Page 50 of Room Service
“You always know everything,” I say sleepily, my lips pulling into a smile.
He barks a laugh and sits on the edge of the bed, facing me. “I try to.”
I lift my hand to his face, feeling the painkillers kicking in a little more as I clumsily stroke his cheek, the scruff of his jaw tickling my palm. “You’re such a kind man, Dorien.”
“And you’re high as a kite right now,” he says playfully. I like this side of him, a lot.
“It’s still true whether I’m high or not.”
“If you say so.”
“I do,” I affirm, and I drop my arm, it suddenly being too heavy to lift anymore. “You’re the light I never expected.”
He looks at me as my eyes droop, and I register him saying, “And you’re mine too,” before I give in and let sleep claim me.
* * *
Agony overwhelms me as I move and my body aches, the darkness lifting.
A cry of frustration leaves me as my side throbs and I struggle to try and sit up, the pain becoming too much.
“Shhh…” I hear as my hair is pushed away from my face. A hand cups my cheek. The feel of lips beside my ear. A low voice telling me to “calm down,” and that “it’s okay, I’ve got you.”
My eyes don’t want to open, but I quickly find myself less panicked as I feel something brushing against my cheek. A thumb? A finger? It doesn’t matter what it is as I focus on that and not the throbbing threatening to cripple me.
I know the pain meds are wearing off, but I suddenly don’t want to move, I want to stay right where I am and block the pain out as best as I can, because whatever is happening is luring me to accept the comfort I can feel wrapped around me.
I feel a hand on mine, and that soothing voice is back by my ear. “Good girl.” And even as I fight the pain, I know that nothing could stop the movement of my lips, a smile, before I’m lost to the dark once more.
* * *
When I open my eyes, the room is dark, a small lamp in the corner the only light in here. I blink a few times and swallow, my throat burning as I do. I need a drink, some water, anything to ease the burn and the dryness of my mouth. I’m disorientated for a moment, but I can feel something on my hand as I try to move my fingers, and when I look to the side of me, I see a dark figure laying next to me, their head resting by mine, their fingers entwined with mine.
Dorien.
I allow myself a few minutes to admire him. His frame, his touch, his hair that is slightly trussed from sleep. He’s facing me, his eyes closed, his breathing quiet, and I smile at just how peaceful he looks right now. I’m yet to see a peaceful Dorien. It’s nice, calming, a look I want to see on him more often.
“Dorien,” I croak, expecting to have to try and raise my voice a little higher, but his head shoots up straight away, making me flinch slightly. Not because I’m scared of him or anything, but because his rapid response shocked me.
“Elise,” he says quietly, his hand squeezing mine a little as his other one comes to my face and cups my cheek. “What’s wrong? What do you need?”
“A drink,” I say, my voice raspy, and his hand immediately goes to a glass of water on a table at the side of him. He picks up a straw and puts it in the glass before bringing it to my lips so I can drink. The thoughtfulness of his actions doesn’t go unnoticed as I sip greedily.
“Thank you,” I say when I’m done, grateful for my mouth feeling refreshed even if the rest of me doesn’t feel so good.
“Better?” he asks, placing the glass back on the table and taking my hand gently in his.
“Much.” The way he’s holding my hand and looking at me like I’m the only person in the world makes me feel… uneasy? No, that’s not right. But it makes me feel like the shift between us is even bigger than it was before.
“You’re due more pain meds, let me go and get them,” he says, his hand leaving mine and the space on the bed feeling instantly cold. He’s back a minute or two later, and I shuffle to a sitting position so I can take the tablets. The pain in my face is like nothing I’ve ever felt before, and I silently curse Derrick for doing this to me.
I swallow the tablets with more water, and then I ease back down, willing the meds to kick in quickly. Dorien returns to his space on the bed, his hand coming up and stroking my hair as I close my eyes.
“I promise you that he won’t get away with this, Elise,” I hear him whisper, and I know that he’ll keep that promise, even if we did only start out as a meaningless fuck with no expectations. That’s all changed. I feel it. I’m living it. And I have no idea what comes next, because even the thought of leaving Dorien hurts.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
DORIEN
