Moving Forward

Chapter Forty Four

"I like the sound of that." Rion beamed.

"The sound of what?"

"Maliah Bowles." He winked.

"Boy!!" I smacked him over his shoulders forgetting he was in pain. It was only when he winced I realized what I had done. "Oh shoot! Sorry." I cupped my mouth.

"That's ok... fiance..."

"Could you stop?"

Rion chuckled and shifted in his bed a bit.

"How are you? How are you feeling. Is it still in there? Did they get it all out? Did--"

"Woah!" He held one hand up stopping my rants. "I've never seen you so riled up. What's gotten into you?"

"I... I don't know... It's just that I thought you were gonna..."

"Die?" He finished my statement. "I'm good, thank God. And yes I'm feeling ok, besides the pain. You're talking like if I got shot. It didn't have anything to take out."

I blinked, forgetting that he had been stabbed and not shot.

"Unless you wanted them to remove my organs..."

"Rion! This is serious. I was terrified. I didn't sleep last night because I didn't know if you were alive or dead."

"Well I'm alive. And how are you?" He shifted again, this time groaning in agony.

I reached out to assist him but he waved me off as if it was nothing.

"I'm fine... staying by Anya for now until they find that creep."

Rion's eyes shot open, "Wait... he got away?"

"Yes! I was tending to you and by the time I turned around he was gone."

"Shit!"

"Yes shit. Now that bastard is probably out there waiting on me to finish his job."

"Not on my watch."

"Rion... Please, you are already broken up. I can't afford anything else to happen to you."

"Are you..." he paused with a very playful smirk on his face, "Are you saying that you care about me?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Are you?"

"Rion now is not the time."

"Oh..." he paused again, gathering his thoughts. "So when will it be? Maliah my feelings for you haven't changed."

I exhaled a deep breath and stalked closer towards him. "I know but..."

"It's ok. You don't have to explain anything. Take your time."

Sigh. Why did he always make me feel guilty? We were going fine until he brought that relationship thing up. Now we were just sitting in silence peering at random stuff.

"So... What made you check me that night?" I asked, finally breaking the ice.

"You left your swim clothes in my tray. I went to collect mine to rinse them out and I saw yours." He shrugged. Well it was half of a shrug because he only moved one shoulder.

"Ok."

"Yeah. After I rinsed mine and took a bath, I figured you would need it."

"Ok."

"Maliah..."

"Yeah?"

"Did you know the guy?"