“Much better, thank you.”
Liam waved the peppermint in front of my face again, then set it aside. “How do you feel about taking a few more slow, deep breaths, then I’ll lay you down on the couch?”
I nodded, filling my lungs and emptying them completely several times. I began to sit up, but Liam slid his arms under me, carefully scooping me up without wobbling my head. He carried me to the couch and laid me down, tucking a pillow under me.
I felt him push the coffee table out of the way so that he could kneel beside me.
“I’ll put that back in the exact same spot,” he assured me.
“Thanks.”
I tried to stay still, but my muscles felt all twitchy and strange. My body kept moving slightly, unable to get comfortable, and my heart began to speed up again.
“What is it?” Liam asked. It was sweet how concerned he sounded.
“I’m okay. It’s just… Everything feels off-kilter. Like my bones are jittery. It’ll go away, I’m sure.”
His hand stroked my arm gently. “Just breathe. Logically, you know you’re fine and safe, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Maybe my body is just rebelling from being locked in the dark.”
“Gwen said that there could be all sorts of weird side effects. She said that it takes quite a while to feel grounded again after losing one of your senses.”
I sighed heavily. “Let’s hope I don’t need to get used to this.” His touch was so comforting. “It’s hard to feel grounded when you’re sort of floating around,” I said, trying to sound amusing. “Maybe I should try one of those weighted blankets so that I feel like I’m being held down.”
His hand pressed down on my arm. “Like this?”
Laughter bubbled out of me. “Precisely.” I paused. “Wow. Pressure really does help.”
Liam got up, lifting me as he sat on the couch. My body sunk into the crook of his shoulder as he wrapped his arms tightly around me, pinning me.
“Is this okay?” he asked carefully. “I don’t mean to get too cozy, it just seems like…”
“Actually, yeah. This is nice if you’re comfortable with it,” I said, resting my head on him. “You’re warm, and your big arms are heavy. In a good way.”
I loved the deep, gravelly sound of his chuckle. “Good.”
He was likely just trying to help me, and it certainly was. There was something so sweet about the way he held me. I’m sure it meant far more to me than it did to him. At the moment, I felt like I was allowed to be selfish, and take every bit of comfort I could get.
We stayed still, just relaxing together for several minutes before he spoke. “Do you mind if I ask what sort of surgery you had?”
“Strabismus.” His silence made me laugh. “Lazy eye. My right eye pulls to the right, and it was getting worse. They operated three years ago, adjusting the eye muscles so that it would be straight.”
“Why did you have to do it again?”
“Because my left eye also pulls very slightly to the right. They corrected one eye, and not the other, and since they didn’t line up, the weaker eye pulled out of alignment again. The doctor decided that fixing them both at the same time should put them straight, and they should theoretically stay put for a long time.”
“Why are they extra light-sensitive then?”
&n
bsp; “When there is a very different focus between the two eyes, they become a little more light-sensitive, even with normal people. But mine are so different, and I’ve had so many issues, that they’re now both a bit wonky. They’re not sure why I’m so extra sensitive.”
“So that’s why you have to keep them bandaged for a week?”
“Yes – the doctor doesn’t want me to start looking around if one eye heals faster than the other. He said I have to rest them completely for five extra days to be sure.” I laughed. “He knew that the healing process was going to drive me nuts. He actually made me swear on my favorite book that I wouldn’t take the bandages off early, or even peek.”
His rumbling chuckle made me grin. “What book was it?”