Bumps In The Road / Paul Lahote

7. Soft Spots

Chapter 7

"Kira, Kira!" The feeling of a hand on my cheek stirred me out of unconsciousness. I let out a groan, attempting to lift my limp arm to stop the insistent tapping, however, my limb didn't leave the ground and I realised it was still asleep. Next thing I knew my eyelids opened to the overcast sky and I internally groaned. Where was the bloody sun?

A face hovered over my line of vision and, I never thought I'd admit this, but I was glad to recognise it as Paul's concerned face. It took a couple more seconds for my body to catch up with the awakening of my mind. So, in the meantime, I listened to the words leaving Paul's lips as he pushed the hair off my forehead gently. His gentleness and care with me seemed to hit a soft spot on my heart that I hadn't realised had formed. I felt like I was seeing another side of Paul, a side that I preferred, in comparison to his arrogant side.

"Ow." I weakly uttered. I tried to sit up, earning a disapproving sound to leave Paul's lips.

"Where does it hurt?" He asked, his hands gently pushing my shoulders back to the ground. There was a dull sensation of pain on the back of my head, which had triggered a headache. But it wasn't in as much pain as I thought it would be, seeing as I did get hit moderately hard with a wooden bat (well, it must have been hard enough to knock me into unconsciousness). I imagined it would hurt for a couple of hours more before it subsides. My healing abilities might work faster than the average person, but an ice pack will definitely help the bump from swelling any more. The more I thought about my head, the more I felt a throbbing in my leg as well. Oh, goody.

"Headache, sore leg" I mumbled, now able to lift my arm to wipe my eyes. I pressed my palms on the damp ground and pulled my body into a sitting position, mustering my strength back. Paul remained knelt beside me, with worry evident in his eyes.

"How did this happen?" He asked.

"Has school started?" I asked, ignoring his question. I hadn't had a chance to come up with a cover plan, as of yet. He frowned.

"Yeah, second period in. Embry said you weren't in homeroom...so I had a look around for you" He admitted. I lifted an eyebrow.

"You really are a stalker" I teased, lifting the corners of my lips into a grin. He released a breathy chuckle, which didn't reach his concern filled eyes.

"Sorry for caring" He grumbled in response. I scoffed, sending him a friendly wink.

"Thank you, anyway," I sent him an appreciative smile. He nodded, eyes connecting with mine in an intense gaze. "I think I just need to get some rest."

"That's a good idea. I'll take you back to mine, you can't go back to class like this." He reacheed forward to hook his arms under my knees.

"Whoa, what?" He halted his actions and looked back at me.

"I'm going with you, Kira. I just found you unconscious in the forest. You have to be joking if you think I'm going to let you go anywhere on your own today."

"Uh... thanks, Paul. That's actually really nice of you," I admitted. "Who knew?" He rolled his eyes light heartedly.

"Come on, let's go," He took my hands and helped me to my feet, "Do you need to be carried?" I scoffed and shook my head, waving him off. Although the thought of him carrying me seemed to make my heart thud a little harder against my rib cage. I certainly do not need to be that close to him.