Page 48 of The Story Of Us

“Do you want to come in?” I step to the side, gesturing behind me. I don’t know if it’s bravery or stupidity that makes me ask her, but for now, I’ll just blame it on being sick. “I’ll eat it now, and you can take the jar back. I know your mum will be expecting it next time you go home.”

I regret the comment as soon as I make it because that familiarity isn’t completely back between us yet so I shouldn’t be mentioning anything like that.

“Um... yeah, sure.” She enters my room, and it’s only when I’ve shut the door behind her that I realise what’s happening.

Violet is in my room.

We’ve never visited each other’s rooms before, always choosing to take the less risky option and meet at our spot instead. I can’t remember the last time I heard about anyone getting caught in someone's room, but we never wanted to risk it.

I never really gave much thought to what it would be like to have her in my space like this, but now she’s here, and I don’t ever want her to leave.

I’m still standing by the door, watching her slowly walk towards my desk. She glances around my room, and I hope she’s thinking about our past because I most definitely am. I’m thinking about all the nights spent in this room on the phone with her, either sat at my desk when we studied or in bed when we fell asleep together. I only saw parts of her room during those calls, only getting a vague idea of what it was decorated like because we never thought to show each other properly.

But now as I watch her look around my room, I hope she’s putting the pieces together, figuring out where I was sitting or what my view was any time that I wasn’t looking at her. She runs her hands along the back of my desk chair before taking a seat, and a shiver runs through me.

“You should sit down. Sorry for making you get up.”

I shake my head, rousing myself from my thoughts. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out, so I just nod before approaching her and then sit on the edge of my bed. There isn’t much space between us, and our knees are almost touching. I have to stop myself from edging closer to her.

“Eat before it gets cold.” She smiles at me, nodding her head towards the jar of kheer in my hand, and I pop it open, unclipping the spoon from the side.

I remember all the times she mentioned having it at home, but I never thought I’d get to try it, too. It’s sweet and creamy and before I know it, I’ve finished the whole thing in just a few minutes. I’m scraping the sides of the jar when I hear her soft laugh, so I lift my head to look at her.

Every time I see her smile, it feels like she’s my own personal sunshine that I want to bask in forever.

“You must have been hungry.”

“This is the first thing I’ve eaten all day. Luke asked me earlier if he should bring anything, but I said no. Guess I needed it, though. I already feel so much better.”

I don’t tell her that she’s the reason why. Seeing her at my door, having her in my room, feels like a balm to my soul, healing something much deeper than just a headache.

She reaches over to take the jar from me and places it on the desk behind her. When she turns back to me, her hands are clasped together, and she’s running one thumb over the other, as if she’s soothing herself. I push back the thought in my mind that’s telling me I should be doing that for her. The initial adrenaline of seeing her seems to be wearing off, though, and my head feels heavy again.

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to just lie down for a second,” I tell her as I scoot back on the bed. I don’t lift my legs just yet, though as I wait for her response.

“Get some rest.”

She stands up while I lay on my side, pulling my legs up onto the bed and tucking them under my blanket.

I expect her to walk towards the door and leave, but instead, she approaches me, pulling the blanket up so that it covers my body completely. It’s such a gentle action and so laced with tenderness that I have to clear my throat before speaking again.

“Thank you, Violet. I really appreciate you coming.” She gives me a warm smile, and it’s the last thing I see before I drift off to sleep.

I wake up to the feeling of my hair being pushed off my forehead. A gentle hand smooths across it, and I feel the effect of the cooling patch instantly as I let out a small noise of relief.

“Thanks, Luke.” The soft laugh I hear has me cracking my eyes open, and I see Violet hovering above me, humour in her eyes and a small grin on her face. “Violet.”

“Luke hasn’t come by yet.”

I’m glad for that because I don’t even know how I’d begin to explain why Violet is in my room right now.

“You’ve only been asleep for about an hour. Your forehead felt hot, though, so I wanted to help you cool down a bit.”

An hour? She’s been sat here for an hour while I slept?

“You should have woken me up. You didn’t have to stay.”

Her hand continues to press the cooling patch on my forehead, and I find myself angling my head up to lean into her touch.

---