Chapter 59: Fruits & Flirts

~“I fell in love with a beautiful girl and she still takes my breath away.” —Alex & Sierra.~

Chapter Theme Song: “I Love You” by Alex & Sierra.

HARMONY

“Feeling better, sweetheart?” Mr. Blake asks, his smile revealing deep dimples that remind me so much of his son.

“Getting there,” I reply, managing a small smile as I lean against the bed.

I glance at Blaze, his face a clear picture of annoyance. ~He really doesn’t hide his feelings about his dad, does he?~

“Don’t let my son’s grumpiness get to you, especially when you’re not feeling well,” Mr. Blake says, shooting a stern look at Blaze, who just rolls his eyes and looks away.

“Is that for me?” I ask, pointing at the clear plastic bag he’s holding.

He nods. “Yes, sweetheart. Just a few snacks. The doctor mentioned you had a fever?”

“Yeah. I’m feeling a bit better now, though.”

“That’s good to hear. I brought you some fruits.” He grins.

Blaze shakes his head, glaring at the bag. “You bought the entire grocery store.”

Mr. Blake just shrugs. “Anything for this princess.”

I smile and take the bag from him. “Thank you.”

I cross my legs as I peek inside, my face lighting up when I see a banana. I love fruits, and I haven’t had many since I started at Homewood.

Blaze sits behind me, sighing as he leans over my shoulder. His breath tickles my neck as he reaches around me to grab an apple from the bag. His dad frowns.

“Put it back.”

Blaze freezes, apple in hand, about to take a bite.

“Put it back, Blaze. It’s not yours. She’s sick, for heaven’s sake. You eat enough as it is.”

I watch nervously as Blaze rolls his eyes and reluctantly puts the apple back.

“Fine. I’ll just take it from her when she’s eating it.”

I choke on my banana, my eyes wide. Blaze just smiles at me. ~Did he really just say that in front of his dad? Okay then.~

“You’re going to give the poor girl a heart attack.” Mr. Blake shakes his head just as the door slides open and my mom rushes in.

~Here comes the overprotective mom.~

“Oh my God, Harmony!”

I can’t help but smile as she wraps me in a tight hug, her eyes closed as she squeezes me a little too hard.

“I was so worried about you.”

I wonder if Blaze told her it was just a mild fever because she’s hugging me like I’ve just been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

But that’s my mom for you. Overprotective to the extreme. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

She pulls back and runs her fingers through my hair. “What happened? How did you get sick?”

Telling her I was at a pool party all weekend would be a death sentence. So, in this case, ~honesty is not the best policy.~

“I just got sick at Homewood. I took a late shower.”

I glance at Blaze, who gives me a small smile at my lie. Mr. Blake seems to catch on but doesn’t say anything, just rubs his jaw quietly.

“Oh. I’m glad you’re okay, Harmony. The doctors said you can leave soon.”

“Okay.” I smile.

She turns to Mr. Blake, her face lighting up. “Hi, thanks for coming.”

He smiles back. “My pleasure. About that thing you wanted me to look into—”

“Oh, yes. Let’s talk over here.” She leads him to a corner of the room, their backs to us as they chat quietly.

I’m not sure what she asked him to look into, but I don’t really care. Adults always find things to talk about. Boring things, usually, but they seem to find it interesting.

As I watch them, I take a bite of my apple. Suddenly, Blaze grabs my face, kisses me, and takes the apple from my mouth with his tongue.

My eyes go wide and my heart flips in my chest.

He laughs at my reaction, chewing the piece of fruit and looking at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Told you I’d take it from your mouth.”

I quickly look at my mom to see if she saw, but she’s engrossed in her conversation. Thank God.

“Blaze...” I can feel my cheeks turning red. “You can’t just do that...”

“Why not?” He grins, and I want to smile because it’s been a while since I’ve seen this side of him.

“Our parents are right there.”

“So? I’d do it in front of your mom.”

~I believe him. He’s crazy enough to do it.~

“Harmony.” My mom turns around, and I jump like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“I’m going to get you checked out, baby,” she says, and I nod.

“Okay.”

She leaves the room, still laughing and talking with Mr. Blake. As soon as the door closes, Blaze pushes me back onto the bed and hovers over me.

~Okay. Wasn’t expecting that.~

I blink up at him, feeling small under his gaze.

“What-what are you doing?”

“What do you think? We weren’t done,” he whispers, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

~Is he out of his mind?~

“Blaze, you can’t...” I gasp as his warm hand sneaks under his T-shirt, making contact with my stomach.

“I can’t what?” he counters, his grin growing wider.

“You can’t do this here; the front desk is just a few steps away and they’ll be back any—”

His hand moves up to my chest, and another gasp escapes me, my heart pounding in response.

“Any what?” he teases, leaning in to brush his lips against mine. “You were in the middle of a sentence.”

“We can’t...” I can’t finish my thought because he’s now teasing one of the sensitive buds on my chest through my thin lace bra. He knows I won’t be able to form words now.

“I think you should take off my T-shirt, green eyes...because I can’t control myself when you’re wearing it.”

His lips lightly touch mine, stirring the dormant desire within me.

“Blaze, we shouldn’t...”

“We shouldn’t what? Your body is telling me you want me to touch you, Harmony.”

I swallow hard. “I-I know...but...we shouldn’t...”

The door starts to open, and I shove him away as quickly as I can as my mom and Mr. Blake walk in.

I’m breathing hard as I scramble to sit up, and Blaze’s cheeks are flushed, but he’s struggling to suppress a smirk.

~He finds this amusing and it’s anything but.~

My mom glances between us, looking puzzled. “Uh, are you kids okay?”

Mr. Blake chuckles, shaking his head with a knowing look. “Haha. Trust me, they’re fine.”