TWENTY-TWO

| dedication: shanteena - for that sensual cover |

TWENTY-TWO

- 3 weeks later -

I pushed myself off the bed far too quick causing a shot of dizziness to raid over me. I held the bedpost, trying quickly to regain some momentum before I could let go and start the day.

My eyes scanned around the room I was slowly getting accustomed to. There was a four-poster bed pushed again the wall that was covered in black and white wallpaper. The floor, a dark auburn red wood floor covered the whole house, reflecting light from each chandelier that hung from each room. There were elements of antiqueness roaming around the whole house, with odd, singular pieces placed delicately around each space.

Placing my hand on my head, I slowly let go of the bedpost and walked to the bathroom down the hall. I started humming on my way down, regardless of the faint buzz in my head.

It was three weeks after Palmer got released from the hospital and it was two weeks and four days after I non-officially moved out my home and was staying with Palmer.

I kept telling myself repeatedly that I was here for Palmer's sake but as the days went by and my head was slowly replacing my old life with this new start I wondered if I was here hiding. I was hiding from responsibilities and feelings that came along with my old life. With Palmer, it was continual love and support coming from both ways and I never craved such safety and tranquility before in my life.

I slipped inside the bathroom and quickly did my usual routine, whilst hoping Palmer was still fast asleep. I usually woke up before her and I always went in her room to help her but these past couple of days, I had walked in on her trying to do her own things. Which she failed at doing as predicted.

The constant reminders to Palmer about her Doctor's strict orders flew over her head with no regard whatsoever. The level of stubbornness was unreal with Palmer, to a point where I had to actually sit back and contemplate whether the woman was serious.

I hurried out the bathroom and skipped down the hall to Palmer's room. The lean hallway was covered in pictures, both old and new, both memorial and meaningless. She told me she loved to contrast the two principles together as without one, the other wouldn't be cherished.

I was not going to lie and say it made sense but I was assured that one day, I would understand.

I opened the door to her bedroom, not forgetting to knock incase she wasn't ready for me. When I didn't hear her usual grunt or her soft voice, my eyebrows furrowed and I scanned the room quickly.

The curtains were drawn shut, clouding over the whole room and masking it in darkness. But my eyes could make out Palmer's body laying in bed, her chest heaving up and down at a steady pace with her own eyes shut tightly.

I walked inside quietly, hoping to not disturb her. Standing besides her, I notice her hair wasn't in a hair tie and it lay delicately around her head, a handful of silver linings coating every other strand. She made it look beautiful, envious even to other people who had the misfortunate to lose hair at an old age or face other outcomes.

She was in deep sleep, her breathing slow but steady. Enough to convince me she was okay and just needed a couple of hours of more sleep.

I left her room to get ready for the day, knowing that I had more time than usual. I had been staying with Palmer for nearly two weeks now. It started after she got let out of the hospital and I assigned myself as her twenty-four hour nurse on hand. There were plenty of visitors to come see Palmer and I helped her welcome them. But during the evening, the hours were simply filled with sitting by her fireplace, sipping on any beverage and talking for hours. I spilled out every bean I could possibly have - expect with one major bean that included her niece. Palmer, who was tired but fully awake regardless had listened to every word of mine with no judgement in her eyes.

And then it would be past midnight and into the early hours. Palmer had long gone to sleep but I was still lingering around. And when I found enough willpower to leave her side, Palmer would stop me from passing through the door. And from then on, we silently yet mutually agreed for me to stay with her.

Walking back into my make-shift bedroom, I dropped backwards on the bed and sighed out loud.

The longing that had started to haunt me for the past three weeks appeared again. A fluttery feeling consumed my whole stomach, filling it with excitement that I had no way to release. I longed for my own place, my own life. A life where I wasn't clouded with any judgement or any history that would ruin my whole perspective of life. I wanted to be free and I honestly believed that moving out for university, to a different city would be the next best thing.

"Not long now Ori," I told myself. "Not long."

Those words had become a repeated playlist in my head and I knew that soon, if I overplayed it I would get sick of it and start losing my only pitch of hope.

I pushed myself off the bed and walked to the clothing rail Nolan had bought and put together for me. I insisted I could do it myself and that I didn't need a man in my pretend room. But then it became a crazy thing where Palmer was on my bed with me and we were all laughing at Nolan who pretty much made a fool out of himself.

It was all pretend when it came to Nolan and I knew from the second going he was making a fool out of himself just to hear Palmer's small laugh.

I picked out my outfit and halfway through putting up my jeans I heard a small voice carry from the hallway. "Ori Honey."

I skidded out the bedroom, my feet working quicker than I thought they could just so I could get to Palmer.

I got to her bedroom and was greeted with a grimacing Palmer who was sitting up on her bed. "I hate to bother you," she said in a small voice.

I rushed to her side, my head already furiously shaking. "No, no." I told her. "Palmer, I told you to stop saying stuff like that!"

I picked up her dressing gown and helped her put it on, all the while ignoring her protests. I knew she needed help. Recovering from a heart attack, and the extend of the damage, it would take a while before Palmer would fully recover and be her usual self. She was allowed to take short walks and fortunately her bakery was just around the corner from her house.

"You know-"

"I know," I interjected her quickly, already aware of what she was going to say. I helped her off the bed and grabbed her warm hands, keeping her steady on her feet. "But I'm not going to listen to you like I always don't." I repeated once again like I have been for the past week. Looking down at her, I just about caught the small smile that etched over her face.

***

We sat at the dining table in the kitchen, a hot mug in each of our hands.

Palmer was all dressed and had taken every pill to aid her recovery when conversation turned to a soar topic. Her nephew.

"He wants to see me." Palmer said slowly, testing the words and watching my face carefully. She knew me long enough to know when something bothered me to a certain extent and her nephew sure surpassed it.

I shrugged it off, putting on a careless facade although it was absolutely pointless. The woman sitting before me was as good as reading people as she was good at baking.

I heaved out, my eyes dropping on my hand that had suddenly clung on my mug. My eyes followed the slow whirling of my coffee and the soft steam that came from it. "When?" I asked Palmer slowly.

"In the evening."

I nodded slowly. "I'll be sure to be out."

"Look at me dear." I ignored her request and kept my eyes glued on my hot drink. "Ori." She pressed.

"Can you call me like twenty minutes after he leaves or something?" I asked her. "That way I'll have no chance of bumping into him around the area."

"Ori." She said again.

I inhaled, sucking in fake courage before I looked up at her. She was staring at me with soft eyes, with her head tilted only to a small angle, allowing to get her point across precisely.

"I know you're avoiding him for something he has done and not to give us privacy like you claim so."

I shook my head at her, tugging on my own web of lies and hoping it would stay intact. "No, you're wrong there Palmer. We're not friends so I wouldn't want to hang around and pretend I'm comfortable around him."

Palmer carried on holding my gaze. "You're not comfortable around him because he made it like that."

It took everything in me to not jump up and scream "yes!"

"No, he hasn't done a thing." I lied once again. I lifted up my mug and took a sip, welcoming the taste of coffee in the back of my throat.

It was then when I heard a knock at the front door. I smiled at Palmer before getting up to answer the door.

I had my mug still in my hand when I opened the door and was greeted with being pulled into Nolan's arms. I let out small yelp, holding the mug far away from Nolan so it wouldn't spill on him.

"Nolan I have a mug in my hand!"

He pulled back slowly, this time more aware of the consequences if he made quick sudden moves again. When he was far away from me, he grinned and shot me a wink. "Morning." He drawled out the word, his eyes dropping low.

I rolled my eyes at him, aware of his usual antics that he constantly pulled in order to aggravate me. He closed the door behind him and followed me back in the kitchen.

Nolan has been a constant figure these past few weeks, always at hand to help Palmer or to just keep us company. It didn't take long for us to get used to him and soon enough we came to enjoy his presence tremendously.

"Nolan!" Palmer beamed at the six foot man strolling causally after me. He stood by her side and leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"How's your morning going?" He asked her.

Palmer treated him with her comical side this morning, at the price of my embarrassment. "Started off well until Ori came running into my room with her zipper half done up."

Nolan's eyebrows arched up in question and I face planted my head in my open palms, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. I tried my best to ignore their boisterous laughter all the while trying to fight my own smile. It was always great to hear Palmer laugh especially just weeks ago where she couldn't even breathe without a few stumbles.

"I think it's time to go," I decided to cut their laughing to a short. Pushing off my seat and drowning the last bit of my coffee, I motioned for Nolan to help Palmer up.

"My car is parked right by the door." Nolan told us and as soon as I heard his words, my gaze snapped to Palmer and sure enough she was glaring at Nolan.

He nonchalantly ignored her, and slowly helped her off her seat.

"I'm not moving out the door and straight into your car," she told Nolan sternly. Nolan ignored her again and led her out her house. I scrambled after them, making sure everything was fine and that all lights were off. I locked the door and turned around to see Nolan carefully managing to get a protesting Palmer into his car.

Ever since he became our self-proclaimed designated driver, he had changed his slick car to a much decent one that allowed for a safe drive. I noted how it had four doors and spacious seating so Palmer did not have to feel constricted in any way even though the drive was less than five minutes.

"Everyday I tell you I don't want to get inside your car and everyday you practically shove me inside." I caught the end of Palmer's protests as I sat inside the passengers seat. Nolan was helping her with the seatbelt and that got him a hard slap on his hand.

"Don't you dare," she warned him. I had to let out a small laugh because even I knew he was just pulling at her strings especially when it came to helping her with the seatbelt.

When he came to sit in his seat, I looked over at him and caught the wide grin plastered on his face. "Will you ever stop being so annoying?" I asked him over my own laugher.

"I don't think so." He replied back, quickly looking back over his shoulder at Palmer. "You alright there chef?"

I looked back as well and watched as Palmer managed to turn her back on us both.

A knock came by Nolan's window and we all turned to see a smirking Thomas peering inside. He opened the door behind Nolan and got in next to Palmer. He too, greeted Palmer with a kiss on her forehead and in return she smiled up at him warmly.

"How you doing?" He asked her.

"Doing great lovely," she answered him. "Except those two sitting at the front especially the one with the really long hair and charming smile are really pushing it."

Thomas waved his hand at us, "ah you should ignore those fools."

Nolan smiled at those words before he fired his own to fight back. "We just really care and want the best for you." He told Palmer, hitting the bullseye neatly.

I heard Palmer's exaggerated sigh before motioning for Nolan to drive to her bakery.

***

It was only two minutes after we were inside the bakery that I realised I left Palmer's medicines on the table.

"For freaks sake," I cursed under my breath.

Everyone turned to me, shooting me weird looks.

"What is it?" Thomas asked.

"I left Palmer's medicine on the table. I'll go back and quickly fetch them."

"Want a lift back?" Nolan offered.

I shook my head at him. "It's not far away. Just help Palmer set up stuff before she opens."

Palmer opened her mouth to speak but Thomas was quick to deter her from her by putting his arm around her shoulder and slowly pulling her into the back room. "Show me how you work the magic." I heard him say as Nolan followed behind closely.

I walked the short distance from the bakery to Palmer's house and just like I had said, it took me less than five minutes.

I opened the front door and walked back inside the quiet house. From the hallway I could already partially see into Palmer's kitchen and I already spotted the bag filled with her medicine. I walked into the kitchen, grabbed the back off the table and just as swiftly turned back around.

Only to catch Link standing right by the door and watching me.

I physically felt my heart jump and the bag I had in my hand dropped to the floor. My whole body froze, immobilised by the shock that struck me.

My breathing came to a halt up until my lungs were screaming for air and it wasn't for a while before I had enough control back to allow for a sharp intake of air.

Link's eyes travelled down to the bag that lay by my feet and he looked at it for a minute long before his eyes travelled back to me.

It was eerily quiet between us and the tension that fell above us nearly suffocated me. It had been three weeks that I didn't see him, after those words he spoke to me. I swallowed loudly and miraculously managed to put up a brave front and be the first to speak up.

"You have to stop sneaking up at me like this." I told him straight up. I could count on two hands how many times he had sneaked up at me and scared me shitless. It didn't occur to me that somehow he might enjoy, catching the quick fear that would always appear on my face at the surprised sight of him until it started to become a frequent occurrence.

"I don't get why you're looking after my aunt," he said slowly.

My ears couldn't believe what he had said and it literally took everything inside me to not explode and attack him straight on. Acting on impulse would leave me in harm's way and I had no intention to be in any kind of way when that way involved Link.

"I'm here for her as a friend." I told him, although I didn't have to justify myself.

"A camping friend?" He fired back, gesturing upstairs.

I fisted my hand, fuming at his words. I leaned down and furiously snatched the bag off the floor, telling myself that the best thing I could do was to ignore Link and leave this place.

I stalked over to the door and tried to get past him without touching him. I was stopped when he grabbed my elbow and tugged me back into the kitchen.

"Wait Ori," he sighed.

I jerked out his hand, my eyes stretching into slits as I glared up at him. "Don't you ever touch me." I spat at him.

He sighed once again and dropped his hand. "Look, I'm sorry okay?"

My head visibly reared back at his words. "What?" I breathed out.

Link ran his fingers through his hair a few times before he answered me. "I didn't come here to be mean." He told me, enlightening me with the reason for his unwelcome visit. He clamped his teeth on his bottom lip so hard I feared he would draw blood.

He breathed out, running agitated fingers through his hair again.

I breathed in, preparing for another blow he was most likely going to throw on me.

"I came for a truce."

****

> he's back with his sorry ass