Page 34 of Grim

“You need to rest,” he said.

I shook my head and tugged again. He let out a frustrated huff.

I sat up on my knees, taking in the new look of the apartment. The once-bare walls and floors were covered with rugs, thick curtains, and even a cover for the couch. Baskets of fruit and vegetables sat in the kitchen on sparkling clean counters.

The only way I knew this was the same apartment was the bed that I had slept in. The same duvet, along with the two pillows that were meant for his head and mine.

Taking in the room, he cleared his throat, standing. “Come, I have food.” He held out his hand for me to take, and my questions outnumbered my answers.

He led me to the brand-new kitchen table made of light pine-colored wood with two white chairs. The old table had been small and beat up. I stared at it, along with the prepared food.—some sort of breaded chicken with noodles and a red sauce.

Grim pulled out the chair, nodding to it, and I sat down. My heart raced and his hand landed on my shoulder.

“Everything is alright, Journey. I’m going to take care of you.”

He lifted his hand, and I immediately missed the warmth as he sat on the other side of the table.

Dishes were left on the counter, no plastic bags or plastic forks were being used. It was all brand-new cutlery. The cabinets had been wiped down, removing the grease and grime.

“W-what happened?” I couldn’t speak, couldn’t even say a simple “thank you” to the poor biker who had made the radical transformation to his home.

“You were in shock, you fell asleep. We had a doctor check you.”

I touched my face, and then I pulled up my sleeve to see a band aid on my arm.

“They took blood,” he said.

My face paled, and I pushed away from the table.

“Shh, it’s all right. They only took a small amount. To make sure you didn’t have any infections.”

Skimming his colossal form, I sat puzzled. I really didn’t understand any of this.

“W-what do you all want with me?” I gripped the hoodie with my shaky hand. “I don’t know what’s going on. Am I staying here forever? A-are you all going to use me?” My voice cracked, and I accidentally inhaled a bit of the spit that had collected in the back of my throat.

It threw me into a coughing fit, and I covered my mouth with my hand. It was hard to breathe, hard to take a deep breath.

“Easy.” Grim pushed his chair back. The deep sound of the chair scraping over the floor startled me further until he kneeled beside me. “Here, take this.”

In his hand, he held up a device in the shape of an “L” and pushed down on the circular end. “Breathe in.” My coughing continued until I obeyed, figuring I couldn’t be worse off than this.

Slowly, my lungs cleared, and my breath came in more even pants.

“You are sick,” he grunted, capping the device. “Pneumonia. I’m going to get you better.”

Grim moved his chair closer to me, taking my plate and cutting up the large piece of chicken breast. He took the fork, speared the breaded chicken, and held it to my lips.

“I-I can do it.” I went to grab the fork from him, but he took it away.

“You are weak. I will take care of you,” he stated.

Alright then, mister caveman.

That is exactly what he was. Short and to the point with his words, but he meant everything he said. Not arguing, I let him feed me. Using the same fork, he fed himself from his plate while I chewed.

Why did I like that so much? That he ate from the same utensil? It was like he didn’t see me as dirty.

“Did you make this?” I inquired. He simply nodded and fed me more. I shook my head, using the napkin to wipe my face. And then he frowned.

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