Sweet Burden (16 page)

“Just do it. I can handle it.” He rested his arms under his chin and buried his head.

She wanted to run her fingers through his hair and assure him that everything would be alright. But she squeezed her fingers around the cloth as her lips mashed together. She carefully lowered her hand towards his back. Just as she touched his skin, his body instantly tensed. Although he made no sound, Hitomi pulled her hand back.

“You really should go to the hospital.”

“I can’t go to the hospital. You said you wanted to help.”

Hitomi took a deep breath as tears again formed in her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand and cautiously started wiping away the blood from his skin. Hitomi moved her hand gently and slowly. The gashes were deep and some were still bleeding. She couldn’t imagine how much pain she was causing him, but he barely flinched after the initial contact. If he did flinch, she would stop and give him a few moments until she resumed.

They were silent the entire time. It took her over an hour to get his back cleaned up. By the end, the bowl of water was completely red. Most of the bleeding had stopped. She put the cloth in the bowl and uncapped the ointment. She was nervous about touching him, but tried not to think about it as she spread the ointment across each gash. Some were partially healed already and then there were two gashes along each shoulder blade that weren’t red at all. They looked like slits permanently in his back. She wanted to run her finger over them to see if the skin felt as rough as it looked around the two areas.

“Obi, what are these other gashes? The healed ones?” she asked breaking the silence.

“They’re nothing.”

She pulled the sheet up over him and stood up. Finally she saw his body relax. Hitomi muffled a yawn and picked up the bowl. “I’ll let you get some rest.”

“Hitomi?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry I yelled at you. I just don’t like you seeing me like this.”

Hitomi wasn’t sure what to say. She clutched the bowl and started out of the room.

“Please don’t leave.”

She turned back to him. “You need to get some sleep.”

“I’ll sleep better if you’re here.”

Her body trembled as she moved back over. “Okay.” She set the bowl down and moved the chair back over to her desk. She sat down and opened her laptop as she heard him moving around in the bed. She listened to it creak as he got comfortable and then it was silent. Hitomi stopped herself from peering over her shoulder to look at him.

“Come here,” he mumbled after a few minutes.

“Obi, go to sleep.”

“Not until you come here.”

Hitomi turned to him. He was lying on his side facing her and he had scooted back towards the wall. Her heart began racing as she stood up. She wasn’t sure what she saw in his gaze, but his eyes looked different. They looked warmer. They were no longer the blood red. They were almost an amber color. She walked over to the bed.

“Do you need something?” she asked stupidly.

He quietly sighed and closed his eyes. Obi’s hand lazily lay on the empty side of the bed. He lightly patted the mattress. Hitomi’s body stiffened. She had barely kissed a boy let alone hopped into bed with one. She told herself that Obi was in no shape to try anything, not that she really would have minded. She felt something for Obi. Something she didn’t understand.

As she pulled back the sheet, it felt as though sparks were hitting all of her nerves. She slowly climbed into bed and brought the sheet up over her. She shifted onto her side facing him.

“Are you warm enough?” she asked.

He nodded his head as his eyes opened. Obi moved his free hand up to where Hitomi had hers tucked under the pillow. Reaching under the pillow, he laid his hand on top of hers. Hitomi wondered if he felt the wave of warmness move over his body when they touched as she did. He watched her as if he was waiting for her to pull away. But she didn’t. She welcomed his touch. He let out a little hum and his eyes closed again. Hitomi couldn’t take her gaze from him. She couldn’t believe he was in her bed and she was with him. It had been four long days without him and then she realized that the pains in her chest had completely disappeared. She studied him wondering if the pains had something to do with him. The lashes across his back reminded her of her dream. She was starting to realize there was a link between them that she didn’t understand when her eyelids got heavy and she fell asleep.

The phone was ringing. It was barely audible from downstairs, but it continued to ring. It was starting to get irritating and Hitomi groaned. She opened her eyes and glanced at the clock taking in that it was almost two o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly she remembered everything from this morning and became aware of the body behind her. She could practically feel the heat coming from his body. While she slept, she had shifted from her left side to her right. She glanced over her shoulder at Obi still sleeping when she realized that his left hand was resting on her waist.

Finally the phone stopped ringing, but Hitomi was preoccupied with the intimacy of their position. Her body felt tingly especially where his thumb was tucked under her shirt on bare skin. She didn’t want to wake him, but she wanted to see him. She slowly twisted her body around, his hand moving around her waist and resting on her stomach as she moved onto her back. Her stomach fluttered and she twisted more ending up facing him. His fingers left a trail of heat across her midsection.

She stared at the beauty of his face, but then noticed he was profusely sweating. Hitomi reached up and placed her hand on his forehead. Obi was burning up, almost stinging her hand. Before she could pull her hand away, Obi groaned and his facial expression turned to anguish.

Rapidly his hand moved from her waist and grabbed her wrist. He pushed her onto her back grabbing her other wrist and pinning them over her head as he hovered over her. His grip tightened as a growl escaped his throat.

“Obi, what are you doing?” Hitomi said shocked.

His eyes blinked open and his expression changed to surprise. “Hitomi?” His chest was rising and falling deeply.

“What are you doing?” she repeated.

“Oh god.” He let go of her wrists and put his hand on his forehead as he slid off of her. He leaned his shoulder against the wall and covered his face. Hitomi sat up and rubbed her wrists. “I…I could have hurt you.” His body shook.

“Were you having a bad dream?” She tucked her legs up and reached over touching his shoulder.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged her hand away. “Are you okay?”

“You didn’t hurt me.” She rested her hands in her lap. “You should lie back down. You have a terrible fever.”

He let out a deep breath and lay back down on his side. “The poison is just working its way out of my system.” He rested his hand on her knee. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I’m fine. What do you mean ‘the poison’?” She looked down at him trying not to focus on his hand.

“Um, it’s nothing.”

“Will you stop saying that? It’s not nothing. Your back is torn to shreds and now you’re telling me you were poisoned? What are you in trouble for? Did you kill someone?” Hitomi replied frustrated.

“I just…I did something I wasn’t supposed to do. I was given a poison to basically enhance my nerve endings so that I felt more pain.”

“What? You say that so nonchalantly. Someone did this to you. Why?”

“Hitomi, I can’t go into it. You wouldn’t understand.”

“No, you’re right. I wouldn’t understand why someone would torture you and poison you. That’s beyond my comprehension.” She shook her head. “Nor would I ever want to understand.”

“I don’t want you to understand it.”

Hitomi lowered her head and turned away from him.

“But it’s not because of why you think.”

“And what do I think?” she turned back to him.

“You think I don’t trust you.”

She swallowed hard and got up from the bed. “I’m going to make us some lunch. Are you hungry?”

“Are you just going to avoid the conversation?” he raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not going to tell me anything anyway. So I’m not really avoiding it,” she shrugged and left the room. She hurried downstairs as the phone rang again. Recognizing the number as the hospital, Hitomi grabbed the phone. “Hello?”

“Hitomi, why didn’t you go to school today?” her mother asked.

“I didn’t feel good.”

“The school called me. I wish you would have told me this morning.”

“Sorry. I just woke up.”

“Well, just let me know next time.”

“Fine mom. I’m going to get something to eat.”

“There should be some soup in the cabinet. I’ll be home in a few hours to check on you. I might need to cover a shift tonight.”

“Okay. Bye mom.” Hitomi hung up the phone and dug through the cabinets. She found some soup and after heating it up carried two bowls upstairs. When she walked into her room, Obi was still lying in bed but had kicked all the covers down to his feet. He sat up as she walked over and she handed him a bowl. “Hope you like chicken noodle.”

“Thanks.”

She sat down at the foot of the bed facing him, unable to take her eyes from him. His bare chest was sculpted and smooth. “How’s your back?”

“Better.” He glanced up from the bowl and watched her staring at his upper body.

She lowered her head and started eating the soup. “Is there anyone I need to call and tell them you are here?”

“No.”

“No parents or friends? Siblings? Girlfriend?”

“No.”

Hitomi let out a little huff of irritation. She was never going to find out anything about this guy.

“What’s the dress for?” Obi asked.

“Hmm?” she turned and looked at the red dress for the dance hanging on the outside of the closet. “Oh. Just a dance I’m going to Saturday night at the school.”

“With that guy in the black car?”