Page 71 of Protective Love

"I missed you too."

Relief washes over me at her admission, and I lean down to kiss her, but as my lips brush against hers, she pulls back and shakes her head.

"We shouldn't," she says, glancing at the door again as she steps away from me.

"Okay…" I watch her as she sits in the chair beside my bed with her Kindle. "Is everything okay, Aurora?"

Her eyes meet mine for a moment before she looks away again.

"Yeah."

She speaks so quietly that I struggle to hear her.

"That's a lie," I state, shaking my head and taking her Kindle from her so she'll focus on me instead. "Something's going on, and I want to know what it is."

She sighs, and her lips twist as she begins to chew on the inside of her cheek – something she does whenever she's anxious, or afraid.

"Hey, I'm not going to be mad," I tell her, sitting on the edge of my bed and pulling her hands into my lap. "I just want to know what's going on so that I can try and help you figure it out."

"I just don't think we should carry on how we are while you're still at the hospital as a patient of mine."

Pain slashes across my chest, and I'm pretty sure if she was looking at me right now, she'd see the hurt written across my face.

"Is there a reason for that?" I ask, trying to keep my voice even and steady.

"I just think that we should wait until you're out of the hospital for us to continue how we are. I'm still worried about being caught, and I also want you to focus on your recovery while you're here."

I muse over what she's saying, and although it makes sense, I still have a gut-feeling that there's something more to this.

"Okay, that's fine. I can respect that."

She looks up at me in surprise, and I'm convinced my heart melts inside my chest as I see a hint of sadness on her face.

"I just think we've been a little careless, that's all. Maybe we should dial it down a little with the physical displays of affection for now, just in case."

"If you need some time and space, then—"

"No," she interjects, shuffling forward in her seat and squeezing my hands. "I'm still going to be spending my time with you, and I certainly don't want any space from you. I just think we'll save the kissing, the cuddling, and all that jazz for when we're not at my place of work."

I watch her for a few beats, analysing her face, and her behaviour, but when she gives me a reassuring smile, I choose to let it rest and nod my head.

"Okay, that's fine, darling. I do have something to say, though."

Her brows raise in curiosity.

"Please never say 'physical displays of affection' and 'all that jazz' again. You sound like my aunt."

She laughs as I exaggerate a cringe.

"You wanna hear about more of this book?" she asks, settling into a comfortable position and nodding towards her Kindle beside me.

"Yeah, sure."

I hand her the Kindle and then scoot onto my bed.

After nights of having her cuddled up beside me while we go through the motions of our nightly routine, the bed feels empty and strange now without her in it with me.

As much as I'd love to have her head resting on my chest while she reads and talks to me about the book, I settle for watching her instead, and the sound of her soothing voice gradually begins to relax me as I drift off to sleep.