She Breathes the Stars

Chapter Fourteen

We don't get out of bed until the afternoon rolls around.

I never really realized how exhausted I was or how much I craved human closeness until Nite was here to hold me. I realized quickly after awaking, seeing the sun shine in through the curtains to cast a beautiful golden glow on his skin, that I enjoyed the feeling of someone's arms around me. I liked the tickle of his hair on my cheek and the warmth of his breath against my neck. And I loved how soft and husky his voice was in the thick of the morning.

"Good morning," he had whispers against the sheets, and I swear that he had me wrapped around all of his pretty little fingers in that moment.

My heart felt squeezed.

We continued to lie there for a couple more hours, feeling contented just by basking in each other's presents and talking about anything we could think of. Nite questioned me on the world we live in and I asked him to tell me more about the moon and the stars. We were both very knowledgeable in these two topics, so the time passed quickly.

Unfortunately, a sliver of sunlight jumped through the crack in my curtain and blazed down on Nite's cheek, halting the soothing conversations rather abruptly. He cried out, the light piercing through his skin, and I was forced to jump up immediately to go close the curtain more securely. My reaction time was too slow, so by the time I had them closed; the sunlight had already burned through his skin and left a rather nasty gash.

I was horrified, and still am.

So, here we are now; Nite sitting on the side of the bathtub in my bathroom, holding a wet cloth up to his cheek while I frantically rummage through my medicine drawers for some ointment. The skin around the wound is already bright red and oozing out the edges, showing signs of early infection.

"I am so sorry, Nite." I feel like crying. "God, if I just closed the curtains properly in the first place-"

"Tawny," he interrupts and I look at him, bottom lip trembling slightly as he gives me a watery smile.  "I'm okay; I promise. It wasn't your fault."

I shake my head and go back to shifting through the drawers, my hands landing on bottle after bottle of pain pills, but nothing to heal a burn. I finally find a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and decide that it's good enough to help with the infection; at least until I can walk to the store again and pick up something better. My shaking fingers fumble with a cotton ball as I kneel in front of Nite, my face level with his.

His hands wrap around my wrists before I can even do anything.

"I can do it myself," he offers, but I shake my head.

"No, I'll do it."

He exhales, deciding that there's no point in arguing and hands me the wet cloth from his face. I drench it in cold water again before beginning to slightly dab it against the infected areas, relishing in the little sigh that Nite makes when it touches his heated skin. It causes a slight blush to rise to my cheeks, but I don't think he notices it.

"I-I think I was always in the dark before," he murmurs, nuzzling into my touch. "I can't completely remember yet, but I do recall a lot of darkness. But there were lights too; white and yellow ones that shone from far away. Some surrounded by colors you can't even imagine that existed. But it was very dark where I lived, so I think that's why I'm not used to your sun. I...I controlled the lights but... I never wanted them near me for some reason..."

He trails off, looking down to where his hands are twisted in his lap, leaving me to gaze at him in awe. The washcloth's strokes on his skin become choppy and uneven, but I'm just trying to comprehend what he just told me. I feel that the information should start making more sense by now, but I just keep getting more and more confused.

I try to keep my voice steady. "So...were you one of the lights or...a phantom of some kind that controlled them?"

I let him think for a moment, watching as his fingers curl in his jeans until his knuckles turn white. I continue in my motions, dabbing at the wound with extreme delicacy and resting my other palm against his hair for comfort. I allow myself to play with the silky strands as I clean the gore from his burn.

"I wasn't one of them," he finally answers. "I am...something else...I don't remember..."

He suddenly looks very distraught, his mouth twisting down into a frown as his chest hiccups. His eyes have returned to their tar-black color, but if I look closely, it's almost as if I can see some dots of white and gold within them. A treasure within the sad darkness.

"Hey," I tilt his chin up so his eyes can meet mine. "It's fine. We're going to figure everything out soon, okay?"

He doesn't say anything, but leans into my hand where my fingers scratch at his scalp so I assume that he appreciates the offer.

Exhaling deeply, I drape the cloth over the side of the sink to get started on the hydrogen peroxide. I pat some on the soft cotton ball and get to work on Nite's face, eyes widening when infection immediately oozes out of the wound with my first touch to his skin. He winces and I hiss out a small apology, gracing my thumb across his cheekbone to sooth the sting.

"Sorry."

Without even thinking about it, I lean forward and place my lips on his uninjured cheek; doing exactly what my mom would do to me whenever I had a sore. I freeze, heart dropping to the bottom of my chest as I lurch away from him quickly. My eyes are wide and the tip of his nose and ears are dusted with pink, but I force myself to continue on with the cotton ball anyway. Every curse word I know is threatening to spill off my tongue.

Quickly, I finish up with the treatment and place a Band-Aid over the wound, careful not to let my fingers linger too long at the side of his face. His eyes never leave mine, and every second that goes by feels like an eternity. His gaze is piercing me like a dagger, but I somehow like the feeling.

"All done," my voice is croaky and way more enthusiastic than I actually feel. "Um, you can get off the bathtub now."

Nite nods and stands up, his collar bones peeking out of his ratty t-shirt and obviously looking flushed. With him observing me in the way he is, eyes dark and hooded, the tension in this room is just too damn high.

Laughing awkwardly, I excuse myself and dash out of the room.

...

Widget is waiting for me by the kitchen table, empty food bowl by her feet and wearing an expression that clearly screams; 'where the hell have you been these past few days?' She almost looks disappointed in me.

Giving her an apologetic glance, I make my way over to the cabinets and pull out some of her dry food. I make sure to pour an extra helping into her bowl, knowing that I haven't been giving her as much attention lately as I should. This, I must admit, has to be a gigantic change for her since we used to be the only two living creatures in this small home.

Sinking down to the hard wood floor, I let my fingers glide through her short hair as she slurps up her breakfast. She purrs contently, the sound rumbling deep in her chest like this was what she needed all along. Just a little attention.

Much like me, I suppose.

"Hey, what is this book?"

I jump when I hear Nite's voice above me, seeing his eyes peer over to the dusty novel on my kitchen table. He picks it up, blowing off the access dirt and staring with eyebrows furrowed at the page it was already opened to. My heart thumps, remembering the illustration on that page...

Oh no.

"Hey, this is a picture of me!"