Page 18 of Beautifully Broken

Conrad

Once Enid returns from her bath, she seems a little more refreshed, although she still dons deep purple eye bags. Rather than putting her clothes on, she opted for one of my spare Manta shirts. It swallows her whole.

“How was your bath?” I ask, opening my arms for her as she slides into my arms. Her head gently falls onto my shoulder, and she lets out a deep breath.

“Honestly, better but ready for bed.”

“Well, get some rest. I’ve got Mace.”

“Thank you. I refuse to let a hockey God get the flu, though, so please wear a mask into his room.” She chuckles lightly.

“Always, now sleep. Please.” I punctuate my point with a kiss to the top of her head and let my hand run gently up and down her back until her breaths even out.

When Mace wakes up thirty minutes later vomiting, I take him toast and Gatorade while donning a mask just as Enid asked.

I settle back next to Enid, letting my eyes close. It feels like I’ve barely been sleeping when her phone starts ringing on the bedside table.

“Mace?” Her voice is quiet, trying not to wake me. “Shhh, buddy. Okay, I’ll be right there.”

I slide out of bed with her, “What happened?”

“Mace got sick… Everywhere. You don’t have to handle this one.”

“It’s okay, Bubbles. Let me help.”

We work quickly and efficiently while Mace goes and showers. Enid takes all of the sheets and his clothes into the laundry room while I take the garbage out of the house so the stench doesn’t stay.

Once our hands are thoroughly cleaned, we snuggle back into bed. Enid’s sniffles begin to fill the silence in the dark room .

“Baby, what’s going on?”

“Just when I fell asleep, we had to spend an hour cleaning up vomit. And… And I’m so exhausted. Fuck the flu for existing. Who thought it was a necessary evil?” She buries herself deeper into my chest as she cries.

“Shhh… It’s okay. Everyone is okay. Go back to sleep. It’ll be okay.” I console her, pulling her so close she might as well be ingrained into my skin.

Only after she finally calms down, do I let sleep take me for the night.

***

Bright light assaults my eyes when I adjust my head, and my body is abnormally warm. What the fuck. Why is it this bright in my bedroom? Why am I so hot?

Creaking my eyes open, I notice soft, brown curls splayed across my bare chest, and soft snores radiating from Enid's mouth. I wasn’t planning on falling asleep here, but she needed me and I needed her. My haunting thoughts didn’t keep me up last night with her body wrapped around mine.

Leaving her to rest… I gently unwrap myself, a sweet moan leaving her lips as she readjusts to make herself comfortable.

I creep out of her room, throwing my T-shirt over my head as I go, seeking sustenance.

When I enter the open area that houses the living area and kitchen, I’m instead greeted by a fuming but much better-looking Mace.