Royally Not Ready(82)

“You already said sorry, and I’m not about to watch you dry-heave some more.”

I take her into her room, lay her down on her bed, and then spread out my supplies.

“You’re all grumbly,” she says as I unwrap a butterfly strip to close up her cut. “Am I in trouble?”

“No, Lilly.”

“Then why are you acting like I’m in trouble?”

“I’m not acting like you’re in trouble, I’m just trying to calm down. A lot happened in thirty seconds and I’m trying to process it all.” She’s right. Had Brimar not reacted as quickly as he did, the scissors would’ve impaled his eye. Thank fuck he’s as agile as he is. I take a deep breath, clean her wound, stop the bleeding, and then place the butterfly bandage on her forehead. It’s going to bruise. Hopefully, makeup will cover it. I check the back of her head and can feel a small lump forming. I’ll need to watch that.

“I see . . . do you think I’m a criminal? Because if you do, I need to tell you, it’s not in my nature to stab people. That’s the first time I’ve ever punctured anyone. I mean, there was that one time in seventh grade when I accidentally poked Basil, a kid in my class, with a paperclip, and when I say accidentally, I mean on purpose, because he said his boobs were bigger than mine, and he was flat-chested. So, I opened up a paperclip, and as he walked by, I jabbed, but I didn’t puncture his skin, only snagged his favorite sweater, which was more of a win, because it created an irreparable hole. But I swear I’m not a criminal.”

“I know, Lilly.”

“Truly an accident, so no need to be grumbly.”

“I’m not,” I say in a grumbly tone as I stand from the bed. “Now don’t fucking move, do you hear me?”

“Where are you going? You say you’re not grumbly but you still sound grumbly.”

“I have to go take a shower. You threw up on my back, remember?”

“Like I said, that’s not my brand. I don’t throw up on backs. Toilets, yes. Trash cans, absolutely. Perhaps the gutter on the side of a street? A few times. And then there was one moment where I threw up on Carmichael’s history book, but that’s because I was going to throw up on his art project and he stuck his history book under me before I could. But backs . . . no.”

I walk away. “Just stay put.”

Once in the bathroom, I slip out of my clothes and step into the tub. Unable to scrub my own back, I dribble some body wash over my back and then turn on the water and do the best I can, washing the soap off and attempting to scrub myself. It’s a quick shower, I’m in and out, drying off quickly and returning to my bedroom, where I throw on a simple black T-shirt and sweatpants.

When I return to Lilly’s bedroom, she hasn’t moved, and the only thing different from when I left is that she’s humming while dancing her fingers across her stomach. When she spots me, she smiles sheepishly. “Now that I think about it, I believe I might’ve thrown up on your back.”

Christ, this woman.

Shaking my head and trying not to smile from how ridiculous she is, I sit on the edge of her bed and cup her cheek softly.

“You’re such a pain in my ass.”

She chuckles. “Did I scare you?”

“What do you think?”

She taps her chin. “Hmm, well, given your grumpy disposition and the fact that you don’t like to show your true feelings, I’m going to say yes.”

“Yes, you scared me. Seeing you pass out like that . . . is not something I want to see again.”

“Awww, Keller, you care about me.” She pokes my stomach playfully.

“Yeah, I do, so don’t fucking scare me like that.” I connect my forehead with hers and press a small kiss to the tip of her nose.

She loops her hand around my neck, holding me in place. “It’s cute when you’re all grumbly and scared. I like you fussing over me.”

“Yeah, well, no more passing out, and no more puking on my back. You’re hot, Lilly . . . but not that hot to forgive a second round of that shit.”

She laughs and then says, “Oh shit, I need to brush my teeth.”

“I was going to mention that . . .”

“Are you saying my breath stinks?”

“Let’s just say it’s not minty fresh.”

Her hand clamps over her mouth, her eyes wide. “Oh my GOD! Ew, don’t look at me, I’m hideous.”

I chuckle some more and help her up from the bed. With her arm looped through mine, I help her into the bathroom and assist her in brushing her teeth. Once she’s “freshened up,” I bring her back to the bed, where I gently lay her down.

“I’m going to go check on Brimar. You stay here, get some rest.”

“I want to check on him too.”

“Lilly, don’t make me fight you over this. You hit your head again. You need to take a second to just relax.”

“But I want to see if he’s okay.”

“You will in a bit, just relax for now.”

“Fine, but only because the thought of walking down the stairs at the moment feels exhausting, not because you told me to stay here.”

“At least you’re honest.” I start to walk away, but she clears her throat.

“Uh, excuse me?”