In Her Eyes The Violets lie

Chapter 5

"Oh, you are still here", Josie said in a surprised voice that wasn't entirely fake. When Josie opened the front door, part of her was convinced that she would come back to see that Hope had disappeared again or that she had imagined it all. But no, Hope was still there staring at Josie with her infuriatingly beautiful eyes.
Hope chuckled, "Don't worry, I will let you know this time when I leave."

"I'll hold you to that."

They ate leftover pasta for dinner. Hope didn't ask where Josie had been all evening. Josie was glad Hope didn't ask because for some reason she doesn't want to talk about Landon with her even now. She didn't want to talk about anything, to be honest. Josie likes the silence in her apartment. After spending her childhood in a house where fighting was background noise at night, Josie has come to appreciate silence….and the loneliness that comes with it.

"You can take the bed tonight. I'll sleep on the couch. I know your neck hurts." Hope said, while they washed dishes.
"No. You are still a guest. And guests don't sleep on the couch."
"Well then, you should sleep in the bed with me. There is more than enough room for both of us." Hope offered.
"Absolutely not." Josie said quickly, a little too quickly. There is no way Josie was going to share a bed with Hope Mikaelson. Not tonight or ever again. "You are going to sleep in the bed. And I am going to sleep on the couch. Just like last night."

~~~

"Good morning." Hope chirped. "Wake up, Sunshine." Hope was too happy today for no reason. Josie was sleeping in, so she made breakfast and then went to wake Josie up. Josie didn't respond; she just grumbled something and…. fell straight off the couch.

"Shit! I'm sorry." Hope said,"Here, let me help." Hope hauled Josie up on the couch. "So how many times do you fall during the night?"
"Shut up." Josie mumbled, rubbing her temple.
"Okay, sorry." Hope stifled a laugh. "Are you hurt? Here, let me see." Hope reached out to see where Josie had hit her head, "Oh god, Josie. You're burning up!"
"What? No. I'm fine." Josie replied quickly.
"Nope. You have a fever." Said Hope, "Wait here. I need to check your temperature." Hope ran to her bag, where she kept her first aid kit. She went back to the living room and took Josie's temp—above 103°F, so a high fever. Shit! How was Hope going to take care of Josie, when she couldn't take care of herself! "Josie, can you stand?"
"Hm?"
"Can you stand?" Hope asked again.
"Mhmm." Josie tried to stand on her own and tripped, Hope caught her. She helped Josie into the bed.
"Stay, I'll bring breakfast." Hope said.
"No. I'm fine. I can make breakfast." Josie said, trying to get out of bed.
"You are not going anywhere." Hope said strictly.
"But my plants! I need to water them." Josie protested, still sounding a little groggy.

"I can water them. And if I don't, they won't die without a day of watering, gardener." Hope went to the kitchen. From the bedroom Josie yelled, "You will kill my children!" Hope chuckled. Oh this is going to be fun.

~~~

"Thank you" Josie said, when Hope brought her dinner. "Don't thank me, it's just takeout." Said Hope. "How are you feeling?" Hope reached out to touch Josie's forehead then thought better of it. And Josie was glad, she didn't need anymore physical contact with Hope today or ever; this morning was embarrassing enough. Hope did all the work by herself and wouldn't let Josie get out of bed. Hope seemed more worried about Josie's fever then Josie was.
"I'm sweating a lot." Josie replied.
"Oh. That's good...I think. How is your neck? Does it still hurt?" Hope asked.
"I'm fine." Josie said.
"Josie."
"Yes?"
"If you die here, I'll be in trouble, you know?" Joked Hope.
"So is that why you are nursing me?" Josie asked.
"Yes, of course." Said Hope, turning to leave. "Take your medicine, okay?"
"Aren't you having dinner?" Josie asked.
"I'll eat on the table." Hope replied.

"You can have dinner with me….if you want." Josie said hesitantly.
"You sure?" Hope asked.
"Yeah." Josie replied, more confidently this time.

~~~

Hope and Josie were having dinner on Josie's bed, which is surprising because Josie does not allow food on her bed. Maybe it's the fever. As cute as she looks, Josie has given Hope a headache. Every few hours she would yell about something."I need to water my plants!" Or "Don't go to the kitchen! You'll burn my house down." Hope was pretty sure it was the fever and that Josie ment none of it.

"I'm sorry. I was being a bitch today." Josie said, as if reading Hope's mind. Josie's cheeks were a little red, probably from fever.
"It's okay." Hope replied and started eating.
"Hope, can I ask you something?"
"Hm? Sure."
Josie looked down at her plate, "Would you have stayed if…. I asked you to?"

Hope knew from the way Josie said it, that she didn't mean staying in Mystic Falls.
The question broke Hope's heart, she wanted to say : Yes. I would've stayed here forever if you wanted me to. But she couldn't say that, because it would ultimately lead to the truth and Hope couldn't tell Josie the reason she left Mystic Falls or Josie's life. So instead she said,"You always knew I would have to leave someday, Josie."
"Right."
"I'll….clean this up." Hope said, pointing at the plates on the bed.
"Oh don't worry, I'll do it." Josie replied with a tight lipped smile, getting up from the bed. "I'm feeling much better now, thanks to you. You can go to sleep."
Hope knew she hurt Josie, hurting Josie is all she seems to be doing these days. But what else could she do except to tell as much of the truth as she can and avoid the questions she can't answer. "Okay, but you are not sleeping on the couch, I am."
Josie didn't argue. She just took the plates and left for the kitchen.

~~~

A/N

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's a bit longer than usual. For this chapter listen to "stuck with you" by Ariana Grande.