Page 45 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
She didn’t care. She wanted everyone to leave her alone. She was so sick of them all.
She didn’t speak to Ryan for the rest of the duration he was there. When the cab arrived outside, he offered her a guilty smile and wished her a happy birthday again before leaving with Fehim.
Nori sank into the couch, still fighting to keep her heavy eyelids from drooping shut. She heard the front door close, followed by Vir’s padded footsteps. A moment later, when his slender, cool fingers brushed against her cheek, she leaned into his touch without thinking.
“Let’s get you to bed,” he said, softly.
“Hmm.” The couch wasn’tthatbad. Her back could deal with it for one night.
She squirmed to one side to curl up into the plush seating. But before she could make herself properly horizontal, Vir scooped her into his arms and lifted her off the couch in one swift motion.
“What are you doing?” Her eyes flew open. If he hurt his back trying to carry her to bed, she was going to kill him dead herself. “You’re going to sprain something! Put me down.”
Vir chuckled, ignoring her protests as he took her to the bedroom before gently lowering her onto her bed. “It’s fine. I’m used to lifting you.”
“Huh?”
“You roll off the bed sometimes.” He covered her with her blanket.
“All this time.” She stared blankly at him. “What’s wrong with you? Are you a pushover? Why didn’t you tell me to get my ass back to bed myself?”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
“I mind!” Moisture blurred her vision, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
Not now.She was going to resume the dumb conversation tomorrow, once she could trust herself not to act like a blubbering, tantrum-throwing toddler. And so she drew in a deepbreath. Then another. And another.
Right before Nori drifted off, she imagined Vir’s lips warm against her temple. Just a fleeting brush. But it felt so real. As real as the cool fingers smoothing her hair—like petting a cat—till she fell asleep.
Vir
Blood curdling wails filled the room,making Vir’s chest constrict in terror. Terror that was his, but also, it wasn’t. His eyes flew open as he registered the source of the sound.
“Nori!” He rushed to her thrashing, screaming form and tried to hold her down, but her limbs kept flailing uncontrollably, kicking and punching the air around her. “Ow!”
Vir heard thesmackas Nori’s elbow made contact with his nose, a split second before he felt warm liquid gush down his face. He clutched his nose in agony while reaching for her with his other hand, and his fingers finally closed around her wrist.
“Dori, wake up!”
She stopped moving and lay sobbing into the sheets.
“Dori…” Vir placed his palm against her cheek, and the sobs quieted, too.
Moments later, her eyes fluttered open, and as they slowly focused on his face, she sat up in alarm. “Vir! What happened to you?!”
“Are you okay?” Vir asked, still pinching his nose with one hand.
“Am I—?Are you kidding me, right now?”
Nori pushed herself out of bed before grabbing a bunch of tissues from her nightstand and shoved them into his free hand. Then led him to the bathroom and made him sit on the closed toilet seat with his head leaned back.
“It doesn’t seem to be broken,” she said after a few minutes of examining his nose. “But do you want to visit the emergency room and get an x-ray, to be sure?”
“I dot dhik dats decessary.”
Nori grimaced, tilting his head to the side once more. “DidIdo this? I’m sorry. Did I fall on you?”
“Do, you were havig a dightbare ad boving a lot ad I got idi way of your elbow… Ids okay. Dot worry.”
