Espion | Book One

Twenty.

Anna went inside the nurse's office and was immediately cooled by the blasting ACs on the wall. She could spot the nurse's head bobbing up and down behind the high desk and she made her way over to her.

She rapped her knuckles on the top of the desk, drawing the nurse's attention. The nurse looked up at her with a blink and a smile spread over her face. "Oh, hello," she greeted warmly. "How are you?"

"Fine," Anna answered blandly. She couldn't bother to entertain the nurse's niceness today so she cut straight to the point. "Is Jessi here?"

"Jessi?" The nurse blinked again, bemused. Her smile transformed in a suggestive one. "Aw, you came to look for Jessi."

Anna almost – almost – contemplated saying no and making up some excuse as to why she was here. Her mouth even opened, ready to say that she had been sent here by his Spanish teacher but then she stopped herself. Why do I care enough to bother?

"Yes," Anna replied. She looked around the room, avoiding the allusive eyes of the nurse. The back of her neck burned hotly at the implication she knew the nurse was making. "I came to see him. Where is he?"

A sudden glint popped up in the nurse's eye. Anna looked away, oddly uncomfortable. "He's resting one of the beds," the nurse said. She shuffled papers on her desk, pulling her lips back as if trying to hold back a smile. "Don't worry, take your time. I'll be out of your hair."

"There's no need to do that."

"Oh, don't worry! I'll give you two some private time." She was quick to get to her feet, the roll of her chair drowning out Anna's protest. She was by the door in a flash. She paused and looked back at Anna. Anna stared after her, bewildered. The nurse giggled behind her hand and left the room.

That's odd, was Anna's only thought as she made her way to the beds. Only one curtain was drawn and she pulled it aside.

Jessi laid on his side, his legs curled up beneath him. This morning, Anna had watched him sleep in that same position, moaning and groaning all night. She could tell that the position comforted him, that it hurt less when he was curled up on his side. She drew the curtain back behind her and sat in the chair beside the bed.

Anna stared into Jessi's face. It was an ugly colour, almost completely purple. The swelling had gone down and there was a Band-Aid across his cheek, covering the cut she knew was hidden beneath. He breathed silently, manageable. It was peaceful, she could tell, even while his body looked as if it was dragged by a raging bull. Anna leaned forward bringing her face closer to his.

His eyelashes shadowed his cheek delicately. They were long, well-spaced and thin. She was suddenly tempted to touch them, to see how they would feel under her finger. It would be prickly, she thought musingly. Or maybe they're softer than they looked.

Anna raised her hand, the temptation taking her over. She was just a mere inch away from brushing them and satisfying her weird curiousity when they fluttered. She froze. Jessi's eyelashes fluttered again and then gently parted. His deep brown eyes were cloudy, unseeing. They shifted once, twice, before coming to rest on her.

Anna still hadn't moved. It was as if her muscles had turned to stone, and her blood began to run cold. She got caught. She got caught and yet she continued to stare at him like a deer caught in headlights. They gawked at each other, brown eyes meeting brown eyes. One was wide with embarrassment, the other filled with confusion. Then Jessi smirked.