𝐀𝐪𝐮𝐚 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 ✓

45

"Come to Auntie," Faye says in a high-pitched 'baby' voice that makes me roll my eyes but Chase, who is standing to my left, smirks at the smile I'm barely trying to conceal. Lexi and Faye are both kneeling on the floor by the front door to the apartment as Vitaly jumps all around them, happily soaking up all the attention.

Before summer ends and another year of University begins, Lexi and Chase decided that they needed to get away for a few days alone and Faye signed us up to dog-sit their 'adopted child' Vitaly. Vitaly is as obnoxious as Chase can be and as loving and happy as Lexi, just with a lot more fur than either of them.

"Alright, stop kissing the dog before I get jealous and we can finally get on the road," Chase says jokingly, bending down to pet Vitaly just behind his ears and smiles lovingly at him. Chase bought Vitaly for Lexi their first Christmas together after an anxiety-inducing incident for us all, but one that affected Lexi the most. They had him officially trained as an Emotional Support Animal for her and he's helped profoundly. Lexi decided that she was able to part with him one more time for the few days while they get on a plane, more for his sake than theirs.

Which leaves us with a dog.

"Bye, love you," Faye says and hugs Lexi, then Chase and waves them out. I wave to them as well and Lexi gives me a hug which I happily return. Hugs from Lexi are almost as good as hugs from Faye. I laugh out loud at that thought, earning myself three confused stares but zero questions. I wave to Chase and the couple is out the door, leaving Vitaly whimpering in front of the closed door and waiting patiently for them to return.

"Aw come here bud, we can go for a walk."

"Or snuggle in bed," Faye coos, holding either side of his face and nuzzling his nose with hers. I smile down at the two of them and my heart warms. Seeing Faye interact with anyone or anything that she loves is an experience in itself.

"Do you really think that a dog wants to lay in bed rather than go on a walk?" I ask Faye and she stands, bending her head back to look up at me with an eyebrow raised, not allowing our extreme height difference to intimidate her in the slightest. She turns from me and looks down to Vitaly, bending over and resting her hands above her knees.

"Walk or cuddles Taly?" She asks and he stays sitting but his tail wags. I roll my eyes but can't help but smile as she attempts to speak to the canine. "Reece go stand by the door please," She asks, bored, and I do as she says, interested in seeing how this will play out. She walks over to the door to our room and Vitaly stays sitting in his same spot, staring after her.

"Call him." She demands and I laugh but continue to listen to her. I call after him and she does the same while jumping up and down, and Vitaly obviously moves over to her. She pets him excitedly and stares up at me as if to rub in my defeat as I walk over to the two of them. Faye crawls up the bed and pats the covers but Vitaly doesn't move, staying seated on the floor.

"Up," Faye commands and Vitaly jumps up, lying across her lap and she looks up at me excitedly with her mouth slightly open in surprise. Vitaly only ever really behaves this way with Lexi, as he is trained to do. I climb in as well next to the two of them, grabbing the remote and passing it to Faye to control.

"I knew he would pick me," Faye says with a smirk, not turning her attention from the television and I shake my head.

"You don't think that it had anything to do with the enthusiasm, do you?" I ask, staring at her and she breaks, looking at me and smiling cheekily. Our eyes trace all over each other happily and I move my hand to pet Vitaly. It's fun having him here with us. I think about what pet would be best suited for the two of us. Faye is partial to dogs, so that would be the obvious choice between dogs or cats.

"Do you want to get one?" I ask Faye, looking at her then gesturing with my head down to Vitaly when she gazes at me. Her eyes grow wide and excited as the edges of her full lips turn up happily and she grins. Faye begins to nod rapidly and I nod once with a smile. "Okay, we can look around if you want."

"I want." She bites her lips and squeals excitedly, worrying Vitaly who jumps up in her lap and nuzzles into her even more. She apologizes and pets his golden coat over and over again as she finally settles on a cheesy romance movie, the pretty grin never leaving her face.

"How are you still sick babe?" I ask Faye while I rub her back as she leans over the toilet. She's breathing heavily and I sigh, feeling sorry for her feeling like this. "Do you need anything?" I ask her as she leans back and leans against the bathtub, her face pale and skin clammy. I don't know if it is good or bad that she didn't throw up.

"I'm okay. You can go," She says without making eye contact. Faye turns her head away from me and closes her eyes. I try to read her body language and see her withdrawing from me, leading me to believe that she's embarrassed to have me see her like this.

"Faye. Look at me." I say, lifting her chin up and kneeling down beside her. Her aqua eyes meet mine and I crack a little smile. "You are so beautiful, do you know that?" I tuck her hair behind her ear but she rolls her eyes at me. Shaking my head, I continue: "I'm serious. No matter what state you are in, I have never been more attracted to a human being before, and seeing you sick only helps to convince me that I love you. It humanizes you. You're so intimidatingly beautiful and confident baby." I smile big when I see her eyes light up.

"You're trouble. I wish I could kiss you so—"

I cut her off and place my lips on hers, not giving a fuck about the fact that Faye is sick or not. Her mouth still tastes like oranges from the juice she had this morning and when she moans into the kiss I grab her by her hips and lift her effortlessly onto my lap. Faye's small body fits into mine perfectly and her body melts into mine when I run a hand down her spine, her skin feeling warm through her thin shirt.

We break apart and I rest my forehead against Faye's, sharing the air between us and reveling at the moment. I feel so happy to be near her, and to be able to take care of this girl. I already know that I would do anything for this girl, and I hope to god that she will never push me away again.

In sickness and in health.

I feel that.