Chapter 12. Stay a while longer
AT THE SAME TIME
LIANWEI POINT OF VIEW:
The warmth of the medicine was subtle at first, curling in my chest like an ember, then spreading slowly through my limbs. My muscles, stiff and aching for what felt like eternity, began to loosen. The pounding in my head dulled. The haze behind my eyes faded just enough for me to finally look at her. She was still here. Mei Shen. She stood at the edge of my bed, eyes darting to the door like she already regretted coming. Her arms were folded across her chest tightly, as if she were bracing herself for something terrible, a fight, perhaps, or a plea she couldn’t bear to hear. I hated seeing her like this. Not just because I missed her. Not because she’d vanished and taken my soul with her. But because she looked like she didn’t know if she belonged anymore, as I tried to sit up, she instantly wanted to help me to my light embarrassment.
"I’m not made of glass." I murmured, voice rasped but steadier. "You can stop looking at me like I’m going to fall apart if you breathe too hard."
She blinked, caught off guard.
\n(o)v.e\l.com
"You’ve been dying for weeks."She said.
"Maybe." I said, and I reached toward her.
Slowly. Carefully. My fingers brushed against hers, a light, tentative contact. She flinched. Not like she feared me, but like the touch meant too much.
"Don’t." She whispered.
But I couldn’t help it. I let my hand trail down, fingers grazing the back of her hand. Just to make sure she was real. That I wasn’t hallucinating her again, like so many nights before.
"You came back." I breathed, almost to myself. "You’re real."
She didn’t respond. I tilted my head, searching her expression.