Flirting with Danger Bk 1
Sleighs, Sculptures, and Salsa on Ice p8
“Yeah, I’m sorry I ruined all day for you.” I said as he led me back to the sleigh.
“Well actually, this was it. I was going to drive you around and maybe we could even ride the horses around.” he said.
“You’d have to teach me first.” I said and he smiled.
“I would love that.” he gave me a look that made me giggle. He helped me into the sleigh, but just as I sat down, Alister stopped mid-exhale and fell backwards into my lap.
“Alister!” I yelped in surprise.
Alister looked at me and managed a rasped, “Sorry” before turning to the side and closing his eyes.
“Connelly!” I said, turning to my side, but he wasn’t there.
“Hold onto him, Kota. It’s going to get a little bumpy.” he said and then clicked the reins, leaning forward.
“What?” I asked, because I thought I saw him say something else.
“Nothing.” he said and that was all that was said because we were moving so fast, the wind took my breath away.
So instead, I looked down at Alister, who was either out cold or sleeping. I couldn’t tell. He looked so tired and worn out. His eyes had purple bags under them and his skin had just the slightest tinge of blue. I sighed, brushing his face. He was very sick. We shouldn’t have done this to him. I shouldn’t have let Connelly talk me into this. I thought and felt like the worse person in the world. Even though I knew he couldn’t have died from doing this, I knew that it at least had caused him a lot of pain and that to me, seemed worse.
It took a much shorter time to get to their house than I thought and when we got there, Connelly and I helped Alister into the house. “The couch.” I said and we laid him in the one by the stairs.
“I’m sorry man. I didn’t know it was so bad.” Connelly said, but there was something about how he said it that didn’t sound as meaningful as it should have.
He was leaning over Alister as he opened his eyes. “Where’s Kota?” he asked.
“Kota?” Connelly called, straightening and looking around.
“I’m in here!” I said, putting one of ‘Wyler’s chicken broth cubes’ in a cup of water and putting it in the microwave for a few minutes.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m making something that’ll help Alister.” I said. The microwave beeped and I took the cup out.
I walked back into the living room and over to Alister, who had his eyes closed.
“Alister.” I said and he opened his eyes. “Here, take this.” I held the cup to him. He looked from me to the cup, and then back to me.
“What is it?” he asked.
“It’s chicken broth. It’ll make you feel better.” I said, smiling shyly.
He looked at the cup for a minute, and then said, “I don’t need it. I just need to sleep.” Then he turned his back to me and faced the back of the couch.
“Drink it.” I said, making him face me. He glared at me, but didn’t say anything. He took the cup and drank a little.
“Connelly?” I said, turning towards him.
“Yeah?” he said, standing right behind me.
“Can you get him blanket?” I asked and he nodded, rushing off. I looked back at Alister, who was taking another sip of his broth and we both looked down.
“Thanks.” Alister said. “For the drink.” he looked at me and I smiled and nodded.
“It no big deal.” I said.
“But it is.” he said and I looked at him. “After all that I’ve done to you,” he looked down shamefaced, “you shouldn’t be so nice to me.”
“I wanted to.” I said and he looked up at me.
“Why? I don’t deserve it.” he said, confusion in his eyes.
“I understand why you did those things.” I said.
“That still doesn’t give me any right to do what I did. Please forgive me.” he looked up at me sadly and I was caught off guard by this, by his complete lack of roughness.
It took me a second, but I quickly recovered and smiled at him. “I already have.” I said and he inhaled deeply, looking at me still sadly and then exhaled just as deeply.
“Thank you.” he said, and for the first time since we had met, he smiled at me. He actually smiled, the whole lips upturning, teeth revealing, eye crinkling, smile. I was so stunned, I almost forgot to breathe.
“Kota, are you okay?” he asked, and I blinked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I said and smiled at him. He smiled back and then took another drink.
“This stuff is really good. What is it?” he asked.
“It’s a cube of Wyler’s chicken broth.” I said.
“Well, I’m going to want some more of that in a minute.” he said, a small grin showing around his cup.
I smiled and looked down. “Alister,” I said.
“Yeah?” he said.
“Connelly knew you were sick. Why did he make you do this today? And earlier, when he was apologizing, it didn’t sound like he meant if fully.” I said and looked at him finally.
He sighed and looked down. “He was sorry about it. I could tell that I scared him when I,” he hesitated, “fell asleep.” he looked at me, but I didn’t say anything. “But I think that part of him was getting me back for all the things I’d done to you. And really, even if that wasn’t the case, I would have still had to do it.”
“Because you owe him one.” I said and he nodded, looking down.
“Why do you owe him?” I asked.
“Well, he was the one who got me and Mira together. She hated me when she first met me and Connelly spent days and months trying to get her to even look at me. I was so nervous, but it was worth it in the end. I told him that I owed him so many times over and I meant it.” he said and looked at me for a minute before looking back down.
“Well actually, this was it. I was going to drive you around and maybe we could even ride the horses around.” he said.
“You’d have to teach me first.” I said and he smiled.
“I would love that.” he gave me a look that made me giggle. He helped me into the sleigh, but just as I sat down, Alister stopped mid-exhale and fell backwards into my lap.
“Alister!” I yelped in surprise.
Alister looked at me and managed a rasped, “Sorry” before turning to the side and closing his eyes.
“Connelly!” I said, turning to my side, but he wasn’t there.
“Hold onto him, Kota. It’s going to get a little bumpy.” he said and then clicked the reins, leaning forward.
“What?” I asked, because I thought I saw him say something else.
“Nothing.” he said and that was all that was said because we were moving so fast, the wind took my breath away.
So instead, I looked down at Alister, who was either out cold or sleeping. I couldn’t tell. He looked so tired and worn out. His eyes had purple bags under them and his skin had just the slightest tinge of blue. I sighed, brushing his face. He was very sick. We shouldn’t have done this to him. I shouldn’t have let Connelly talk me into this. I thought and felt like the worse person in the world. Even though I knew he couldn’t have died from doing this, I knew that it at least had caused him a lot of pain and that to me, seemed worse.
It took a much shorter time to get to their house than I thought and when we got there, Connelly and I helped Alister into the house. “The couch.” I said and we laid him in the one by the stairs.
“I’m sorry man. I didn’t know it was so bad.” Connelly said, but there was something about how he said it that didn’t sound as meaningful as it should have.
He was leaning over Alister as he opened his eyes. “Where’s Kota?” he asked.
“Kota?” Connelly called, straightening and looking around.
“I’m in here!” I said, putting one of ‘Wyler’s chicken broth cubes’ in a cup of water and putting it in the microwave for a few minutes.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m making something that’ll help Alister.” I said. The microwave beeped and I took the cup out.
I walked back into the living room and over to Alister, who had his eyes closed.
“Alister.” I said and he opened his eyes. “Here, take this.” I held the cup to him. He looked from me to the cup, and then back to me.
“What is it?” he asked.
“It’s chicken broth. It’ll make you feel better.” I said, smiling shyly.
He looked at the cup for a minute, and then said, “I don’t need it. I just need to sleep.” Then he turned his back to me and faced the back of the couch.
“Drink it.” I said, making him face me. He glared at me, but didn’t say anything. He took the cup and drank a little.
“Connelly?” I said, turning towards him.
“Yeah?” he said, standing right behind me.
“Can you get him blanket?” I asked and he nodded, rushing off. I looked back at Alister, who was taking another sip of his broth and we both looked down.
“Thanks.” Alister said. “For the drink.” he looked at me and I smiled and nodded.
“It no big deal.” I said.
“But it is.” he said and I looked at him. “After all that I’ve done to you,” he looked down shamefaced, “you shouldn’t be so nice to me.”
“I wanted to.” I said and he looked up at me.
“Why? I don’t deserve it.” he said, confusion in his eyes.
“I understand why you did those things.” I said.
“That still doesn’t give me any right to do what I did. Please forgive me.” he looked up at me sadly and I was caught off guard by this, by his complete lack of roughness.
It took me a second, but I quickly recovered and smiled at him. “I already have.” I said and he inhaled deeply, looking at me still sadly and then exhaled just as deeply.
“Thank you.” he said, and for the first time since we had met, he smiled at me. He actually smiled, the whole lips upturning, teeth revealing, eye crinkling, smile. I was so stunned, I almost forgot to breathe.
“Kota, are you okay?” he asked, and I blinked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I said and smiled at him. He smiled back and then took another drink.
“This stuff is really good. What is it?” he asked.
“It’s a cube of Wyler’s chicken broth.” I said.
“Well, I’m going to want some more of that in a minute.” he said, a small grin showing around his cup.
I smiled and looked down. “Alister,” I said.
“Yeah?” he said.
“Connelly knew you were sick. Why did he make you do this today? And earlier, when he was apologizing, it didn’t sound like he meant if fully.” I said and looked at him finally.
He sighed and looked down. “He was sorry about it. I could tell that I scared him when I,” he hesitated, “fell asleep.” he looked at me, but I didn’t say anything. “But I think that part of him was getting me back for all the things I’d done to you. And really, even if that wasn’t the case, I would have still had to do it.”
“Because you owe him one.” I said and he nodded, looking down.
“Why do you owe him?” I asked.
“Well, he was the one who got me and Mira together. She hated me when she first met me and Connelly spent days and months trying to get her to even look at me. I was so nervous, but it was worth it in the end. I told him that I owed him so many times over and I meant it.” he said and looked at me for a minute before looking back down.