In This Love

This Pain

    Avery

The first thing that hit me was the hardness of the floor I was lying on. The next thing I felt was the warmth of the sunlight and the duvet combined.

My hand was resting somewhere, but not to my side. I couldn't open my eyes because my eye lids felt so heavy. I dared opening them and regretted immediately when I couldn't keep them open under the assault of the brightness of the sun. I moved my thumb over the place where my hand rested, it was soft. Like skin.

My mind started to bring back memories in flashes. The heartbreak. The game we played. The harsh questions I asked. Everything. The way all of it came back made my entire body come back into its senses.

On opening my eyes and not caring for the brightness. I realised where exactly my hand had been resting. My hand lightly cupped Rhysand's face, his eyes were closed as he slept oh so peacefully. There was a tint of pink on his face and the sunlight made him look so beautiful. I found myself lightly smiling on what was in front of me.

And then I heard a camera, clicking. That was followed by a laugh and a gasp. Both the gestures were from two different people. But I immediately recognized to whom those voices belonged and pulled away as soon as I could. During that process, Rhys was slightly awoken too. It was because of my hand being removed from his cheek or the warmth that had left him.

"Well, well, well what do we have here" Alex said in a loud chirpy voice. Causing both, Rhys and I to flinch at his voice.

"What are you talking about? Alex" Rhys groaned as he messaged the back of his neck. It must  have been hurting because of sleeping on the rug.

Before I could stop Alex, rather that I was too tired to stop him. He showed something on his phone and snickered. Rhysand's eyebrows slightly raised and then he smiled.

"Oh don't annoy them Alex. That I'm probably guessing that you always do. Move out of my way so I can see what's up?" She pushed him aside and assessed us.

"Busted" I heard Rhys mumble quietly as he rubbed his face, if I were a little away from him. I couldn't have heard.

"Let me see....a wine bottle. Two bottles of vodka. EMPTY! And two shot glasses" Sarah said with such amusement "A wine bottle?" Alex followed and came into the front to pick up the empty wine bottle.

A few seconds later he yelled causing us all to cover our ears "1857?! You asshole opened 1857 without me?!" He acused Rhys.

"First of all, I didn't open it. Avery did. And second of all, just shut the fuck up you're giving me a headache. One more winning from you about that wine and I swear to God, I'll throw you out" Rhys got up and took the duvet from the floor and the pillow from his feet and stormed out of the living room with Alex still winning about that goddamned wine.

I watched him leave until he was nowhere to be seen, I expected him....not to grow cold on me again. What was happening?

I felt a knot in my throat again, when I realised that he, in fact did all of it out of pity.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Sarah was sitting next to me now grabbing my shoulder and made me look at her. I had tears in my eyes, by the time I looked into her questioning ones. I silently cried, in the lowest voice possible. It didn't take her anything to pull me into a hug and then rubbing my back as she let me cry not once pushing it at all.

I cried for what I found out about myself. I cried for playing that stupid game. I cried for knowing that I would regret it later. I cried for hurting him. I cried for asking him those questions. I cried.

"I went to the doctors yesterday and he said that I am....not healing" I said after pulling the broken pieces of myself together.

Sarah went still for one second and then snapped out of the trance she was in. She pulled me into a hug and whispered "You are strong, Avery. You are strong for anything that life throws at you. No matter where you go, I'll always be proud of you. I'll always be here for you, when you need me" her voice broke, but she kept it together for my sake.