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Chapter 10
-Butterflies-

*unedited*
-Clover-

Today he woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

"You don't look too remorseful about the fact that you got me sick". He was hinting at my positive, smiley mood.

I stood standing by the sink not really knowing what to do. I woke up feeling more than great and not even he could change my mood.

He sat at the counter, on the same stool he occupied last night.

Did he expect me to apologize?

"Be nice Clover" the voice inside my head chanted.

"I'm sorry, that I'm not sorry".

Yes, that was me being nice. I couldn't help the laugh that followed shortly after the words came out.

He tried glaring at me, but failed. Any other day if he tried giving me that look I'd be shitting my pants like the night I meet him in the woods but today was probably his least intimidating day to date.

His sour mood was mostly likely because he was sick and was not feeling any better. He was probably experiencing those cold and hot flashes I had to deal with. And the headaches, they were the worse.

Since it was a little past noon I could only guess that the reason why he was out of his room was because he was hungry.

"I'll make you lunch, what do you want to eat?" I asked him over my shoulder, still slightly laughing.

He laid his head down on the counter top, shrugging his shoulders."I don't want soup".

At least we agreed on something. "Neither do I".

He didn't give me any suggestions, staying relatively quiet so I decided for us. I made white rice with black beans and cut up pieces of avocado to go with it. I worked in silence while Demarco kept an eye on me whole time. His stare didn't bother me or make me nervous like it usually would.

To be honest, this was the best version of Demarco and I've come to like it a lot. Sure he was still feisty, but he was also not a horrible person to talk to neither.

Sitting at the counter watching me cook was depleting him of the limited amount of energy that he had. He was literally struggling to keep his eyes open after about twenty minutes.

"You don't have to watch me, go to bed and I'll bring it up to you" I told him.

He smiled before shaking his head slightly and closing both his eyes, giving into the tiredness. "I still don't trust you not to poison me" he admitted bring his head down again to the counter top. Here comes his playfulness.

He was persistent.

I smiled, "Trust me, I don't have the heart to do that" I confessed.

He looked me up and down, trying to figure out if I was serious or joking. In the end his tiredness won. "I guess I'll have to trust you this one time" he said picking himself off the countertop and on to his feet. "I'll be laying down on the couch for now, I don't want to be stuck in my room all day".

"Okay".

"Lucky Charm" he called over to me before he could fully leave the kitchen. I reacted, not realizing the nickname coming out of his mouth until I was facing him.

"Thanks" it was all he had to say before leaving me alone.

Lucky charm.

Even with him gone, it felt as if his presents lingered in the room trapping me in a daze. I grew up with the nickname lucky charm, even all the boys called me 'Lucky Charm' interchangeably with my birth name but Demarco saying it was different.

It was the first time he called me anything outside my birth name.

The food was finished in 10 minutes, and I was still thinking about him calling me by a nickname. By the time I separated everything in two separate plates and brought both to the Living room, Demarco was fast asleep.

I thought about waking him but thought against it. He needed his sleep to recover, he could eat when he wakes up again.

I set the plates on the table and took the quilt that was folded on the recliner to lay on top of him. It was an action done without thought, I was still stuck in a trans from when he called me by my nickname.

He was a light sleeper because as soon as he felt the quilt being placed on him, he woke up and looked at me funny.

I hopped back as if I were caught doing something I wasn't suppose to be doing. "You feel asleep" I pointed out the obvious.

He sat up rubbing the sleep out his eyes, not saying anything at first but nodded his head looking to the food. "I can't smell but it looks good".

"I'll put your food in the fridge for later so you can nap" I went to remove the plates but he shook his head, patting the seat on the couch next to him.

"I'll eat first then take a nap".

I gave up, he was being stubborn as I hope that he doesn't see my flustered face. I felt myself becoming more and more embarrassed with every passing second while being around him. The second he call me 'Lucky Charm' my brain turned into scrambled eggs and I, for some reason couldn't recover.

I handed him a plate, and sat on the other end of the couch. I took a bite and barely swallowed the food in my mouth when my plate was taken away from me and replaced with Demarcos untouched plate of food.

I looked over at him shocked. Did he just take my plate? Like last night with the cereal, but this time it was different. This time I made food for two so there was no reason for him to be eating after me.

"Don't want to be poisoned, remember?" He asked, taking a fork full of rice and beans and happily eating it.

I was in too much shock to reply. I looked down to my plate, playing with the pieces of avocado on the side. My face was now beat red.

This version of Demarco was my favorite version of him so far but I couldn't help but to think, he was acting a little bit too out of character.

I glanced over at him, but he wasn't paying attention to me. He was focused on the lifetime movie that was play. I sighed, digging into my new plate while trying to focus too.

He didn't finish his food, his appetite had yet to return. While I finished my food he begun fading in and out of consciousness. He kept yawning and his head started bobbling.

The moment I placed my plate on the coffee table, he yawned one last time before moving his body all the way to the opposite end of the couch. Kicking his legs up, he laid his head down into my lap.

If his eyes were open, he'd see the same confused look he gave me when I tried putting the quilt in him, on my face.

What was he doing?

Stunned was not the word to decide the huge question mark inside my brain while I sat there with both my hands up. I didn't know if I should tell him to get off me, I didn't know if I should just leave him? If I left him laying in my lap, were do I put my hands? What do I do?

As if sensing my uncomfortable state, he opened his eyes to look back at me questionably.

Don't look at me like that, you're the one who put us in this position!

His dark eyes, starred at me intensely.

"Don't worry" he said grabbing a hold of both my wrist. There was a light tingling feeling were his hands were as he placed my right hand on the top of his hair and my left hand on his right shoulder. "I'm pretty sure you can't catch the same thing twice right after you've recovered".

I was glad that this boy was so oblivious to what was happening right in front of him. He thought I was concerned about getting sick again, nope I was concerned about what he was doing and how I was reacting to it.

I knew I should've told him to move, I shouldn't have eaten with him in the first place. All I was suppose to be doing was take care of my patient but here we were, on the couch with me swaddling him like a sick baby.

I was glad he couldn't tell how fast my heart was beating or my lack of breathing. I was glad, he didn't look at me long enough to notice my face turn red soon after he placed my hands on his shoulder and head.

Lord was I glad that boys were made dumb, because I was having something close to a nervous breakdown and he was completely clueless.

It took a while for me to calm down and relax a little. Just as I thought he was sound asleep he spoke up one last time.

"Lucky Charm".

There goes that nickname again.

I cleared my throat as to not sound nervous.

"Yes?"

"Thank you again" he said.

"It wasn't a problem, I was particularly cooking more for myself anyways. It doesn't hurt to make enough for two". I was rambling and instantly shut up once I realized.

"No not for the food..." Demarco said twisting his face but then sighing and relaxing. He moved his head closer towards my stomach.

There goes my hard work of trying to calm my nerves.

"Thanks for the food, but I'm also thanking you for taking care of me... I know I don't deserve it".

I didn't respond, and he didn't farther comment. He fell asleep quickly, his soft snores to confirm it this time.

It wasn't an apology, it was a confession and that was enough for me to know that I was growing on him.

As he slept I tried not looking down at the grown man laying in my lap but every now and then I'd fail and look at him.

There was a foreign feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was a feeling I've only felt twice within my lifetime before, but this time it was worse.

It was butterflies.

—————
Happy birthday to me,
I'm 22 boo!
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K_26ss