forum Hold me closer, tiny dancer (o/o) (Closed)

Started December 20, 2021 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

Rowan flushed and held up his hands. "I-I'm just saying you shouldn't be so down on yourself all the time! You've got a lot to be proud of. Agh, that doesn't help, um…"

Eve arched her eyebrows in amusement. "While I thank you and your efforts to make me feel better, I know that things such as not being good enough for med school and falling into "borderline alcoholic" territory aren't things my parents are necessarily proud of me for."

"But you're really good at what you do! You're good at all sorts of things, and it doesn't matter how your parents feel about it, right? You can't define yourself by only your negative traits." Rowan insisted.

"Right," Eve murmured, but it didn't take a genius to see she didn't believe him. "I'm going to jump in the shower if that's okay with you."

"Ah, right, yeah… that's fine." Rowan replied awkwardly. "I'll make some food or something, I dunno…"

Eve nodded. "Okay." She went into her room, shut the door, and reemerged moments later with only a towel wrapped around her and her clothes in her hand.

Rowan looked up when he heard the door, and flushed upon seeing Eve. He quickly averted his eyes and returned to making the food, his heart pounding hard in his chest.

Eve noticed his look and couldn't help but smirk. "Sorry. My robe is still in the washroom, I forgot it last time." However, she didn't plan on standing in the open much longer for him to stare, so she headed down the hall to the shower.

"S'fine…" Rowan mumbled dismissively in reply, keeping his eyes firmly on the food. After a while, he tried to take the pot off the head with his bad wrist. He hissed in pain and dropped the pot, which clattered loudly on the floor.

It only took a few seconds for the shower water to stop running, the door to open, and bare feet to hit the floor. Eve hurried into the kitchen – wrapped in a towel, hair wet, and a panicked look on her face. "What happened?" she demanded. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine! I'm fine, I'm just… stupid. Grabbed the pot with my sprained wrist and dropped it like an idiot." Rowan sighed, trembling a bit as he cradled his injured wrist with his good hand. He glanced over to Eve and flushed again, quickly looking away for her privacy as he had done before.

She let out a dramatic sigh of relief, clutching her heart as she did so. "All I heard was a loud crash, and my heart stopped beating for a moment. Are you positive you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine… sorry for scaring you." Rowan leaned against the counter, still clutching his wrist close to his chest. He was clearly much more wary of using it for anything now. "Um… I should probably get this cleaned up."

"I think it would be best if you just went to your room and rested for a bit," Eve said decidedly. "When I'm finished with my shower, I can make dinner."

"But I really shouldn't leave all of this here… I'd feel bad making you clean it up. I'm the one who made the mess, after all." Rowan bent to start trying to clean up what he'd spilled.

Eve sighed and shook her head. "You know what would make me feel bad? Knowing you cleaned everything up and made me dinner when you're clearly – temporarily – injured. Please, go rest. I'll be out soon."

"Alright, alright, fine…" Rowan finally relented, although he had still picked up the pot to put back on the counter. "I'll go." He reluctantly turned and left the kitchen to go and rest in his room for a while.

"Thank you!" Eve chirped over her shoulder, hurrying back to the shower, and a few moments later, the water started again.

Rowan curled up on his bed, feeling exhausted from the events of the day. It didn't take him long to pass out on top of his covers, still in his clothes from the day.

Eve's shower was soon done, and she changed into a tank top and shorts before heading to the kitchen to pick up where Rowan left off.

Rowan was still asleep in his room, his hair and clothes a mess. He still had the brace on, as well, and he seemed a little bit uneasy in his sleep.

Eve pulled her hair into a bun and struggled to figure out what exactly Rowan had been trying to make before she'd dismissed him. Hoping to ask him, she headed over to his room, but she stopped short when she saw he was sleeping.

Rowan yawned and curled up a bit tighter on his bed with his arms held close to his chest. He occasionally hummed weakly in his sleep, but was otherwise quiet.

Eve leaned against the doorframe for a moment and watched him with gentle eyes. This boy… her once-enemy… was now the person she was without a doubt falling for. It seemed impossible, but Rowan just… understood her.

After a minute or so, Rowan started to stir and groan softly. He coughed weakly and opened his eyes blearily, trying to push himself up, but quickly collapsing back onto the bed since his injured wrist couldn't support his weight.

Eve quickly entered the room to support him. "Take it easy," she encouraged.

Rowan looked over his shoulder tiredly to see Eve, too drowsy to stop her from helping him sit up properly. "Mmnh… how long have I been asleep…?"

"About half an hour," Eve replied. "How is your wrist feeling?"

"Hurts… I should probably take some Tylenol or something." Rowan yawned and rubbed at his eyes with his good hand.

"Let me grab you some," Eve suggested. "I'll be right back." She headed out to the kitchen, and after a moment of drawers opening and shutting followed by the sounds of water running from the faucet, Eve returned with a bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water. "Here."