I close my eyes as I wait for him to finish. Neither of us says anything. He unwraps the bandage from my face and I can feel the soft fabric coming off, almost like petals of the softest flower. It takes him only a few seconds and I wonder if he’s done this before. My heart is beating loudly and I feel like it’s going to jump out of my chest any minute. I never thought I would be this excited to start talking again, being an introvert and all. All those possibilities that were once closed off, are now open again. Thousands of questions are lining up in my mind, waiting to be asked and those are just the ones I’m conscious of at this moment. I’m sure that there will be more by the time Theron finishes. These questions will lead to challenge, to adventure, but then, a sad thought hits me. I will be returning home in a few days. Maybe even as soon as tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Dex hasn’t really specified, but two weeks have elapsed and I know that my trip home is nearer than I want it to be.
“Alright,” I hear Theron add, “we’re done.”
Upon hearing those words, I open my eyes. Theron has pulled away a little and he’s inspecting every inch of my face. I’m not moving. Not yet. I’m a little scared to open my mouth or make any sudden moves with my jaw. He senses it.
“Try smiling,” he urges me.
My lips are slightly parted, but they won’t stretch into a smile. It wouldn’t be a real smile. It would just be a grin. Not even that. I need help.
“Maybe I could try telling you a joke,” Theron suddenly remembers, as I nod. “I’m not very good at it, but here goes. Do you know why Shakespeare wrote with ink?” I shrug my shoulders at him. I love that he chose Shakespeare. “He couldn’t decide which pencil to use, 2B or not 2B.” I don’t smile at first and he quickly adds. “You know, the 2B pencil…”
His explanation is actually funnier than the joke and I burst out into loud laughter. He watches me as I instinctively cover my mouth with my hand, something I always do when I laugh, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he just lets me have this moment. When the bout of laughter stops, I try opening my mouth a little wider, pronouncing all the vowels in a very theatrical way, trying to see if they all work.
“Any pain?” Theron asks.
“I don’t think so,” I reply, shaking my head as I speak. “The gesturing will be a little hard to get rid of.”
“I bet,” he chuckles and I realize that this is the warmest interaction we’ve had ever since I arrived here. All I needed for it was my voice. “You probably have a lot to say now.”
I keep smiling, as happiness grows inside of me, inch by inch. I feel like an inner glow is lighting me up from inside and Theron is gazing into my eyes, as if he too can see the light. He pulls a little closer to me and once again, our faces are so close together that we are breathing each other’s air.
“You took such good care of me,” I start, my voice down to a whisper. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You couldn’t say it before and you don’t need to say it now,” he replies.
Our hearts speak the same language. I know it. Hearts that beat with love, with joy of each new day that arises caressed by the morning sun. I see so much in his eyes. So many chances, opportunities. I can almost feel the tenderness that is spilling out of those hands, those eyes, those lips. Dex may keep everyone united through his charm and mischievous boyish good looks, but Theron has that unspoken power, the social glue of kindness and care which makes it easy to knit all of us together.
I can see him leaning towards me. Seconds seem as long as hours, as I gaze back into his eyes, my lips parted, the hot breath inside of me dying to get out. I’m not sure what he will do to the fire that is burning inside of me. Will he extinguish it or will he make it burn even brighter? The answer to that question is unknown and it can remain unknown for all I care, as long as he kisses me right here, right now. It only takes one more second and my eyes are already closed.
Just as I’m about to feel the soft pressure of someone’s lips on mine, we are both brought back to reality by the sudden opening of the doors. Our attention immediately turns to the distraught Zarael who is now standing before us. He is breathing heavily, as if he’s been running all the way here from far away.
“Dex needs you,” he tells Theron. “Now.”
“What is it?” Theron asks, instinctively pulling away from me.
“Someone killed Thor,” Zarael said with lips pressed tightly together.
I almost gasp. Is someone dead? Who killed him? And, why? Pain bolts through my jaw once again and a part of me knows it isn’t real. My adrenaline is skyrocketing and my brain remembers that the last time I felt this scared was when my jaw was dislocated. It simply connected the two. I try breathing slowly and a few moments later, the pain subsides. I turn to Zarael and see that he’s already gone. Theron is up, too.
“Where are you going?” I ask him, as if I haven’t heard what Zarael just said.
“I need to go see Dex,” he tells me, already heading for the door. “Someone’s killed our watchdog.”
“I’ll go with you,” I’m also up, trying to follow him, but he turns me away.
“That’s not a good idea,” he shakes his head. “Just stay here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
With those words, he’s gone. He didn’t even let me say anything to that. I return to the bed and take a seat. There’s no point in reading or doing anything trying to kill time before he returns. My mind is miles away and it doesn’t look like it’s about to come back any time soon.
Chapter 14
Theron
As I walk to Dex’s shack, I can feel the dry earth and occasional pebble underneath my feet. I have no idea what just happened, but it’s got me confused in all kinds of ways. Was I planning on kissing her? No. I wasn’t planning it. It would have just happened, like that, out of the blue. My mind is trying to explain it somehow. It’s not nice to take advantage of a girl like that. She’s hurt, she’s confused, she’s away from everything and everyone she knows and I was about to confuse her even more. Luckily, Zarael barged in just in tim
e.
I remember exactly what he said. Someone killed Thor. We found Thor years ago, as a small pup, hiding underneath a cardboard box in some alley. I remember, it was raining horribly, a little downpour and we were all just looking to park somewhere and get out of the rain. Then, I heard someone whimper from the alley. I went to check it and Dex of course called after me, but I kept on going. I found him shivering with cold. He was hungry as a wolf and I had half a sandwich on me, so I gave it to him. I stayed there, fixing his box a little, so he’d at least be dry while eating. He ate it in one go, then his eyes pierced mine with the saddest look of pain. I petted him a little, then turned to go. But he was there, by my feet, getting closer, as if he knew that I could protect and love him. He followed me all the way to my bike and I put him inside my leather jacket. I still remember what Dex said when he saw me with a puppy in my arms.