08/06/12

War of emotions.

            Victoria woke up with a wet cloth on her forehead and a sleeping Nichkhun on the edge of her bed. Surprised to see him there, she let out a scream that startled Nichkhun awake. Rubbing his eyes, Nichkhun blinked a few times to wake himself up. “What happened?”

            “What are you doing here?” Victoria demanded.

            Nichkhun looked at her weirdly, like she asked a stupid question. But like the saying says, there’s no such thing as a stupid question. “You’re sick.”

            “Yes, I know I’m sick. That was a stupid answer,” Victoria said with an annoyed voice. “But why aren’t you getting ready to go?”

            “We’re not going anywhere today,” Nichkhun answered. “You’re sick, and you’re in no condition to ride.”

            Victoria got even more annoyed. “Is that for you to decide? I don’t think so.”

            She raised herself up from her bed quickly, but unfortunately, too quickly. Her temples throbbed, forcing her to lie back down.

            Nichkhun put his hand on her shoulder to keep her from moving. “I didn’t decide. The advisors and the doctor did. And I think they are right. You can’t take the heat right now.”

            Frustrated, Victoria knocked his hand out of the way and slowly got up. She looked back at him, triumphant. “See, I can take it. Now let me go.”

            Nichkhun let out a cry, looking away. He looked back at her with reproachful eyes. “Why can’t you just let people take care of you, for God’s sake?! You know, everybody in the camp is worried about you, and your horrible attitude isn’t making it any better!”

            Victoria was about to repudiate when she realized that there was no good counter argument. She crossed her arms and looked away. They were about to repeat their last conversation, and she knew that he’ll win again. Sighing loudly, she threw her arms in the air and said, “Fine! Fine, I’ll stay here and rest. Happy?”

            Nichkhun half smiled. “Very.”

            Tucking herself back into bed, Victoria allowed Nichkhun to place the wet cloth back on her forehead. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

                        ::::::::

            Victoria felt like she was in a sauna when she woke up. Her face and neck were all sweaty, and her hair was damp. She opened her eyes, and she saw Nichkhun taking a wash cloth to wipe her face. She closed her eyes again and felt the cloth gently wiping the sweat off her face and neck. She opened her eyes again and saw that Nichkhun’s nose was around four inches away from her own. She didn’t know why she did it, but on a sudden impulse, Victoria raised herself up on her elbows and touched her lips with his.

            Surprisingly, he kissed back. Victoria’s stomach swarmed with butterflies. A tingling sensation travelled from the top of her head to the bottom of her toes. Her heart was working for no apparent reason. She softly kissed him and played with his top lip for a few seconds. Somehow, things were so… peaceful.

            Victoria’s eyes opened wide. Realizing what she was doing, Victoria pulled back quickly and got out of bed, heading towards the door with her heart still pounding and her mind completely jumbled.

            “Wait,” Nichkhun caught her arm. The tingling sensation came back again, this time, starting from her arm. The feeling was utterly unwelcomed.

            “DON’T TOUCH ME!” Victoria quickly pulled back her arm and faced him with a bewildered face. Nichkhun stared at her for a moment with hurt eyes. Victoria felt her heart was about to break.

            “Damn it,” they both said simultaneously. Victoria felt a soul seep into her body and take control of her actions. She felt herself stepping toward Nichkhun and touched his face with her hands.

            Wait, what? Victoria realized that something was different. Nichkhun rested his hands on her waist and pulled her toward him even more. They kissed. And Victoria felt something. She felt something. She felt as if her stomach and throat were being cut, as if the only way to keep herself alive was to keep on kissing him. It was the only way to keep herself intact.

             Her heart was throbbing in her head. She felt his lips on hers, caressing them, as if to make sure that she was safe. Victoria tried to beg her past life to stop or else she wouldn’t be able to handle it anymore.

            They finally separated, and Victoria found tears on her cheeks. ‘Nichkhun’ put his hands on her cheeks and used his thumbs to wipe away the tears. His right hand crept up to her forehead and rubbed his thumb over one spot. That probably was the place where my past life’s birthmark was, Victoria thought.

            He tilted her head down and used his lips to brush over the invisible mark on her forehead. Victoria wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him like it was the end of the world. ‘Nichkhun’ slowly placed his arms around her shoulders.

            They were hugging like that for the next few minutes. When Victoria finally gained control of her body again, she let go of his waist and tried to pull back. But for some reason, Nichkhun still had his arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Victoria thought it was kind of weird. They usually regained control of their bodies at the same time. “Nichkhun?”

            He immediately pulled back and let go of her shoulders. But he looked at her with the hurt look that he had on before. His eyebrows furrowed, and his mouth scrunched together, illustrating a feeling of pain. Victoria felt raw on the inside. and heart constricted, and she felt tears forming in her eyes. Nichkhun walked towards the door and went out, slamming it behind him. Victoria blinked, and two tears fell down.