Anyway, Don't Be A Stranger

[EveP]

Great update! Thank you! ❤️

[sneezygirl97]

Still absolutely loving this!

[mypanicismanic]

I am absolutely loving the dynamic between the two. Both of them fighting their feelings, I haven't read this satisfying of a caregiving sickfic in a long time!

[2SHY222]

I just found this and I'm in love 🥰. Their dynamic is soooo cute. Please write more 😊

[Privatedancer]

This is 🥰 lovely

[lighthousegirl]

Sorry for the delayed update folks, been crazy busy at work. Thank you so much for all the comments, so glad more people are finding this and enjoying it. 😍

Little warning for this part: it gets a little darker and more angsty and there are some hints of gaslighting and emotional abuse. Just in case that triggers anything for anyone.

 

After a glass of juice and another of water, some soup and many more tissues, Daniel had retired to his room for another nap. Charlie cleaned up the kitchen, trying to keep herself busy while her mind raced at 100 miles per hour. Their conversation had grown increasingly flirtatious over lunch, Daniel enjoying teasing her about her efficiency, little knowing it was simply her way of hiding how utterly undone she was beginning to feel at every smile, every joke, every... sneeze. He'd already caught her staring a couple of times in the aftermath of a fit. If she was any more obvious he'd be sure to figure it out. And where was this all going anyway? Could she trust him, and herself, enough to find out? Could she open herself up to potential hurt and humiliation again? As she began to put away some plates her hands shook as the ghost of a voice echoed unbidden through her mind. You kinky weirdo... it said mockingly. Don't worry, I'll keep your freaky little secret.
The memory hit her like a punch in the gut, and she grasped the side of the counter, breathing slowly as her eyes filled with unexpected tears. It had been a while since she'd allowed herself to think about it, any of it, but she was tired, her defences were down and she felt exposed all over again. She couldn't do it. She couldn't -
"Charlie?"
Daniel entered the kitchen hesitantly, dismayed to see her hunched over the counter, lips trembling and her eyes brimming over with tears.
"Are you OK?" he asked uncertainly.
"Oh, I'm fine!" she said shakily, wiping her eyes. "I felt kinda tired and was just having a m-moment..." All of a sudden she couldn't stop her shoulders shaking and tears rolling down her face. In a trice Daniel was by her side, somewhat awkwardly patting her on the back, which made her let out a watery chuckle. "I'm really OK," she said, rubbing her eyes again. "It's just hard sometimes - I feel... alone, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," he murmured. "But you can talk to me you know that right?"
For whatever reason, this set the tears flowing again. Daniel felt at a loss. He'd never had a crying girl in his kitchen before. What did he do?? Andy's words echoed in his mind. Just be honest with her. Well if he didn't know what to say, he could be honest in his actions. "Hey, sshh, it's ok," he said, putting his arms around her and holding her close. She seemed a little hesitant at first but then sighed and relaxed into his embrace, sniffling against his chest. He felt so safe.

They stood like that for a few minutes, revelling in the warmth of each others' bodies. She could hear his heart beating. Her breathing slowed and became calm once again.

She could have stayed like that forever, but unfortunately Daniel's nose had other ideas. His body stiffened and he gently detached himself from her, holding a finger up in apology. "So-sorry," he exhaled. "I... huh...huh... heh... heschoo! Heschoo! HuhESCHoo! HESCHOO!"  He sighed and lowered his arm. "Sorry - I neber seeb to pick the best moments do I...I...hah... hah... haschoo! HasCHOO!"  There was a pause, and then they both looked at each other and laughed. "Bless you," said Charlie shyly. "Thanks," he replied, rubbing his nose with a wry smile.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"A little better," he said. "Still totally stuffed up but not as hot and achy as I was earlier." Tentatively she lifted her hand to his forehead. "You feel less warm," she said, pleased. "How about some more tea and TV?"
"Sure," he said, following her into the living room. They settled together on the couch and he draped the blanket over them both. Then he dropped an arm round her shoulders and after a moment she snuggled closer to him. As they fixed their gaze on the TV he said quietly, "do you want to talk about it?"
She turned her eyes to meet his, a pensive smile on her face. "Let's just... be, for a while, if that's ok?"
"Sure," he agreed.

[2SHY222]

My heart melted ❤️ I can't wait to see what happens next. 

[EveP]

That angsty moment was beautiful and immediately makes me want to know more. Who did this to her? Will she tell? Great update, well worth waiting for.

[Arvani]

Awwww love the update!! Also love the drawn out chemistry between the two - it’s great!

[lighthousegirl]

Charlie opened her eyes suddenly. It felt like only a few minutes had passed but the flat was in darkness. She lifted her head, which she realised had been resting on Daniel's chest. They'd both somehow ended up entwined sideways on the couch, and clearly had dozed off together. Charlie had a vague recollection of him stroking her hair, but she wasn't entirely sure if that was fantasy or reality. His chest was rising and falling steadily, snoring a little, still sounding pretty congested. His breath didn't have the same wheezy quality as this morning though and she didn't feel the same feverish heat radiating from him. She sat up carefully, trying not to wake him. He must have sensed her absence though, as he stirred and rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Man, did I fall asleep again?" he said groggily. "Honestly, I'm usually way more interesting I promise. One day we might even get to the end of a movie together." Charlie chuckled, not entirely missing the potential subtext of that comment but choosing to ignore it for the moment. "It's OK, I fell asleep too," she confessed. "It's been a weird day."
"Yeah," he agreed. "I have to say though, being sick with you is a lot more fun than Ben taking the piss out of me."
"Even when I'm bossing you around?" she said, raising her eyebrows.
"Hmmm... I could get used to it," he replied, grinning flirtatiously. He sat up, facing her and said more solemnly, "seriously though - thank you. For looking after me - it's not something I'm used to but - I'd like to be."

His hand reached up to brush her hair out of her eyes. His face was so close to hers... his hand cupped her cheek, drawing her closer to him... their foreheads touched and she suddenly realised she was trembling. He waited a moment, then gently pressed his lips to hers. She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling, inhaling the gentle sweetness of his kiss. He pulled back a little and with a quiet moan she leaned forward, placing her hands on his shoulders and seeking his mouth again. His soft warm lips met hers more firmly this time. The kiss deepened. The air seemed to crackle with electricity between them. She was on fire with the thrill of it...

All too soon though, the moment was interrupted as Daniel broke away with a shaky inhale. He looked up, waiting with a dazed and frustrated look on his face, as the familiar tickle plagued him. His mouth hung open. "Huuuh...." he breathed, before relaxing with a quivering sigh. He fixed his eyes on hers. "Sorry," he said simply. "Thought I was going to sneeze again."

The interruption had given Charlie time to collect her thoughts. Before she could voice them however, Daniel's face crumpled again and that faraway look came into his eyes. "D-damn it...," he growled. "Huh... hah... haaaah..." His eyes began to tear up as the tickle teased and needled him. "Heh... hah... hah... HAH-HAH... HUH...?" He seemed frozen, the sneeze suspended, unable to fully come to fruition. He sighed again and moaned, "God, this is torture... can I not just s-sneeze al-already... hah... hah... hah...??"

He was utterly helpless. Charlie could do nothing but sit and watch as the sneeze tormented him, stubbornly refusing to come out. Finally, he seemed to throw caution to the wind, grabbed some tissues and pinched his nose firmly, before blowing violently. He sighed then looked at her again through bleary eyes. "Sorry. It won't keep it at bay forever but should mean we can actually get through a conversation. Where were we exactly?"
Charlie forced a laugh but as she continued to look into his kind brown eyes her smile faded. What was she doing? How could any of this possibly end well? Was once not enough for her to realise this sort of thing was not a good idea?
Daniel seemed to read something in her expression and he said quickly, "I'm sorry - that whole... kiss thing was not planned. The moment just felt... I dunno... right. But the last thing I want is for you to feel uncomfortable."
Charlie finally found her voice. "It's OK," she said at last. "I wasn't uncomfortable - it was... nice.  I just don't know if I'm in the best place emotionally for all this - in case you hadn't noticed," she ended by chuckling weakly. "Can we maybe just... take it slow for now?"
Daniel nodded, trying to look reassuring but being quickly overtaken by a familiar tickly expression. The itch that had plagued him was back and now finally seemed ready to materialise. He brought his arm up and sneezed a few times into the crook of his elbow. "Heschoo, heschoo, heschoo! HeASCHoo! HASCHOO!"  He grabbed yet more tissues, sniffling congestedly and grimacing. "Ugh, god, sorry. I really hope I haven't given this to you."
"It's ok - I've got a pretty good immune system," said Charlie, smiling slightly.
"Glad one of us does," he muttered, rubbing his nose again. "I don't think I've even heard you sneeze the whole time you've been here."
Charlie hoped the sound of her heart thumping at the dangerous turn the conversation had taken wasn't audible. There was a very good reason he had never heard her sneeze, aside from the fact that she did so fairly infrequently. Out loud she simply replied lightly, "just lucky I guess."
"Yeah..." he replied thoughtfully. Then he looked at her and raised an eyebrow provocatively. "Guess I'll have to find another way to repay you for looking after me so well."
In spite of herself Charlie grinned back. "Oh really? What are you thinking?"
"Well, I can't give away all my plans at once now can I?" he said teasingly. "How about another cuddle on the couch for now? Would that be acceptable to you?"
"I think I can manage that," said Charlie, "but first I'm going to make us some dinner."

[EveP]

Lovely update. Kissing... could that lead to anything other than Charlie catching his cold? 💜

[Hyacinth]

this is amazing omg 

[2SHY222]

Super cute 🥰 I can't wait to see how their relationship grows after this 😊 I also am very interested in both of their back stories.

[lighthousegirl]

The rest of the evening passed quietly. They cuddled, watched some more TV and Daniel sneezed a few more times. Eventually Charlie reluctantly sat up and stretched, yawning as she did so. "I hate Sunday evenings," she pouted.
"School tomorrow,?" Daniel asked sleepily.
"No I've finished my placement but I have a lecture then a tutorial first thing." She looked down at him concernedly. "What about you? Are you gonna call in sick?"
"I'll see," Daniel said casually. "I can always work from home anyway."
"You should be resting at home," she corrected him firmly, leaning over to feel his forehead.
"You feel a little warm again. More meds and bed ok?"
"Yes Mom," Daniel muttered, rolling his eyes but secretly enjoying her imperious manner.

He walked with her to her bedroom door and suddenly they found themselves looking at each other awkwardly. "Well - thanks again - for today I mean," Daniel said, feeling flustered.
"Anytime," she replied softly, looking up at him and feeling a little self-conscious. He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips and she sighed, pressing her forehead to his chest. "Goodnight," he whispered, his voice cracking a little, before heading off to his own room.

Charlie looked after him, wondering for a minute if she was brave enough to follow him in there, to kiss him back and see where it led, but fear and anxiety froze her where she stood. Instead she watched as he paused by the door, his broad shoulders trembling slightly as he raised an arm and snapped forward with yet more sneezes into the crook of his elbow.
"HehESCHoo! HESCHoo! Heschoo!" He sighed, dropped his arm and continued on through the doorway.
"Bless you!" called Charlie instinctively.
"Thanks," came the gruff but good-humoured response. Charlie smiled and rolled her eyes at the utter corniness of the whole situation. She made her way into her room and flopped on to the bed, her head spinning and stomach churning as she tried to make sense of the events of the day.

On the other side of the wall Daniel lay in a similar position. Twice he got up, paced across the room, on the point of heading out to knock on her bedroom door. But he thought the better of it. For one thing he was feeling pretty crap again. And two, she'd already made it clear she wanted to take things slow. He didn't want to put any pressure on her. But what were they now? And what lay behind the apprehension he was sure he'd seen in her eyes, even as she responded to his kiss?

Daniel sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. He felt a building pressure in his sinuses and grabbed some of the pills Charlie had bought him, praying some decongestants would help him sleep. As he continued to idly rub his nose, the pressure began ease somewhat, and he felt the usual tickly sensation begin to build. For once he welcomed it, hoping it would help lessen some of the tension in his head. At the moment it felt like he had a rubber band wrapped around his skull. The sneeze formed slowly, his tired eyes slowly becoming unfocused as the tickle began to take over. He grabbed some tissues as his breath began to hitch, holding them to his face as he awaited the impending onslaught.
"Huh, huh, haaaah... hah... HAH... hahESCHOO! HuhASCHOO! HASCHOO! Haschoo! Haschoo! Ugnnh..." He moaned and blew his nose, feeling a sense of relief as some of the heaviness was alleviated. Gradually the meds began to do their work and Daniel drifted off into a fitful sleep, his dreams scattered with images of a small pale face and worried yet determined blue eyes.

[EveP]

Now I wish for Daniel to get worse so that Charlie will have to really take care of him and face her demons, and for Daniel to have to help her through although he's so miserable himself... 

Edited May 3, 2022 by EveP

[sneezygirl97]

I wish I was Charlie 😍😂

[sprinkles287]

This is a favorite! Thanks for sharing your writing with us. I’m looking forward to more - really liking their dynamic.

[lighthousegirl]

I sound like such a broken record but thank you so much again for all the comments. It truly means so much to know people are enjoying these characters. I'm loving seeing how their relationship develops. 😍 

Not gonna lie, work has been crazy and I'm struggling to find a lot of time right now but still got plenty of thoughts on where this could go. Here's a wee update in the meantime. Enjoy! 

 

Daniel emerged from his room at around 10 the next morning, wrapped in a blanket and feeling utterly wretched. He stumbled through to the kitchen, rubbing his eyes blearily. His spirits were lifted somewhat by the glass of juice on the counter with a label saying "drink me" and a bottle of pills saying "take me". Another note had been stuck to his laptop with "no work or else!" written on it. He grinned and pulled out his phone.

Thanks for all the notes and stuff. Or else what though? 😉

He took a drink of juice and then made a couple of phone calls to his work, explaining that he was sick. Luckily none of the audits he was working on were particularly urgent and he could catch up at home pretty easily, at least once his brain felt semi-functional again. Then he sighed and dialled Ben's number.
"Daniella!" Ben's voice boomed down the phone, making him wince. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Daniel tried to speak, but only a croak came out. He cleared his throat and tried again.
"Sorry man, I'm feeling like shit. Picked up the usual cold..." He broke off as his body was wracked with a harsh coughing fit, bending him at the waist.
"I guess you don't wanna hear 'I told you so?'" said Ben teasingly, but with an unusual note of genuine concern in his voice.
"Probs not right this second no," Daniel replied huskily, coughing again into his fist. "I know we had plans tonight but - "
"Save it pal. You sound terrible. I'll see you at the weekend if you're still with us by then."
"Th-thanks," breathed Daniel, trying to stave off what he was sure would be the first of many sneezes that day. "Huh-hang onnn... hah... hah... haaah..."
"Uh-oh, here we go!" Ben exclaimed. "Let me just run for cover."
"W-we're on the ph-phone, i-idio-oh...oh... huh...huh..." Daniel stuttered, trying and failing to sound disdainful. "Huh... hah... hahahaaaah... hahESCHOO! HASCHooo!
Haschoo! Haschoo! Hah... HASCHOO! HASCHOOO! ...ohmygod," he muttered, resting his head in his hands and leaning on the counter as the sneezes knocked the wind out of him.
"Bless you man," said Ben, uncharacteristically sympathetic. "Hope your girl's looking after you."
"She's not my girl," Daniel retorted.
"Could have fooled me," Ben chuckled. "What's going on with the two of you anyway?"
Daniel let out a breath he hadn't been aware of holding. "I don't know," he admitted. "We've kissed - but I don't really know where she's at. She seems - I dunno - reserved, uncertain, I guess?"
"Hmm... well if she's been able to put up with you when you've got the plague then you're halfway there already at least," mused Ben.
"Haha. Actually she's been great - when it comes to looking out for me it's like she's already my... well... girlfriend, or something. I just can't figure out what she really wants." Daniel broke off to cough harshly into his wrist and took another drink of juice.
"Sounds like you need to give her some time. Just be your usual gentlemanly self and she won't be able to resist," Ben quipped. "And bless you again!" For Daniel's breathing had become erratic once more, his hitching audible down the phone. "Hah...heh... heh... eschoo! Heschoo! Heschoo! Heschoo!" For once the sneezes came out quickly and Daniel was able to control them somewhat with a wrist to his nose and a tissue in his hand. He used it to blow his nose, wincing slightly as he rubbed his red nostrils, feeling thankful that at least Charlie had bought the softer aloe vera kind.

He and Ben conversed little more before Ben had to get back to work. As he hung up, Daniel noticed a new message appearing. He smiled as he read what it said.

That would be telling.

 

[EveP]

Lovely update! You're creating expectations. I know how crazy life/work can be at times, so just take the time you need as long as you promise to update the story some time in the future. 🙃

[lighthousegirl]

Charlie had dragged herself to her lecture that morning with great reluctance and somehow made it through her tutorial without making herself look completely stupid. Her brain felt fuzzy and her thoughts incoherent and now as she took the bus home her head had started pounding, a dull pain between her eyes. She figured all the emotional highs and lows of the last few days were catching up with her and leaned her head on the window and closed her eyes as memories of the previous night replayed in her mind. The kiss... it had taken everything not to just let go and throw herself headlong into wherever it could have led. But the fear stopped her. The fear of being played for a fool again, fear of that mocking voice, which had nearly made her lose herself once already. She had spent so long putting herself back together, she just couldn't risk being broken again.

The bus pulled up at her stop and she got off, trudging wearily up the street to the flat and up the stairs. Just as she was fumbling to get her keys out she felt a slight tickle at the back of her nose. She paused, blinking slightly, trying to gauge the urgency of the tickle. It was more of a buzzy feeling and she wriggled her nose which seemed to alleviate it. Suddenly the door to the flat opened and Daniel stood there looking at her disconcertedly, taking in the vague, distracted look on her face.
"You OK?" he said, his voice sounding rough as he rubbed his eyes.
"Yeah, fine," she said, shaking her head slightly. "Was just trying to find my keys."
"I thought I heard sobething, thought I'd see what was what."
"Well, thanks," she said, entering the warmth of the flat gratefully. She looked at him, taking in the watery eyes, red nose and generally pale and wan appearance. "You look..."
"...like shit, I know," Daniel finished for her. "I feel it too. Can't st-stop c-coughing a... and... and... sn-snuh... huh... huh... dammit..."
He turned away from her, looking up slightly, his eyes glazed and blinking rapidly. He stood with his mouth open, waiting, but nothing seemed to be happening. The he lowered his head with a sigh and gave her an ironic look. "Well, I was gonna say I can't stop sneezing but apparently I can."
She laughed and said nervously, "it sucks when that happens."
"You're telling me," he agreed. "Always goes that way with me when I have a cold. Just can't shake off the feeling you know? It's just there, driving me crazy."
It wasn't only him who was being driven crazy. Desperate to change the subject, Charlie asked, "have you eaten?"
"Was just about to," he said stuffily. "Cheese on toast. You want some? Sorry it's nothing more exciting."
"Sounds great," she said, going through to the living room and flopping down on the sofa.
"You look as tired as I feel," he said, bringing through a couple of plates of grilled cheese and some juice.
"I know," she said wearily. "I didn't sleep very well and class just dragged on today."
"TV?" Daniel suggested, sitting down next to her.
"Sure."
They sat and ate, and suddenly Charlie became aware how weird this all felt. Yesterday she'd been crying all over him, they'd kissed then fallen asleep together. Now they were sitting bolt upright next to each other, making polite conversation. The confusion just made her head hurt more and slowly she massaged the spot between her eyes. However, this brought back the tickle from earlier, she could feel it, an itchy sensation far back in her nose. Great. Now the sneezes wouldn't even leave her alone. If there was one thing she really didn't want to do it was sneeze in front of Daniel. It was stupid considering the 3 million times he'd sneezed in front of her but this wasn't something she could allow to happen. She subtly turned to the side slightly, and rubbed her nose, but the buzzy feeling refused to shift. A growing pressure was mounting, the tickle travelling down her nose, causing her nostrils to flare and eyelids to blink rapidly.

Daniel chose this moment to tentatively put his arm round her shoulders and pull her in towards him. Much as she appreciated the gesture, she pulled away, eyes slightly watering, and muttered, "sorry... bathroom." She got up and half ran, only briefly spotting the slightly hurt and perplexed look on his face. She shut the door of the bathroom and started running the tap. She grabbed some tissues and muffled 3 quick sneezes into them. "Schew! Heschew! Heschew!"  She sniffled and blew her nose, then tossed the tissues in the trash. She caught sight of her pale face in the mirror and rolled her eyes. Nice going Charlie. Just in case he didn't think you were weird enough. She headed back to the couch, ready to apologise for her sudden departure, when she saw a familiar distracted expression on Daniel's face. His head snapped forward and he abruptly sneezed into his fist. "Haschoo! Aschoo! Haschoo! HASCHOO! Phew," he exhaled with clear relief. He looked up, seeing her coming back to the couch. "Everything OK?" he asked, sniffling and frowning slightly.
"Oh, fine!" she replied, trying to sound casual but coming off more high-pitched and shrill. Once again, they sat next to each other, not touching, eyes glued to the TV.

 

 

Ooooh, I am enjoying torturing these two!! Don't worry, I have some more written and I'm pretty sure at some point they'll get over all their angst lol. 

[EveP]

4 hours ago, lighthousegirl said:

 Ooooh, I am enjoying torturing these two!!

And you're doing it so well. I can't wait for more.

[brownsasha11]

14 hours ago, lighthousegirl said:

Ooooh, I am enjoying torturing these two!! Don't worry, I have some more written and I'm pretty sure at some point they'll get over all their angst lol. 

Yes you are. Dare I say Charlie is getting sick ohhh more caretaking incoming

[jem]

This is a fantastic story! I can’t wait to see what’s coming next. Thank you so much for sharing !! 

[lighthousegirl]

Ohhh I am so mean. *hides* 

 

Daniel didn't think he'd ever felt so uncomfortable. He'd already tried to make a move once and she'd practically run away. He didn't want her to think he was harassing her if he tried again. Was this her way of saying she was no longer interested? He sneaked a look at her as she stared ahead at the TV. She looked pale, but with a slight embarrassed flush on her cheeks. As he watched, she sniffed a little and brushed at her nose, her sleeve pulled down over her hand. Daniel thought she looked kind of adorable. He rolled his eyes inwardly - he could practically hear Ben's voice saying, jeez, dude. Adorable?? Really? What was this girl doing to him?
He cleared his throat, trying to say something, wanting voice his thoughts somehow. "Um..." he began and she looked over at him expectantly. "Uh... would... do you want more juice?" he blurted out, furiously kicking himself inwardly. She raised her eyebrows with... Confusion? Disappointment? Amusement? Who knew.
"Um, sure?" she replied. He made his way to the kitchen and grasped the edge of the counter, screaming internally at the tension of the whole situation. His stomach was in knots. He had actual goddamn butterflies. As he poured the juice he glanced over into the living room and saw her looking up at the ceiling, a faraway look on her face. Her mouth was slightly open and her eyelids were fluttering. Huh. Looked like he was going to see her sneeze for once. As he watched, she brought a finger up to her nose in a typically dainty gesture, then snapped to the side with what looked like 3 completely silent sneezes. All he could see were her shoulders shaking a little with the pressure. Wow - that was commitment to stifling. No wonder he'd never heard her before. He brought the juice back through and set it down in front of her. "Here you go. Bless you, by the way," he added casually.
"What?" she said, whipping round to look at him with a strange look of alarm on her face.
"Uh... just - bless you? I thought I saw you sneezing from the kitchen..." he trailed off, looking at her uncertainly. Did she find blessing totally offensive or something? She averted her gaze and looked down at her lap, saying in a small voice, "oh right. Thanks."
She didn't look grateful, she looked... uneasy? Panicked? Trying to decipher her strange behaviour was starting to make Daniel really tired. Not to mention he was feeling a similar tickle himself. "Sp...speaking of sn-sneezing..." he stuttered, holding up a finger and letting his head fall back in preparation. "Hah... hah... haschoo! Haschoo! Haheschoo! Heschoo! HahESCHOO! Huh... huh... oh- g-god... hahschoo! Haheschoo! Hehschoo! Huh..." But the tickle left him, leaving him utterly spent for the moment. He grabbed some tissues and wiped his streaming eyes and nose, trying to focus on her through the haze.
"Sorry, I ab disgusting righd now," he said, his voice completely stuffed up.
"It's ok," she said. "I mean," she continued hurriedly, "you're not disgusting, I mean I don't think you're disgusting..." She was blushing bright red now. Daniel couldn't help smirking. "What?!" she said indignantly as he chuckled while listening to her rambling.
"You're cute," he said, smiling and nudging her reassuringly with his shoulder.
"So glad my embarrassment is entertaining for you," she muttered grumpily, leaning back and closing her eyes again.
"Aw I'm sorry," he said, trying to sound more understanding. "Listen, I don't want you to feel embarrassed about anything around me. After all, you've seen me sneeze my head off and barely string a sentence together the last few days. What's worse than that?"
The fact that those sneezes make me want to jump you, thought Charlie, wondering for a brief second how he would react if she said it out loud. The thought was too mortifying to contemplate however, and she tried desperately to put it out of her mind. Daniel saw something in her countenance he couldn't quite fathom. It almost looked like she was about to tell him something but at the last second she shut down again, her expression going back to the closed off one she'd had before. Frustrated, he leaned in towards her and gently took her hand. "Is this OK?" he asked gently. She nodded, looking down at her lap. "Listen... I don't want to pry but... look, there's clearly something happening here and if it's stronger on my side than yours then I think it's best you tell me now." He tried to keep his voice fairly level and not to betray emotion. She stared straight ahead, clearly trying to come to a decision about something.
"You're right," she said at last. "I'm not being fair to you. Maybe it's best if we - ," she paused, the cost of what she was about to say showing clearly in her face, "- if we just try and be friends. You don't need someone with all my baggage." She looked at him properly, trying to smile. "We're grown ups right? Any chance we can just write this off as a fever-induced crazy couple of days?"
Daniel tried to find his voice. "Umhmm... uh sure. If that's what you want."
"I'm sorry, truly, Daniel. The last thing I wanted was to mess you around."
Daniel tried to brush it off, but his voice sounded overly hearty and not his own. "Don't worry. I'm a big boy, I can cope." He tried to smile, but it felt strained.
"So... friends?" she offered.
"Sure," he agreed. He realised he was still holding her hand and let go suddenly as if it was scalding him.
"I'm gonna go grab another nap I think. See you later." And he got up quickly, desperate to escape and be on his own. Charlie watched him go, a tear rolling down her face as she wondered what the hell she had just done.

[Arvani]

Noooooooo!!!! Hahaha. 

 

The anticipation is just AWESOME. So well done