When The Sun Came Up, You Were Gone

A Bond(2)

I changed into the clothes he laid out for me, which weren't exactly fitting. It was a nurse gown, scrubs I believe. Noah went to wash his hair after I kept pestering him to do so. I was now wearing gloves, a mask and tucked my hair into a cap... just to be sure. I was currently waiting for him in his fort, trying my hardest not to freak out over earlier. How could I just reach out and touch him? Did I just momentarily forget he's sick? What the hell?

"Put in any movie," he came over, completely covered. He had a new mask, a chicken this time, "I kinda want to watch a horror movie, but I'm good with whatever you want to watch. I'll go grab snack, be right back." When he scurried off, I went through his movies. It seemed that no one but him is home, which is odd. I was expecting him to be swarmed by them since he just got out of the hospital. "What movie did you pick?"

"Chainsaw Massacre," I popped it in, Noah coming back into the fort with popcorn and cookies, "this is new."

"My sister is on her period so mom bought her this," he handed me a bowl, pouring some of it into my bowl, "she gets grumpy if she doesn't have something sweet while she's bleeding." I chuckled, thinking he's an oddball. I leaned back against the comfy couch, Noah huddled all the blankets around him. He looked like a caterpillar, one that was way too fat!

I wasn't really interested in the movie. I've seen it a million times due to my siblings. Yawning, I closed my eyes for a moment, letting myself get comfy. In about an hour or two I should back home. Everyone will be out of school by then and leaving Owen in charge is just dangerous.

"Dominic?" I looked over to the caterpillar, "Can I ask you something... something personal?"

"Sure."

He lingered for a bit, but took a deep breath, "Is touching others nice?" I was taken back by his sudden question, shocked he would ask such a thing. "When I was diagnosed, I was okay with not being touched. For the longest time it was nice. I didn't have unwanted hugs and had excuses to be away from people. It felt amazing," he shifted a bit, "but... but the more time passes and the closer I get to... I started to hate it. I miss being able to hug my mom and sister. I miss high fives and getting accidently bumped by my peers. I miss running around outside with short sleeves and shorts, rolling down grassy hills and catching butterflies to make Kendra happy. I miss eating all types of foods and being able to walk wherever I want. It's starting to feel like I'm stuck, a kid actually trapped in a bubble."

"It is nice," I whispered, his head turning to me, "though I get annoyed when people I don't like touch me or when I have to hug family members I could careless about, it's still nice." Our eyes locked, making my skin crawl, "Its great to hug our loved ones, to touch nature and do things that excite us, but I think the best thing about touch isn't the actual touching part. It's about the bond or connection you have with people."

"Bond?"

I chuckled, "Like when you hug your sister, you feel a sense of relief. When you hold hands with your parents when you were small, you felt strong. Embracing the person you are attracted to or maybe are in love with thrills you. To me, the connection means so much more than the actual touch."

"'... the connection means so much ore than the actual touch'," he repeated. He twisted his body so he could sit up, leaning a bit closer to me but remained a good four or five feet, "So what kind of connection do I have with you?"

"Huh?"

"Earlier," his eyes were different, something I couldn't read, "it felt really nice when you touched my head, I was... I was really happy. It's been a long time since someone has touched me." He looked... he was on fire. The warmth from him was burning me, though he wasn't even touching me. It was like he was a flame letting off heat, heat that was just... just making me yearn for more, "So what kind of connection do I have with you? What is our bond?"