The Painful Beauty Of Spring

Part 8

When I woke again, I immediately felt my nose itch drastically, and my eyes widened in surprise before closing automatically. "Hih, yit'shiew! Hah, yieh'chiew!" I began sneezing desperately into my palms. "Hyit'chh! John? J-Josh? C-can y-you—hih, t'shiew!—please c-close th—H'xt! Hih, ht'gt!" I tried to speak and—after my immune system interrupted me—pinched my nose to try to stop the sneezing, only to stifle a few more. I continued nasally, "the door? Huh, huht'shiew!" I transferred back to sneezing regularly into my palm, remembering Josh had explained to me to not stifle. Speaking of Josh, where was he?
"Hat'schiew!" I sneezed again, wondering if I should stand up and close the door myself. "Hih, is'shiew! Josh?" No answer. I stood and walked to the open door, feeling my nose become increasingly irritated. My breath started to hitch furiously, but I tried to continue walking. "Hih, ih, hih...hih, ih, hih'eish'shiew! Hih, ih, hih, ih'ktchh'shiew!" I was unable to cover the itchy sneezes and stumbled from the force. "Hih, hihs'tchh!" I stopped dead in my tracks and held my hand up to my nose, sneezing again into my fist and pitching forward violently. I then closed the door, being interrupted by one last sneeze in the process and sniffling liquidly.
I walked back over to the couch, searching for my handkerchief. When I located it, I blew my nose strongly before retrieving my phone from the table to check if Josh had sent me a text since he usually did if he had to leave in this kind of situation.
When I turned my phone on, I was greeted with the blinding light from the screen, which swiftly triggered my slight photic sneeze reflex, only affected when such happens in a situation like now where my nose was already irritated. I quickly placed my phone down and turned to the side, sneezing wetly and violently into my handkerchief three times. I sniffed thickly and picked my phone back up, gradually adjusting to the light, but avoiding any more sneezes as my eyes watered with irritation. I unlocked my phone to read the full text:
"Hey, Jess. Just wanted you to know I'm out getting some stuff for dinner. I shouldn't be too long and will probably be back before you wake up. If you do happen to see this before I get home, John is still home with you.
Love you,
Josh"
I stood and walked to John's room with my handkerchief. I stood in front of his door and called his name.
"What's up?" He replied, opening the door.
"Why did you leave the front door open and come in here?" I asked, rubbing my nose vigorously.
"I wasn't going to be in here for long. I was just finishing up," he responded.
"But what about my—" I paused and scrunched up my irritated nose. I rummaged through my pocket with my right hand to retrieve the handkerchief, holding my left hand beneath my flaring nostrils. As I reached the hanky and took it out of my pocket, my eyes closed. "Hih, hihs'shiew!" I sneezed into the side of my left hand, having taken the handkerchief out just slightly too late. I quickly brought the hanky to my nose as I recognized another sneeze was on its way. "Ihs'schiew!" I caught the sneeze in the hanky and wiped my nose. John blessed me, and I thanked him, sniffed, blew my nose, and continued while putting the hanky away, "What about my allergies?"
"I didn't think much about it. You were sleeping soundly for quite some time, so I guess I just kind of assumed you'd be asleep until after I'd closed it," John said with a shrug. He checked his watch. "Josh should be home real soon."
"And why did he leave instead of you?" I asked, and the question sounded much harsher than I'd intended. I blushed. "No offense. I didn't mean it like that."
"None taken," John responded, waving his hand to dismiss the topic. "He probably expected you to sleep through it as well. You almost did, anyway." He paused. "Or maybe he just thought you should have a bit more time to spend with me," he said.
"Oh my God, Jonathan!" I said with a slight laugh.
"Oh my God, Jess!" He stated with a smile. "You never call me Jonathan anymore." He added, closed the door behind him, and followed me down the hallway. As we approached the couch, I stiffened. "You okay?" John asked with concern.
My eyes closed halfway, and I wrinkled my nose. Quickly, I brought my hands to my face and cupped them around my nose. "S'chiew!" I sneezed suddenly, doubling over at my waist.
"Bless you," I heard Josh's voice say from behind me. I heard the door close and turned to see him walking over to me with a few bags. He set them down and put his hand on my shoulder as I sat down and kept my hands around my nose.
"Hih, ih," my breath began to hitch as my eyes closed. Josh placed his hand on my shoulder, and I wished I had not put the handkerchief back in my pocket earlier. "Hihs'tschiew!" I sneezed into my palms, and Josh kissed my forehead after, sitting down with me.
"Bless you," he repeated and gently caressed my itchy nose, watching it twitch delicately and uncontrollably until I sneezed three times in a row. He blessed me again and pulled me close, setting my head down with my cheek resting on his chest. He observed me as I struggled with another sneeze.
"Hih, ih, hih, hih...ihs'eish'chiew!" I sneezed into my wrist and looked up at Josh.
"Sounds like your poor little nose is quite ticklish," Josh pointed out the itchiness of the sneeze. I nodded and wiped my nose, finally capable of grabbing my handkerchief again to blow my nose wetly. "You ready to eat now, or do you want to wait until later?" He asked casually.
I looked up, opened my mouth to speak, sneezed freely, apologized for almost sneezing in Josh's face, and responded saying, "Whichever you want." He smiled and accepted my apology. "Well at least you didn't," he stated calmly. "Anyway, I'll make dinner, and you rest," Josh insisted. He ran his hand through my hair, stood up, kissed my cheek, and headed off to the kitchen, leaving me to watch him disappear out of sight as I lay on the couch, yawning.