Back to Health: Slow Recovery

Lesson 5: Wake Me Up

"Why are you crying, beautiful?"

"It's selfish." She answered in a vulnerable whimper as she was finally letting herself crumble instead of fighting to stay together.

"There's no such thing. You're not selfish." He said twining her soft locks through his fingers, "So, out with it."

She turned her head up, facing him in the bed and she said as she watched him tie up his long, crimped waves with one of her hair elastics laughably,

"I wasn't there. I wanted to be there sooner but I was so far away. I feel awful."

Michael giggled under his breath seeing her lip curled up so pitifully in her explanation. He didn't find that selfish in the slightest. Lynnette found it to be the most arrogant, greedy side of herself poking through. On today, of all days. His birthday. Even after having a heart attack, she was still trying to make it all about her work. He cooed softly trying not to tease her,

"Baby, you were practically playing linebacker to get to me. I didn't know which of us was having the heart attack for a second. What part of that is selfish?"

She wiped her eyes, fanning away her tears as she sniffled into his pillow and he kept an entertained smile. He wanted to tell her about the thought that'd been on his mind the entire day. They'd been getting closer and closer over the last week, sharing glances that felt more ulterior and secret than usual. But instead, he asked her softly as she was lessening down beside him,

"Did you ever solve my riddle, pretty?"

She rolled her glassy eyes with a smile, asking him why he was so adamant on calling her that lately and he answered with a wink that he hoped would work in his favor for helping her discover the meaning of his riddle,

"I can't call you PYT all the time. So, I shortened it."

She scoffed and thought of the words in his riddle again. In reality, she knew it was one of the covert, hidden ways that he would flirt with her but she couldn't put a finger on why exactly he was phrasing it in the twisted way he was. She shrugged and said with a surrendering sigh,

"Answer your riddle for me, Michael."

"No, you can't give up. That's too easy." He said stifling a smile and she refused to give another guess out of fear of pure humiliation. Michael let her brew on the subject a little longer until his eyes closed in a flutter. She watched as he lessened back in rest and she put the blanket over his arms as he opened them again.

"I'm just resting my eyes." He said deterring her from leaving. He motioned her close again and he asked about her night with Dennis quietly to keep himself from falling asleep. She lied her head against him, explaining how it began more awkward than their first date but she couldn't truthfully say she didn't enjoy his company.

Michael hummed happily thinking of her being lovestruck over this boy and he mentioned with a smirk,

"Might have to bring this guy in. Did he even ask you to dance? We had a freaking DJ and everything."

"No, as I said, we just talked."

"Pfft." Michael huffed as he began uncovering himself. He turned in the bed, beginning to put his feet on the floor and Lynnette turned in her blatant objections of him getting up but he waved her back, standing on his feet. He put his black ponytail behind him as he readied the white Bluetooth speaker he kept on his nightstand. He connected his phone as she sat, dusting off her dress still questioning if this was a good idea.

"Michael-" she said as he was readying his phone, opening the YouTube app, "You had a heart attack 4 hours ago. You need to be in the bed."

"Damn." He chuckled to egg her on, "You think just one dance with you is gonna kill me? You think you're that good?"