Page 65 of Falling Together

Erin laughed to herself. This woman was too much.The fun is not getting yourself sick.

I like living life on the edge. Plus, wasn’t I kind of already exposed? I think I remember some germ passing happening the other night :)

Erin’s body was burning up again, and this time she was pretty sure it wasn’t from the fever.Well, just to be safe, I think it’s for the best if I let you know when our house is germ-free.

Erin waited a minute for another reply, but when it didn’t come through, she put her phone in her pocket and grabbed her keys so she could pick up Nolan.

*

Even though Nolan was clearly sick, it didn’t tame any of his energy. Erin was actually pretty sure it somehow made him evenmorecrazy. Trying to keep him under control while she felt like complete shit made her want to cry. Days like this were always a reminder of what she had lost. Bianca didn’t just break her heart. She also left her without herperson.After having someone by her side for the better part of ten years, it was still so difficult to get used to doing everything on her own, especially on days like today.

She could feel the tears burning at her eyes when there was a knock on the front door followed by the sound of it opening.

“Hello? Anyone home?” Blair’s voice was like the voice of an angel, which might have been because she was a literal angel. An idiotic angel who was risking her own health, but an angel just the same.

Before Erin could answer, Nolan rolled off of the couch where he had been standing on his head, and ran toward the door. “Bear!” he shouted as he went.

Erin forced herself off of the couch and reached the hallway in time to see Blair knelt down in front of Nolan, giving him a big hug. It was such a sweet sight that for those few seconds, she actually forgot how shitty she felt.

When Blair stood up, she gave Erin a sad smile. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like shit. The most beautiful shit in the world, of course, but yeah.” Blair walked over to Erin and rested her hands on Erin’s arms. “What can I do for you?”

“Try to keep my feral child under control,” Erin said with a laugh, only half kidding.

Blair smiled knowingly. “Done. Have you two eaten yet?”

Shit. It was dinner time, wasn’t it? “Nope. Completely forgot that was a thing.”

“Dude, I feel so bad for you right now.” Blair leaned in with her lips puckered, and Erin thought she was aiming for her mouth, but she veered off and kissed her forehead instead. “How ’bout I take Nolan with me to go pick us up something to eat? That way, you get some time to relax by yourself, and maybe if we’re lucky, the car ride will chill him out a little bit.”

“Are you sure?” Erin hated to make Blair do all of that for her, but it also felt really good to have someone who was willing to help. A littletoogood if she was being honest with herself, but she was too sick to worry about that right now.

Blair moved her hand down Erin’s arm and squeezed her hand. “Of course. I’d be happy to.”

Erin breathed a sigh of relief as Blair picked up Nolan and carried him out of the house, the two of them talking animatedly the whole way through the door. Without them, the house felt almosttooquiet, but Erin knew she needed that, even if her heart did tug in her chest from not having them there anymore. She pushed these thoughts aside and laid down on the couch, covering herself with the blanket that Nolan had refused to let her use earlier. It wasn’t long before her eyes became heavy and she felt herself drifting off to sleep.

“Erin. Hey, Erin.”

Erin woke up to the sound of her name being whispered, and slowly blinked her eyes open to find Blair crouched in front of the couch. “Blair? What? Where’s Nolan?”

Blair pointed behind her. “He fell asleep in the car. I know it’s taboo to let him fall asleep this late in the day, but he looked so peaceful, I couldn’t bear to wake him up.

Erin followed the path of Blair’s finger and found Nolan wrapped in a ball on the loveseat. “I’m glad you didn’t. He needs the rest.”

Blair ran her hand through Erin’s hair in a way that caused goosebumps to pop up on Erin’s neck. “You need the rest too. Sorry for waking you. I just figured you could probably use some food. I’m assuming you haven’t eaten much all day…?”

Blair had assumed correctly. Erin hadn’t actually eaten anything all day, which probably wasn’t helping her feel any better. “You are correct. Food sounds wonderful. Thank you.” Erin’s head pounded as she struggled to sit up. “What did you get?”

“Chicken noodle soup, broccoli and cheddar soup, French Onion Soup, and macaroni and cheese, which I know will not compare to yours, but I still figured someone might eat it.”

“Are you feeding the three of us or a whole football team?” Erin laughed, which made her go into a coughing fit as well.

Blair shrugged. “I wasn’t sure what you’d want. I figured if I got enough, there’d have to be something you like. And this way, you can have some leftovers to eat later.”

Erin’s heart was bursting. She was pretty sure there wasn’t a better person in this world than Blair Breckenridge. Now, if only she could convince her own heart that it was safe with Blair, even though her head was telling her that Blair had the ability to hurt her more than anyone else ever had. That thought made her pounding headache even worse. She absentmindedly brought her hand to her head and rubbed her temples as if that was actually going to make a difference.

“When was the last time you took medicine?” Blair asked, her voice laced with concern.

Welp, it turned out food wasn’t the only thing Erin forgot. She gave Blair her most innocent smile. “Oops.”

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