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35 | flash your green eyes

The past few days had been so mentally draining, that it was no surprise I got a severe migraine on our flight to Florence the next morning.

I groaned and closed my eyes, leaning back in my seat. I'd already taken an aspirin, but the headache wasn't any close to going away.

I noticed Soler drumming his fingers on the armrest, and the constant rhythm of his movement was making my head hurt even more. I turned to him. "Hey, can you stop doing that? I'm getting a migraine."

He shrugged, his voice emotionless. "Then take an aspirin."

I raised an eyebrow at him. Why was he acting so cold all of a sudden?

"What's up with you? Why're you acting like this?"

"Like what?"

"Like how you used to act with me. I thought we were past all that."

His face remained stoic and cold for a few more seconds, before he looked at me. His resolve seemed to crumble as he sighed, his fingers no longer beating down on the armrest.

He turned away again, looking out of the small window. But despite my pounding headache, I was curious. I needed to know the reason for his sudden mood shift.

"You didn't answer my question, Soler."

He gave me an irritated look. "I don't have to answer all your damn questions."

My temper started rising too. "Well, for one, I'm having a terrible migraine now and you're not helping. Secondly, why are you suddenly acting like a jerk? These past few days we've managed to get along so well, and honestly it made me relieved. Happy, even. Now, again I don't know what you're doing. What's wrong, Soler? I'm trying to understand."

He remained silent for a few seconds, an agonised expression crossing his face for a fleeting moment. It's like he was struggling with something deep inside, and it made me want to reach out and listen, instead of being mad.

Finally, just as I thought he was going to confide in me, he turned to me with a look that was almost sad. "You wouldn't get it, Winter. Leave it, I'm fine."

The fleeting moment of vulnerability was long gone from his face, and his chiselled features adopted that cool, confident look once more, as if nothing in the world could affect him.

He didn't want to tell me. He was still pushing me away.

I knew how to respect people's boundaries, I really did. I wasn't a very nosy person who meddled in others' lives, but somehow, in that one moment, Soler had actually looked like he'd wanted to share everything with me, tell me whatever was going on in his mind. But just at the last moment, he'd pulled back and retreated, pretending nothing was wrong.

It bothered me, and deep inside, a part of me also felt hurt.

Hurt. I never thought I'd actually feel hurt that Soler didn't share something with me. A few months back, I wouldn't have even given a shit.

But now? Now it really sucked.

I figured there was no use trying to get anything out of him anymore, so I leaned back and closed my eyes, desperately hoping for the god-awful headache to go away fast.

I didn't remember when exactly I drifted off to sleep, but apparently I did, and when I awoke, I saw only a few minutes were left for us to land. My migraine had thankfully gone by now.

Suddenly, as I sat up, I noticed a light comforter draped over me, the kind they give you on a flight. I didn't remember putting it over myself, so then how...?