. “Bless you, Emma.” In her scramble to get out the door, she hadn’t noticed Thomas steal the thermometer from her vanity. “Say ‘ahh’”. Cool plastic invaded her mouth before she could protest, leaving her only the option to glare down at him from the lofted bed.

                Grey shoes fell to the floor as Thomas worked to undo her hasty outfit. He’d finally stripped her back to pj’s by the time a small beep emitted from the burning mouth. “Thombus I don’t have timbe for this shit right ndow, I gotta get to mby lab.”

                Brows furrowed behind black glasses in seeing the proof he needed. “Not with this cold.”

                “Cold?? I don’t have a…”

                “Bless you.”

                Aisheeeeeww!!

                He didn’t have much to do today, really nothing at all besides their date. A quick look at his phone planner confirmed it. I’d already been looking forward to spending time with her, what’s the difference between campus or here? Although I’ve never really been a caretaker for anyone before… I’ll call Nana and ask for some advice and get some supplies and-

                Snf”. Pulled out of his thoughts, Thomas beheld the trembling girl sitting before him. Her eyes brimmed with tears, threatening to spill over her cheeks. She’s so feverish.

                “I-I can’dt mbiss class..I can’dt. I’ll fall behind- and thend I’ll fail…and I…I” Sobs consumed her, holding words hostage. The scene broke Thomas’s heart. He reached out and engulfed her into an embrace, holding her head into his shoulder.

                “It’s going to be alright. Everyone needs a break sometime. I’m here.” Her nails dug into his back as she strengthened her grip on the hug. “I’m here.”

                The two stayed there for some time, drinking in the moment while Emma’s crying softened into small sniffles.

                “How about I make a few calls to get you excused from class today? We can just call it a three-day weekend.” His parent’s banquet was tomorrow. Aside from the growing dread of losing her once their deal was over, Thomas now also worried if she’d be well enough to go at all.

                “…”

                “Emma?”

                Her breath was ragged against his shoulder. Short hitches warned Thomas of another bout of sobs to come.

                iiishieww!!”

                …Or a sneeze. “Bless you, haha. That one really snuck up on ya, huh?”

                “Thombus!! I’mb so sorry! I-“

                “Don’t sweat it”, he kissed her temple before retrieving his phone was walking toward the door. “I’m gonna make a few calls. You go ahead and lay down. What soup do you like?”

                She lazily scrubbed a knuckle under her nose, “egg drop.”

.               .               .

                Being the son of famous alumni always had its perks. Each of Emma’s professors had been more than happy to excuse Emma from class, under the impression she would be interning with Mr. and Mrs. Soliel. Thomas was just getting off the phone with a worried Nana when he walked back into Emma’s bedroom. She sat perched at her cluttered desk, fervently typing some part of a research project. She stiffened at the touch of Thomas’s hand on her shoulder.

                “What are you working on?”

                “A study on what temperature turtles are mbore active. It’s beend so rainy lately, the data looks inconclusive.”

                “I see,” Thomas leaned on the side of the desk to admire her various charts and graphs, “and when is this due?”

                “Two weeks.”

                “Perfect.” He closed the laptop before her and gently guided her back toward the lofted bed. “Sounds to me like you have just enough time to take a break.” She was about to protest when a knock sounded from the door. Thomas left her at the bed to answer.

                As frustrated as she was to not be able to work, the sheets felt cool around her legs. There was so much pressure in her head and sinuses, the pillows seemed more than a bit inviting. Eyelids were becoming heavy when Thomas came back into the room. At least six grocery bags hung from his arms.

                “Nana gave me a list of what you might need… plus I picked a few more things.” It was like Mary Poppin’s purse, the items from those bags were never ending. Tissues, cough drops, crackers, chest rub, every kind of juice, water, egg drop soup, and a whole pharmacy’s worth of cold medicine. “I didn’t know how severe you were, or if you preferred pills to syrup, so I got everything!”

                The haul on her floor was incredible. It was more supplies than she would’ve read in a sickfic on the forum. Amazement turned to amusement as laughter bubbled from Emma’s chest. Thomas rubbed the back of his neck, joining in her laughter. They were only interrupted when the giggles morphed into a harsh coughing fit. Thomas was at her bedside immediately, rubbing circles in her back until the fit subsided.

                “That sounded like it hurt. How about some hot soup to help your throat?”

.               .               .

                It took a good bit of convincing to get Thomas up in bed with her. Not from a fear on contagion, nut rather a lack of privacy. Emma had shrugged it off and heaved him up onto the bed beside her. The bed was less of a bed at all, and more of a mound of various pillow and blankets that seemed to swallow the two of them whole. They decided to set up the laptop as a tv, with Emma insisting they watched an anatomy-based anime (Cells at Work) to make her feel like she wasn’t wasting the day.

                nxxshoo!! Gxxtshiooo! HHAH?! AAAGHHSSHEWWW!!!”

                “Bless you, god bless you, and gesundheit!”

                “Ugh, thagnks.” Emma rose from her position on Thomas’s lap to pluck out a tissue. “You dond’t have to keep blessing mbe. I always get the sndeeziest colds.” The tissue was tossed into the quickly filling trash can. Emma’s head came to rest again on Thomas’s chest. She loved to hear the slow rhythms of his heart, like her own personal metronome.

                “Your feedback is noted, but frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn. It is my pleasure to bless you again, and again, and again.” The movie quote produced a snort from the patient. Feeling her warmth upon his torso made him feel strong somehow. Her body in his hands stoked an urge in his bones- he must protect her. Even if it means just being her pillow when she’s sick.

                heh-ieshhh!!”

                “Bless you.”

                Especially when he gets to be her pillow.

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That new chapter was amazing! I’ve been hoping one of them would get sick, and the caretaking is just so cute!!! Thank you so much for continuing to write this amazing story.

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Yay, so glad to see a continuation, and this is marvelous. I love her being sick, and him blessing her and laying down with her and taking care of her. 

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Uwahhh, I'm so glad you continued,  this update is adorable!! 😍

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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  I love these two and love seeing Thomas as caretaker.  Even if he doesn’t have much experience as one it is clear it comes natural to him.   I hope she gets to make the party and I look forward to their opening up about their feelings.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/27/2021 at 6:43 AM, sneezygirl97 said:

I’m so so glad this is back 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

Me too! It had been too long since I'd written.

 

On 7/27/2021 at 8:48 AM, Bilo0618 said:

That new chapter was amazing! I’ve been hoping one of them would get sick, and the caretaking is just so cute!!! Thank you so much for continuing to write this amazing story.

I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

 

On 7/27/2021 at 12:13 PM, ickydog2006 said:

Yay, so glad to see a continuation, and this is marvelous. I love her being sick, and him blessing her and laying down with her and taking care of her. 

I know right?! Care taking always makes me melt!

 

On 7/28/2021 at 1:51 AM, ichixshiro14 said:

Uwahhh, I'm so glad you continued,  this update is adorable!! 😍

Thank you!!

 

On 7/28/2021 at 9:47 AM, Care said:

Tey are so adorable ! I live it !

<3<3<3

 

On 7/28/2021 at 11:30 AM, Privatedancer said:

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  I love these two and love seeing Thomas as caretaker.  Even if he doesn’t have much experience as one it is clear it comes natural to him.   I hope she gets to make the party and I look forward to their opening up about their feelings.

Careful what you wish for ;)

 

 

 

To say Emma had been conscious for half of the day would be a gross overstatement. If she wasn’t sleeping on his chest, his patient was feverishly jabbering about… he wasn’t actually sure what she was talking about in her fog. Some of the topics she offered made her giggle. Others made her cry, which did not help with her congestion. In those instances, Thomas had held tissue after tissue to her red nose until he deemed her sinuses clear enough to sleep.

He’d never taken care of someone like her before- he’d never taken care of anyone before. But she made it easy. Over the last month he’d learned how to read her. Each date shown him something new. This side of her, this state of her, it was nothing more than a cloudy day in his same blue sky.

It was 10:42 when Thomas checked his phone again. Nana had been texting intermittently to see how Emma was doing, and if they needed her help. Ever the mother hen.

Another anime was playing on Emma’s small tv. With all this time spent as a pillow, Thomas was knocking off all the shows on his watch list. The end credits to episode 5 was playing when something light and ticklish grazed Thomas’s nostril. The thing danced in his breath as it moved up and down the underside of his nose.

A shift of weight reminded him of the beauty asleep of his chest. Her mouth hung open lazily, allowing a small stream of drool to pool over his sternum. The cold in her nose left no room for breath, leaving her to snore softly all day. The shift had, however, also given light to what exactly was giving his nose a hard time. Collected on his collarbone and lifting with the circulating air of the room, wisps of blonde hair continued to dance freely under his nostrils.

HHhhhhih??

This was no problem. All he had to do was reach up and brush her hair away.

Hhhihh….huh?!

Except his arms were pinned under his patient’s sleeping weight. Not good

Hih!! HHHhhiihh!! Snfffff!!!

There. A sniffle should help at least. Quell the itch and move the hair.

……huh…heh heH?!? HEHH?!?!

Oh, it’s worse. So much worse.

EHEHhhhhh?!???! AghHhh…HIHH HIHH HHIGHHAH?!?!?!

Seconds. He had maybe seconds before his nose could stand it no longer. The wisps of hair were unrelenting, moving back and forth constantly. Some were even reaching higher into his sensitive, twitching nostrils.

G-hod…ahh HAHHH?!?! HAAMMMPHHHH!!!

Against Emma’s sleeping head he squished his nostrils. That stifle took effort, and even then, he couldn’t make it quiet enough. The pressure and movement hadn’t been enough to wake her, but Thomas knew his nose wouldn’t be satiated so easily. He needed to sneeze.

Ngxxt!! Hihhh..heh…HEH!!! NNNNNGXCHHHH!!!

One. If he could just get one good sneeze, he’d be ok. Rubbing his nose on her head had moved the hair away from his nose, yes, but the ghosts of them remained. A lingering tickle that-

HHHHHEEHHHHMMMMMPKKKKKCHHH!!!

No time.

There. Across the room, on her small tv, episode 6 of the anime was about to begin. If he could time his sneeze correctly, Thomas could muffle the sound within the folds of the opening song.

SSSNNNNNFFF!!! Heh…!

The opening dialogue.

Heh…heh…c-hih!-cmon. Ple-HEASE!!

A few more seconds. The tickle was building to critical level. Just hold it…hold it…

HAGHHH?????????!!!!!!

“ONE TWO THREE FOUR!!”

AIGHHHHSHHHHH!!!! HIESSSSSSSSSHIUUUU!!!!!!

“-AND WITH YOU BY MY SIDE-“

HAKCHHHHH!!! AHHH?! IIIIIIKKKCHEWWW!!!!

“YEAH!!”

Snnnff….oh.

It had done it. The loud ass intro muffled his sneezes. A couple experimental sniffs confirmed the tickle was gone, and the lack of movement on his chest eased the tension that remained in Thomas’s chest.

Emma will lose her mind when I tell her about the fun she missed.

.               .               .

Morning light peaked through the dorm windows. The warmth of the sun on is eyelids woke Thomas gently, rousing him from his dreams. He took a deep breath, then another…too easily. The weight on his chest was gone. Eyes now fully open, Thomas lurched from the lofted bed and scanned the room. Please don’t say she fell off the bed.

“Boo!”

“AGHHH!!!”

Her figure jumped from behind the foot of the bed. The scare was enough to jolt Thomas from the mattress, tumbling to waiting floor. Emma’s responding laughter echoed as she approached.

“Ahahaha! Oh- oh I’m sorry Thombus!! I didn’t meand so scare you that bad!”

Bones and joints groaned in protest as he rose from the wood floor. He had already been stiff as a log from the cuddling the previous day, the fall hadn’t hurt anything that wasn’t already sore.

“Well you certainly sound chipper.” It was true. Her nose and cheeks were still pink, but the light had returned to her eyes.

“I do feel a bit better.” Emma left him where he sat to go rifle through a pile of clean laundry. “Definitely well enough to go to the gala tonight!”

The gala. He’d forgotten, maybe willingly. The reality of the situation shown in his eyes. They only had one more night.

She must’ve seen the pain on his face. The clothes in her hand dropped back to the floor as she returned to crouch on the floor beside her caretaker. “Don’t look at mbe like that. Tonight is gonnda be fund! And besides, where in the deal did we say we were forbiddend from seeing each other after the month was up?”

Nowhere. She was right. Even with that truth, Thomas ached for the bond they were about to lose. Emma sighed at his expression and rose again.

“I’m going to take a shower,” she walked toward the adjacent room and peered from behind the door, “Help yourself to whatever snacks you can find.”

Running water sounded from behind the frame, and steam crept under the door. Thomas smirked at the couple of sneezes the steam produced from her.

Whatever snacks I can find. How appropriate. Truly there was nothing in Emma’s dorm one wouldn’t have to find. The room was littered with piles of clothes, empty water bottles, and art supplies of every sort. Thomas huffed through a smile as he grabbed a trash bag and began cleaning.

.               .               .

                Clothes folded, trash bag full, art supplies somewhat organized. The room was looking more like, well, a room. From the doorway, a high whistle sounded. “Well would you look at that.”

                There stood Emma’s roommate, Nori. “I was just on my way to microbiology when I heard you rummaging through Emma’s stuff. Thought I’d come by and kick you out before she got out the shower and saw you snooping.” At his nervous expression, Nori huffed. “Of course, I hadn’t realized you were cleaning. Hasn’t looked this good in here since move-in day.”

Thomas couldn’t tell if his responding chuckle was out of relief or lingering discomfort. “I don’t mind a little mess. I actually quite enjoy getting my hands dirty.”

“You’re in the right place then.” Nori’s gaze drifted to the dozens of finger paintings that covered the walls, as well as the open anatomy textbooks littering the desk. “She sounded pretty loopy from what I could hear through the walls. Did she… let anything out?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh nothing. I was just curious if any… truths came to light, while she was incoherent.”

Thomas was about to press further when Nori turned and walked out the front door, waving behind her dismissively. He stood there, letting the words marinate over his mind.

Truths? Could Emma be… no. she wouldn’t hide anything from me. We’ve become too close…

As if it had heard his questions, Emma’s journal caught his eye. It sat on the windowsill behind her bed, perfectly open and vulnerable.

He couldn’t. Those were Emma’s secret thoughts.

Not to mention how her last boyfriend had used her diary against her.

And yet…

What if he never saw her again after the party?

What if after tonight, she left him forever, and he’d be alone again?

Alone with his thoughts, and questions, just itching, itching his mind…

One look.

The journal felt heavy in his hands, like the weight of its importance had manifested into physical matter. Opening it was an effort. The pages were laden with guilt and warning.

He would just read the last page she’d wrote.

Dear journal,

No turning back now. His eyes read each word greedily, eager for any information to scratch the itch in his mind.

Nothing. She wrote about school and anxieties over upcoming finals. Some small philosophies about college light and the fleetingness of youth.

Thomas was about to put the book down and forget it all when…

There.

His name.

Thomas

Heartbeats rang in his throat.

I don’t know if I could bare losing him now, journal. We’ve grown too close- at least, I’ve grown close to him. I wonder if he feels the same. If his heart flutters when we meet, as mine does. Or if he gets nervous when we bump hands on the sidewalk.

Journal…

No…

I think-

She couldn’t possibly…

I love him.

“Thomas…?”

There, in the doorway, stood Emma. She was still damp from the shower, clinging to the bath towel that hung around her; but he could still see it there, the tears building in her eyes.

He’d been caught red handed. The journal suddenly burned in his hand. Her gaze on him shot daggers into his core. He was stuck.

She approached him then. Walked slowly, like a frightened dog, until she stood before him, so close that too deep of a breath would have is chest touching hers.

He needed to say something, anything. He could think of nothing but…

“I love you”

He couldn’t read her then. The shock in her eyes. The disdain on her lips. The sorrow and embarrassment flowing down her cheeks. She snatched the book from his hands and stepped to the side.

“Get out”

Hardly a whisper, but the power behind it rumbled the walls. It was an order.

Thomas silently obeyed, caring not for his items left behind in her room as he walked out into the hallway. He didn’t have time to turn back before he heard the door slam behind him.

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Noooooo!  Thomas!  I look forward to seeing how he can possibly overcome this.  He has worked so hard to earn her trust and then betrayed all of his progress.

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NOOO MY HEART!!! 😭😭😭😭😭

 

YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HANGING LIKE THIS!! 

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This story is so cute!!!!😍😍😍🥰😘 I’m really looking forward to seeing what they’ll do after the deadline. Good luck.

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No!! Please don’t leave me hanging. They’re so perfect together they have to work it out 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 8/6/2021 at 5:24 AM, Privatedancer said:

Noooooo!  Thomas!  I look forward to seeing how he can possibly overcome this.  He has worked so hard to earn her trust and then betrayed all of his progress.

I know! Trust is always so hard to earn back! I think Emma knows him well enough though;)

 

On 8/6/2021 at 5:31 AM, EveP said:

Oh, this is so perfect! Please write a happy ending and lots more stories about these two. 😍

Trust me, I've got plenty more to write for this couple.

 

On 8/6/2021 at 4:54 PM, HideAndGoSneeze said:

NOOO MY HEART!!! 😭😭😭😭😭

 

YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HANGING LIKE THIS!! 

DON'T WORRY I'M HERE NOW

 

On 8/7/2021 at 9:00 PM, sneezyfeather338 said:

This story is so cute!!!!😍😍😍🥰😘 I’m really looking forward to seeing what they’ll do after the deadline. Good luck.

Thank you!! I really try so hard on this story I just hope yall like it!

 

On 8/7/2021 at 11:28 PM, Kolen said:

Nooooo!! Please continue ! At your own pace, of course. Take your time if you need to~

Your consideration is greatly appreciated! I do my best to get these out in decent time but life can be busy.

 

On 8/9/2021 at 1:40 AM, doglover111 said:

No!! Please don’t leave me hanging. They’re so perfect together they have to work it out 

  I'm here now! All is not bleak for our main couple, I promise!          

 

              The air smelled thickly of champagne. Dim lights flickered across the estate, casting shadows with the aid of flowing silk and heavy leather shoes. People had begun arriving an hour ago; esteemed guests of every culture and accomplishment. Down the hall, the ballroom echoed with pompous laughter, accented by hushed whispers and snickers.

                A welcoming group indeed.

                Under the chandelier in the foyer stood Thomas, clad in his navy-blue best- an outfit chosen decisively by his mother. Nothing he hadn’t worn before. The cufflinks matched the handkerchief in his pocket, and the whole ensemble reeked of the latest fashion.

                To his mother’s frustrated dismay, the face atop the striking outfit could not muster a smile. The charm he’d been taught and choked into since birth remained, but his eyes shown looming clouds of grief and regret. Even now, staring at the open front doors, Thomas’s eyes stung with desperation to show any emotion at all.

                Above him, the chandelier flickered twice: dinner would be starting soon. The thought of sitting at that long table with so many elitists was stifling. Thomas stepped out from the foyer and through the open double doors. An autumn breeze caressed his cheek in a way that almost felt comforting.

                She’s not coming…

                And why would she? After the way she caught me with her literal diary. She didn’t have to say a word. I could tell just by the look on her face…

                That look. It would haunt him to his grave. Such hurt and utter betrayal. Seeing those tears run down her face and knowing that he had caused it. He had let his own thoughts and fears override her desires. He had betrayed her trust. He had read her words…

                She loves me…

                Loved.

                The change was enough to break his composure. Streetlamps looked down from above as Thomas rubbed circles in his temples and wiped the few tears away. It was stupid to wait like this. He was better off inside…

                Shimmering light caught his eye. From the shadows of the driveway came the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Moonlight dripped from her pinned up hair, flowing down the curled pieces that framed her face. Stars leapt from the night sky to fall upon her glittering pale blue dress. Roses from the family garden were lured from their beds to kiss her cheeks pink before sitting down on her red lips.

                All at once, Thomas felt empty, and then whole.

                “Emma…”

                Her name on his tongue teased, like a drop of water in the desert. His mirage observed him then, giving him a slow look up and down. She strode up to were he stood and held out her hand expectantly. A formal agreement. That’s what this night had become. Thomas placed her hand upon his arm before entering the house once more, a nightmare before him, and a dead dream beside him.

.               .               .

                It felt like they had entered their throne room. Standing at the entry of the ballroom, everyone took a breath to stop and stare. Thomas held his head high, resembling any pompous son of royal blood. His eyes carried a silent threat to anyone who gazed too long or looked disapprovingly at the lady on his arms. The smirk grazing his lips sealed the arrogant bastard façade.

                At his side, Emma followed his lead. She glazed over her eyes to feign indifference, not daring to look at any passerby as they strode down the length of the impressive dinner table. Although she could not match his taunting smirk, Emma raised her other hand to rest it with the other on Thomas’s arm- a silent claim of the power that held the room.

                Arriving finally at the head of the table, Emma beheld the true king and queen. At the very head stood Mr. Soleil. Trimmed salt and pepper hair carved from the top of his head to the chin. The man wore a suit in similar fashion and identical color to Thomas, with STEM medals draped from around his neck. The two men regarded each other for a moment before the elder nodded and gestured to the woman sitting at his right. Mrs. Soleil, in all her glory. She was dripping with beauty and refinement, wearing a tasteful dress in the same shade of navy-blue she had dressed her husband and son in, as well as matching medals to the ones her husband wore. Thomas kissed both her cheeks before claiming a seat at the table next from his mother, first pulling out the chair across from him for Emma to sit.

                The guests followed the cure to sit, leaving Mr.Soleil as the only one standing from his position at the head of the table.

                “Friends and colleagues, we gather today to celebrate yet another groundbreaking discovery made by my wife and myself. The flora in question will be on display after the meal for your viewing pleasure in the gallery. On behalf of my family, I thank you for joining us in one of our many achievements”

                The king raised his glass in a toast, urging the table to follow before drinking and sitting to begin the meal. As if on cue, a flurry of waiters emerged with silver platters in hand. Guests gave small “ooos” and “ahhhs” at the flashy presentation. Forks and knives began to dig into the five-star meal. Across the table, Thomas could see Emma was picking at her food, pushing it around to imitate eating.

                Has she lost her appetite?

                Indeed, Emma looked a good bit worse than he had left her this morning. It was hidden well by make-up, but Thomas knew her usual glow… this wasn’t it. Her eyes, although beautiful, were red rimmed and glassy. The blush on her cheeks looked like the sign of fever rather than a color pallet. And her nose…

                Hhhhihh…

                It’s trembling. Thomas had a front row seat as she squirmed in the chair. Her nostrils were flaring irrhythmically to the shuddering hitches she was trying to quell. He hated to admit it, but Thomas couldn’t keep his eyes off her chest… every time she hitched, Emma’s breasts would bulge under the tight fabric of her dress. Cleavage spilled over the silver neckline in search of relief from the pulsing of the hitching chest.

                Hhhhhhh??!!.... uhhh ahhhhh UHAHHH..

                Since dinner began, the table had been devastatingly quiet. Panic and embarrassment radiated off the apples of Emma’s red cheeks. She raised a hand to gingerly rub under her nose. It was no help. The finger she used to press her septum seemed to aggravate the tickle more, prompting her nostrils to turn red in anger. The pair flexed violently, nearly doubling in size beneath Emma’s frantic hand.

                The battle would soon be lost. By the way her eyes were fighting to roll back, Thomas would bet she had ten seconds. Those red rimmed nostrils were glistening, promising a wet volley of sneezes whether social manners objected or not.

                With swift fluidity, Thomas took the handkerchief out his breast pocket and passed it to Emma’s vacant hand. He feigned retrieving bread from a platter on the table while making sure she grasped the fabric tightly. All that was left for him to do now was…

                “Ahhhh-ahhhh!! AHHH-CHOOOO!!!!!”

                Nnnggt-chuu!! NgXXTCH!!

                No less than forty people gawked at the scene Thomas was producing. He puffed out his chest to full capacity and fanned a hand fervently in front of his face before beginning another “round”. One eye on his girlfriend in front of him, he did his best to time his explosions over her sneezes.

                “Oh no!!! AHHHH!! AH-CHOOOO!!!! AH-CHOOOOO!!!”

                Hingk-shhhh!! Igkshoo! Hikshh!! Hieeekshiooo!!!

                With eyes and ears on the Soleil’s son, no one noticed the sniffling lady in front of him hastily cleaning herself up. Thomas beamed the table with a confident smile, booming, “Phew! Bless me!”

.               .               .

Dinner had finished without any further “disturbances”, as Mrs. Soleil had excused them to be. All guests meandered to the center of the ballroom to indulge in the live band’s delights. Violins and cellos filled the hall with music, carrying all guests into the arm of a partner to waltz along the melody.

“Come now, Thomas,” his mother cooed, “I’ll not have you and your date be the only pair not dancing.” She left to join her husband and left the two sitting alone at the dinner table. One look at Emma could confirm he state- she was fading fast. She dabbed at her nose with his handkerchief every few seconds and the small fever blush had turned to a full-on flushed face.

“Emma, you’ve fulfilled your deal, you can go home if you-“

She gave him no time to finish the statement, instead she stood from the table and extended a hand toward him. Her hand in his was cold and clammy as she hoisted him onto his feet. Walking to the dance floor, Thomas wondered how long she would last.

.               .               .

                The music really was beautiful; best money could buy. Just as they had in Nana’s kitchen, Thomas and Emma swept across the ballroom with ease. Although he needed to lead a little, Emma had no problem keeping up with his cues. She looked majestic dancing with him, gorgeous and beautiful and… moments away from collapsing.

                At the start of a slower tune, the male leaned into her ear to whisper, “lay your head on my chest, I can hold you up if you need to rest a moment.” Emma looked up to him almost apologetically but nodded in thanks before leaning into his warmth. With her head on his chest, Thomas could feel the fever radiating off of her.

                She hadn’t said one word all night. Whether it was from his mistake that morning or the cold boiling under her skin, Thomas did not know. For as awful as he knew she felt, Thomas felt selfish for enjoying this time. After tonight she would leave, and he would likely never see her again. Let her not talk to him tonight. Let her never talk to him again, it’s what he knew he deserved. He would have right now, holding her in his arms for the last time.

                Her torso shook on his chest, rising and falling quickly before she erupted in a small fit of sneezes onto his jacket, “hishoo! Mphshoo! Ah…ah-HAH?! hIEngCHIUU!!”.

                The hand that rested on the small of her back rubbed in comforting circles while she exerted what little energy she had left. At this rate she’d never make it to the car, much less her dorm. Thomas wrapped an arm around the small of Emma’s back to guide her out the ballroom doors, ignoring the still playing song.

                Crisp autumn air greeted them both outside; it was a much-needed change from the musty atmosphere those pompous guests had created. Thomas retracted his arm to call the car for Emma. He would ride home with her, help her to the room, and alert Nori of the situation before leaving.

                That was the plan, until Thomas heard a thump, and saw Emma unconscious on the grass.

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