The Book of Time

Chapter 24

Thomas felt a cold hand rubbing his back. His eyes popped open and he sat up. Shay was sitting on the edge of the bed in front of him.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to wake up," she said. "I'm hungry."

He rubbed his eyes. She was really there sitting in front of him.

"You're awake," he said, smiling.

She reached for his face and wiped his cheek with her thumb. "You see me. Good. I was wondering if I was a ghost for a moment. That would make eating difficult."

He hugged her so fiercely that he knocked her over and they both fell off the bed. He fell mostly on top of her.

She groaned and rubbed her side. "I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to knock the patient off the bed as soon as they wake up," she said. "I fell on your metal arm."

He hadn't let go of her, not even when they were falling."You were dead. You didn't have a pulse and you weren't breathing." He didn't bother trying to stop his tears. He didn't have a reputation to protect and he didn't think he'd be able to even if he tried. "I was so afraid you were gone."

"Thomas, you're not speaking in English," Shay said. "I can't understand you."

"Sorry," he said. Even though he felt comfortable speaking English, his brain still had the habit of defaulting to Arabic. "Why did you leave me behind? We could have killed that beast together? We did kill it together. I would not have been able to do it without you."

She sighed and rested her head on his chest. He'd been planning to get them both off the floor but he would postpone that a little longer. If she had a problem she would have said so by now.

"When we fought the wyvern, I was distracted and that's why you got hurt. I would have seen the wing otherwise. I fight better on my own. Or a least, so I thought. I was even more distracted when you weren't around." She paused. "I'm sorry, Thomas. I thought I was helping you. It was bad judgment on my part."

"I'm not angry with you. I understand why you did it."

"Maybe I should stop fighting. I hate it."

He buried his face in her neck. "That's completely up to you. I'm just happy you're alive."

Shay calmly stroked the back of his head.  "What happened after I fell asleep?" she asked.

"You mean after your heart stopped beating?" Thomas asked. She didn't answer. "The beast is gone. So are the dinosaurs and dragons and the climate went back to normal. I don't know details."

"I wasn't able to separate us from the Book," she said. "Only death can do that. Looks like we're suck with these things for a while. At least the visions aren't as bad anymore."

"You were dead," Thomas said. "It was only for a few moments but you were dead. The bracelet should have come off."

Her hand paused for a moment. "Maybe I wasn't dead long enough, or maybe it was because it knew you would save me. Either way, were stuck with these things for the foreseeable future."

"Maybe it's for the best that we keep the bracelet and tattoo. No one else can use the Book." He paused. "How did you not know Leanna was a guardian?"

"She always wore long sleeves. I never saw the bracelet or the tattoo." She buried her face in his chest. He was definitely not getting up. "I'm not sure if to feel angry or betrayed by what she did."

Thomas tightened his grip on her. He'd turned on the feeling in his arm. He could feel her coldness, the shape of her body, her hair between his fingers, her cold hands on his back, every single breath she took, her heart beating against his chest. He would be happy if he could just stay like this forever.

"You should feel both. People are selfish. You couldn't trust her or Samuel. Just remember one thing, there was someone who promised to never leave your side. Please don't think you have to do anything like that alone again. I was so worried."

"I should have trusted you to take care of yourself."

"I don't care about me! It's you I was worried about," he said. He held onto her her tighter. "I can hardly think of anything else but you."

"Then why won't you kiss me?" she asked. He tensed. That came out of nowhere. "You said you like me and you care about me. I know who you are and I like you anyway. I don't see what the problem is."

Thomas pulled a little away so he could look at her face. "The problem is, if I kissed you, I don't think I'd be able to stop," he said. He could feel his face heat up. Did he really just say that out loud? His empty stomach was turning him into an idiot. How could he say that?

A slow smile spread over her face. "Is that it?" Shay asked. He could feel her breath on his lips. "Because that's not a problem with me."

Her lips were so close, just inches away. Could he actually do this? This kiss would be like crossing a line and starting something he'd never dared to even think of before. Long-term. An actual relationship.

"A-Are you sure?" Thomas asked. He was giving her time to change her mind, to remember who he was and pull away, for the line to remain untouched.

"Ye--"

He pressed his lips to hers. She pulled him closer, tightening her grip on his shirt. Her nose brushed his cheek. She put one of her hands on his neck. This time he didn't pull away, he couldn't pull away. The first kiss paled in comparison to this. Every single kiss he'd ever had, paled in comparison to this. All of those wasted kisses on girls he couldn't remember. Never again. Nothing could feel better than kissing Shay. Absolutely nothing.