'Nyquil, a box of tissues, cough drops, orange juice, and …gummy bears?’ You mentally read through the list Bobby gave you before sending you to the drug store. Rolling your eyes, you quickly texted him back, asking why he needs gummy bears if he has a cold. He responded with a sad face, so you added some gummy bears to your cart before checking out. Bobby had come down with a cold last night and though he’d tried to hide it from you, you knew he was pretty sick. He was coughing, his voice sounded terrible, and he just wanted to sleep. He missed practice today (something he had never done before) so you knew he must be feeling pretty awful.
When you got back to his apartment you found him watching the Food Network, half asleep on the couch. “Bobby?” You asked quietly, not wanting to disturb him. He sat up slowly and muted the tv. “What are you watching babe?”
He looked at the tv before responding, sounding a bit embarrassed, “Um, Rachel Ray; just trying to get an idea for dinner, that’s all….” He cleared his throat, pretending he hadn’t been engrossed in a girly cooking show, and changed the channel to car racing.
You smiled, happy that he was at least interested in cooking, and sat down next to him on the couch. You opened the bag from the store and started to take out some of the stuff you bought. “I got you something special,” you said with a smile.
A glint of happiness appeared in the back of his red, weary eyes. “Gummy bears?” He sounded like a child.
You smiled and handed them to him. “Do you want some tea?” You asked and headed to the kitchen to heat up some water. He didn’t respond, too distracted by his gummy bears, so you made him a cup of herbal tea, adding some honey and lemon. “This is how my mom used to make me tea when I was sick,” you explained as you put the tea on a coaster on the coffee table.
He smiled up at you, “Thanks. And thank you for the cold medicine and stuff.” You sat next to him again and rubbed his back.
“Don’t get too close, I don’t want you to get sick too,” he inched away slowly. “You’ve already been so nice to me; I would feel bad if you caught this cold.”
“But then you could take care of me,” you added with the hint of a smile, and a little attitude.
“(Y/N), how about I take care of you, whether you’re sick or not,” Bobby said sounding a little more serious than you had expected. It surprised you, since you’ve only been dating a few months, but you realize that he was as serious about this as you were.
“Yeah, I’d like that,” you said quietly and stared back into his pale blue eyes. After a moment, you giggled and snatched the remote from him. “Why don’t we find something for you to watch other than the Food Network.” You flipped through the channels to find a movie, something with violence and fast cars that you knew he would like. You stood up to find your purse, but turned to him before leaving. “Bobby?”
He looked up from sipping his tea. “If you need anything else let me know, I get out of work at 7 and I’ll come right over here.”
“Thank you, (Y/N), you’re the best,” he smiled, and you left to go about your day with the happy image of Bobby smiling in your mind.
-Lila
