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

Started December 20, 2021 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

"Ah, alright…" Rowan waited quietly and patiently for Eve to return, and thanked her softly when she did so. He swallowed the pills and sighed, shuddering as they slid down his throat.

"You're going to be fine," Eve promised and placed her hand on top of Rowan's. "I promise."

"Yeah, I know. It's just a sprain. I'll be fine." Rowan smiled softly and drank some more of the water.

Eve smiled back, but it was fleeting as she stood up. "Alright, um… dinner." She left quickly.

"Ah, can I help? Or do I have to stay here?" Rowan called out.

"Nope, you stay!" Eve called back from the kitchen. "I can do this!"

No, she couldn't. No one in her high school had ever failed cooking class until she'd taken it.

"Fiiiine!" Rowan whined back, flopping down on his bed. He had no idea that Eve couldn't cook, of course, so he figured she would be fine on her own if she really didn't want his help.

It didn't take long for the panic to set in with Eve. She rushed around the kitchen trying to find something – anything – to assemble. She settled on spaghetti since all she had to do was boil it. While heating up the pot and putting the noodles in the boiling water, her thumb brushed the hot rim, and she yelped with pain. "Ah, damn it!"

Rowan occupied himself with his phone for a few minutes, electing to ignore the mild crashing noises from the kitchen, but he looked up when he heard Eve yelp. "Eve? You good?" He called out from his room.

Tears stung in her eyes as a reflex to the burn, and she pushed her hand into her chest. "Yes!" she replied, inhaling sharply.

"I don't believe youuuu…" Rowan got to his feet and headed out of his room to the kitchen. "What did you do to yourself now?"

Hearing his voice getting closer, Eve whirled around. "Nothing," she said with a very unconvincing wince of pain.

"Still don't believe you. C'mon, lemme see." Rowan came closer to Eve, trying to figure out how she'd hurt herself.

Eve sighed and reluctantly showed him the burn that was turning redder and redder by the second.

Rowan sighed as well and led her over to the sink, turning it on and then holding her hand out under the water. "Just hold it there for a bit. Then you'll want to make sure you keep it moisturized and covered if you can."

Eve hissed between her teeth and she winced. “Sorry,” she muttered.

"It's fine. I burn myself sometimes too. You gotta be careful, alright?" Rowan left Eve at the sink and fetched some burn cream from the cabinet.

Eve nodded and looked away. She didn’t want Rowan to see the withheld tears in her eyes.

Rowan returned with the burn cream and gently took Eve's hand, carefully drying it off so he could apply the cream.

Eve noticed how soft his hand was and how gently he handled her wound. She smiled shyly.

Once the cream was on, he put a bandage over the wound with a soft sigh. "There, that should be a bit better."

Eve laughed quietly. "Thank you, Dr. Rowan."

"Maybe I should've gone to medical school too." Rowan laughed softly. "I doubt I'd last half as long as you."

Eve lowered her head briefly. "No, you would make it." Her voice was filled with an odd mix of emotions. "You would."

Rowan shrugged. "I don't have the right kind of drive. And I'm not very smart… I wouldn't be very good."

"You are smart," Eve insisted, looking at Rowan with pained eyes. "You would make the right decisions, and you would do fine."

Rowan shrugged again, not convinced. "I dunno… it doesn't matter much anyway. I don't especially want to be a doctor, I don't think."

Eve nodded slowly. "It's hard," she whispered, underlying emotions tugging at her voice as she spoke.

Rowan nodded a bit, noticing that Eve was getting upset. "Um… how about we finish making dinner now, yeah?" He suggested in an attempt to change the subject.

"I can make dinner," Eve interjected. "You rest."