Almost there

"Open up," Kendrick says as he raises another spoonful of rice.

I slowly open my mouth, my eyes nervously fixed on my lap as I take it in.

I can't believe he's feeding me; this must be the greatest experience of my life.

"You've got something on your lips."

His words pull my gaze back at him.

He gestures to his own lips, and I wonder if I have a stain.

"Oh, um," I raise my fingers to my lips, trying to detect the stain.

"Here, I'll help you."

My eyes widen as he leans in, my heart racing.

I slowly drop my hand as his gaze pierces through me, making me feel vulnerable.

"It's fine, I can..."

He gently places a finger on my lips, "shhh."

He wipes my lips gently, his eyes locked on mine, and my heart flutters.

In this moment, the world around us dissolves, leaving only the two of us, lost in each other's eyes.

"It's gone now," he says, pulling back.

I blink rapidly, gulping hard as my gaze shifts to the floor.

What was that?

My eyes dart around, a smile spreading across my face.

I can't believe this.

Am I dreaming or...?

Did he just touch my lips?

I flinch as the spoon grazes my lips, sending a shiver down my spine.

I slowly raise my gaze to him, my lips parting slightly.

"Eat up," he says with a smirk.

"Hmm," I nod, taking in the spoonful.

"Okay then," A familiar voice interrupts, their tone high as if intending to gain attention.

Our gazes shift to David, who we had forgotten all about.

"I want to go, let me leave you two alone."

Leave us alone?

He can't leave us alone!

"Get out already," Kendrick says, making David chuckle.

The bed creaks as David stands with a wide smile on his face.

"I'll leave you two to it," he says, turning around with a wink.

I shift my gaze to my lap as I nervously wait for David to exit the room.

My heart flutters as I hear the sound of the door closing with a gentle click.

Now that David is gone, I'm hit with a sudden Sense of anxiety.

My mind begin racing with thoughts of the pleasurable things that would happen as I fidget with my trembling fingers, avoiding his gaze.

I feel the intensity of his gaze boring into me, making my stomach churn with nausea.

"So," he says, raising my gaze to meet his.

"Shall we continue?"

I nod, watching as he takes another spoonful of rice.

He feels like an angel, making me feel like I'm in heaven.

He raises the spoonful of rice and brings it closer to my mouth.

I open my mouth and take in the food, feeling his gaze burning my eyes.

I chew slowly, my eyes darting around the room.

"Your mom must be really worried," he says, pulling my gaze back to his.

My heart aches, and I pause mid-chew.

The food turns to mush in my mouth as my gaze slips from his, my mind racing with thoughts.

He's absolutely right.

My mom would be really worried and upset with me.

How will she react when she finds out about my accident?

I take a deep breath and swallow, feeling a sudden warmth on my cheek.

His hand is on my face, cradling my cheek, enveloping my skin in a soothing warmth that makes my heart feel lighter.

My gaze meets his in a gentle stare.

"You don't have to worry too much," he says in a gentle voice as his thumb strokes my cheek.

"Hm-mm," I nod.

He pulls his hand away, and the cold air instantly penetrates my pores, making me feel revealed.

He flashes a warm smile and says, "Let's go on then."

"Yes," I nod.

He feeds me the rice and chicken until the whole plate is empty.

And now, I feel extremely full, as if my belly is about to burst.

But the whole experience is worth it, which makes my heart leap with joy.

"Medicine time," he says as he shakes the medicine box, causing the contents to rattle.

I watch with a smile on my face as he opens the container and pulls out two yellow tablets, already making me feel nauseous.

I hate colored medicines, especially the yellow ones.

I furrow my brows and pout in disapproval as he hands them to me.

I shake my head, "No, no, I don't want them."

He raises an eyebrow with a smirk, "Really?"

"Hmm," I nod.

"You have to take them, or I'll have to force you," he says, making me relax my furrowed brows.

I shake my head again and cross my arms, "I'm fine, I don't need them."

My eyes instinctively widen as he shifts closer, "Really?" he asks.

My eyes search his as I slowly unfold my arms.

"I-I'm sure, y-yes," I stutter.

My whole body literally freezes as he leans closer to me, our faces now inches apart.

"Uhm..."

His hand makes its way behind my neck, sending surging vibrations throughout my entire body.

What is he doing?

Does he want to kiss me?

I suddenly feel something forcing its way into my mouth, jolting me back to my senses.

It's the medicine!

My face erupts into a deep scowl as I jerk my head backward, but he pulls me forward, forcing the other medicine into my mouth.

I struggle to free myself, but his grip is tight.

The taste of the medicines penetrates my taste buds, sending vibrations through my entire body.

He places the glass cup to my lips and forces me to gulp down the water.

I gulp down all of it, still feeling the bitter taste lingering in my mouth.

My gaze eventually meets his as my lips are parted with a frown on my face.

And for a moment, we lock gazes in an intense stare.

His gaze suddenly wavers, sliding down to my lips.

My heart skips a beat as my eyes widen.

This must be it.

He slowly leans in, his eyes shutting close as his lips part.

My wide-open eyes dart around his face as his lips draw closer to mine every passing second.

As our lips are about to touch, the door suddenly bursts open, and he instantly shoots his eyes open and pulls away.

His gaze remains calm, like he doesn't even mind that someone interrupted.

"Uhhm, was I interrupting something?" the nurse asks.

Kendrick stands up from the bed and turns to face the nurse.

"You weren't," he says.

She smiles as she walks in.

"I'm here to give Amanda here a quick check-up," she says, already standing in front of Kendrick.

"I'll wait outside," Kendrick says.

"Sure thing," the nurse responds.

Kendrick turns around to me and flashes a heartfelt smile before turning to walk away.

I watch as he exits the room and closes the door behind him, my heart and mind completely drawn to him.

"Let's see how you're doing," the nurse's words pull my gaze to her.

"Hmm," I return her smile.

I watch as she examines me, placing different medical instruments and jotting something down.

As she continues to examine me, my mind drifts off to Kendrick, or Ikem as he prefers.

I think I'm growing to like him, and the thought of it is burning my cheeks.

But...my heart sinks.

I don't even know anything about him; I only know him as the bus boy.

What if he's a player?

Is he usually like this around girls?

The unpleasant thoughts lift me out of my daydream, and I find the nurse already wrapping a new bandage on my head.

I take a deep breath and itch the back of my neck, the action reminding me of the event that occurred between me and Ikem.

He would have kissed me if the nurse hadn't interrupted!

I raise my hands to touch my lips as my heart flutters.

"Is there something wrong with your lips?" the nurse asks suddenly.

I swiftly pull fingers away, then shake my head, "No, no, nothing is wrong with my lip...I was just uh...thinking."

"Oh really?"

Even without seeing her face, I can tell the expression she's making - a raised brow and slight smile.

"Yeah, there's nothing wrong."

"So tell me, the guy who was here earlier, is he your boyfriend?"

My eyes widen in shock, "Huh?"

She chuckles, "you guys were obvious."

"Obvious?"

"Yeah, anyone would have assumed the same thing."

I cover my face with both hands, "He's not my boyfriend!"

I hear her chuckling, "you sure?"

"Uhm, yeah," I respond shyly as I pull my hands away, my lips curving into a smile.

"If you say so, then," she says, giving my head a slight pat before stepping back.

"You're fine now and should be able to go home," she states with a smile.

"Hmm," I nod excitedly, my braids swinging against my shoulder.

"So..."

My expression shifts to confusion as she trails off.

"What's wrong?"

She shakes her head, then her smile returns.

"Is he the one taking you home?' she asks, her fingers poking the air to her right, and I know she's referring to Kendrick.

"I don't know, I'll just call my mom to come get me."

She nods, "fine, then."

She picks up the tray with the empty plate and my used bandage, then turns around and starts walking towards the door.

As I'm about to bend my head, she calls out, "your boyfriend is really handsome!"

My eyes widen as her words send vibrations through me, and I bend my head, trying to hide my smile.

I hear her chuckling as she exits the room.