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It was a Tuesday. The only day Nilou didn't have work, but too many classes. She was in her last class. She missed her girlfriend’s touch and her sweet voice. They had been texting here and there between classes, but the redhead hadn't seen her lover on the campus. Normally, they'd run into each other at least a few times. 30 more minutes and she could go back to her shared apartment with her sweet Layla.
The apartment was small and only had one bedroom, a small living room and even smaller kitchen. They didn't need too much space anyway. It was just the two of them and they didn't have people over often. It was way better than staying in dorm rooms.
Nilou was majoring in art, and Layla was an astronomy major. They were both in their second year and working part-time jobs to support each other.
The last 30 minutes felt like a lifetime. But it was finally over. Nilou gathered her stuff and rushed out of the door. It was almost like she was a bird let out of a cage. She was free and on her way home.
That is, until her phone rang. It was Kaveh, her childhood friend. They lived in the same neighborhood and went to the same school. Basically grew up together.
He wouldn't normally call. They mostly talked through text. When he did call you knew it was something important. But that doesn't make her any less annoyed.
"What do you want, Kaveh? I'm tired and I want to go home to my girlfriend," she said as she walked in the hallways, approaching the exit.
"Nilou I'm going insane, can we meet up please?" The blonde didn't give her the chance to reply as he spoke again, "meet me at the cafeteria in 10. our usual spot." He hung up.
The bird was chained down. The feeling of freedom lasted exactly 3 minutes.
With a sigh, she turned around on her heel and headed to the appointed place to meet her friend. A few more minutes. She can go home after they talk. This is fine.
As the redhead walked into the cafeteria, she spotted kaveh sitting at their usual table, chewing on the straw of his drink.
The latter noticed her and perked up. If he had a tail, you would see it wagging furiously behind him.
'Alright. Let's get this over with,' the redhead thought to herself.
______
"-- and he is so ANNOYING!"
This had been going on for at least 45 minutes now. Kaveh had been complaining about his new roommate. His name was Alhaitham and he had recently transferred here. It didn't take him very long to become the new prodigy.
"Last time you called a boy annoying, I caught you making out with him in my parent's bedroom at my 15th birthday party." She deadpanned at the flabbergasted blonde.
"That is not what this is about!" (A pathetic attempt at denial.)
"Listen, you're handsome and an idiot. If you like him, just ask him out." She leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms. "Can I please go home now? I'm exhausted and I miss Layla. I haven't seen her all day."
"Fine! Fine. You win. You're free to go home, you traitor," he said with a fake pout.
"I love you too babe!" said Nilou sarcastically as she jumped off her seat and ran out the door.
♡♡♡
"Aziz! I'm finally home~!" The redhead sang as she entered their little home. The living room was dark to her surprise. Layla should be home by now, considering her last class was 5 hours ago. "Layla? Are you here?"
She put her bag and keys down in their respective places while waiting for a reply. something seemed off.
A weak groan came from their bedroom. Nilou's heart dropped. Something was definitely off.
She speedwalked to the source of the weak noise. The lights flicked on, and there was Layla, laying down in their shared bed, wearing a thin top and shorts in winter.
It seemed that the lights turning on disturbed the bluenette. She had covered her face and mumbled something Nilou couldn't make out.
"What's wrong, Nafas? Are you hurt? What happened?"
"Light.... off. Please, it hurts." There was little strength behind those words.
Nilou quickly turned the lights back off and turned on the night lights instead. Layla gave a weak sigh of relief as she took her hands away from her face.
"What happened? Why didn't you call me to come home sooner if you were feeling so unwell?" She didn't give her partner a chance to reply. The redhead put her hand on her lover's forehead. "You’re burning up. Hold on, let me get the thermometer."
She left the room as anxiety bubbled in her chest.
She should have never left Layla's side. She should have noticed her girlfriend being unwell when they were leaving this morning. How could she not notice? Layla barely ate anything for breakfast and said she wasn't hungry, and she never skipped breakfast. That was a clear sign she wasn't feeling well.
Now was not the time to wallow in self pity. Nilou had to take care of the bluenette.
Nilou entered the room with the thermometer and cooling patches. She kneeled next to the bed and put the thermometer under Layla's tongue.
While they waited for the device to beep, she observed Layla's features. Her face was slightly flushed, bangs sticking to her forehead with sweat, eyes a dull yellow. No longer the beautiful gold that Nilou adored so much.
The quiet yet high pitched beep snapped Nilou’s attention back to reality. The thermometer showed the number 101°. If it got any worse she might have to take the other to the hospital. But knowing how much Layla hated the hospital, she was willing to try her best to avoid that situation.
There were a few hair clips on the nightstand. Blue hair was pinned on top of Layla's head and a cooling patch was pressed onto her forehead.
"Have you eaten anything?" Nilou gently asked as she lightly caressed her lover's arm.
"No, I haven't really. I'm a little nauseous. I don't want to throw up."
Nilou was well aware of the other's fear of vomiting. The only time she remembers Layla throwing up was her 21st birthday party. The poor thing drank too much while being caught up in the moment with her friends. Vomit-induced panic attacks weren't something any of them wanted to experience again.
"I'll go make you some soup. You can't take medicine with an empty stomach Aziz," she said, and as she was starting to stand up, a warm hand caught her wrist.
"Please don't leave." It almost sounded like a sob. Layla had been sick and alone all day. She didn't want to be lonely again.
"I promise I'll be back very soon. Do you want to move to the couch? So you'll be closer to the kitchen and me? I’ll bring you blankets."
“No blankets. It stings. Uncomfy..” The bluenette protested weakly while she tried to sit up.
Nilou helped her partner to the living room and sat her on the couch. She turned the heaters up slightly so the room wasn't too cold since Layla couldn't put on warmer clothes or use blankets. It was easy to get a sensory overload when she was unwell. No matter how soft the fabric was, her skin was too sensitive and it would feel like sandpaper on her skin.
After about half an hour, the soup was ready. Nilou set a plate of it on the coffee table next to where Layla was laying down. The latter sat up and took the plate in her lap. Her hands were too shaky, by the time the spoon reached her mouth, most of the soup had spilled on her chin and even on her top a little bit.
“Do you want me to feed you, Nafas?”
She knew Layla hated being weak and helpless or to be pampered. But it didn't look like she really had a choice. She nodded and handed the plate back to Nilou.
After eating less than half the soup, she lightly pushed back at the plate and shook her head, which told the other that she couldn't eat any more of it.
“That’s enough, I think I'm ready to take the medicine now.” At that, Nilou stood up and went to get the medicine for her girlfriend.
After downing the pill with water, she deemed the couch comfortable enough to take a nap on it. Nilou just sat next to her on the floor and continued to play with the blue strands of hair, knowing how comforting it was to the other.
“Were you overworking yourself again?” Nilou asked in a hesitant tone. At that, Layla opened her eyes, but quickly looked away from the former in guilt. She didn't like it when she made the sweet girl worry about her well-being.
“I'm sorry.”
“Why didn't you tell me you were feeling sick in the morning? I could have stayed home to help you.”
“I didn't want to bother you,” the bedridden girl murmured. She vaguely gestured to herself, “This is exactly the situation I was trying to avoid.”
“How were you trying to avoid being sick in bed by ignoring the fact that you were sick?”
"That's not what I meant. I didn't want to burden you."
"I don't know how many times I have to say this until you believe me, but I will say it over and over again until you do. You are not a burden. You are not bothering me by letting me take care of you. Layla, I love you, and I want you to trust me enough to let me help you."
"I don't want to be weak and helpless around you. I want to be strong for you. I want you to feel like you can rely on me and that I'm not fragile and weak."
"You don't always have to be the strong one or the reliable one, Nafas. You're allowed to rely on me sometimes and take a break. Do you trust me, love?"
Without any hesitation, Layla replied, "Of course I trust you. I trust you more than I trust my own eyes."
"Then please let me look after you, just like how you look after me?"
Reluctantly, the bluenette slowly nodded her head, letting her lover take care of her for the day.
Nilou dimmed the living room lights a little bit, to let the other fall asleep easier. "get some rest Ziba. I'll email your professor about your presentation and let her know you can't go tomorrow."
Another slow nod instead of a reply.
Nilou decided to take a nap herself as well, having had a long day and not any chance of rest at all. although she couldn't help but notice how Layla's stomach was slightly bloated. Just to make sure, she placed an empty bucket next to the sleeping beauty.
She placed her pillow on the floor next to the couch. The apartment was carpeted so it wasn't too bad. Besides, she's the one that made Layla sleep on the couch instead of their bed.
_________
The sound of the bluenette calling her name woke Nilou up. She instantly rose from the floor due to the panic in the other girl's voice.
She had one of her hands on her mouth, and the other on her stomach.
"What's wrong, aziz? Are you nauseous?" She didn't wait for a reply as she grabbed the bucket previously placed next to the couch.
Nilou sat next to Layla on the couch as she was holding the bucket in place with one hand. Layla's breathing had quickened. Nilou wasn't unfamiliar with the vomit-induced panic attacks the other would have. Luckily she had some experience on how to deal with them.
Layla wasn't speaking. She didn't want to open her mouth and risk throwing up. She didn't need to speak to let the other know about her situation anyway.
Layla's body lurched forward, but she wasn't letting herself throw up. The panic in her eyes made Nilou's heart clench.
With one hand, Nilou gathered the other's hair and held it back, and with the other she was rubbing soothing circles on her back.
"It'll be okay, I promise. I'm gonna be right here. I won't let anything happen. You’ll be okay."
Layla clenched the bucket with her left hand. Her right one moving away from her mouth slightly. "I can't. I'm not ready. Oh gods, I can't do this." Her breathing was ragged and her eyes were unfocused.
"You’re ready. You can do this. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. Just let it go, Nafasam."
Layla moved her right hand to the other’s thigh, a needed contact to ground herself.
"Oh gods, what do I do? I'm not ready. I can't." She rapidly swallowed, trying to keep herself from vomiting.
"I'll hold you the entire time and make sure nothing happens. You can do it."
She wasn't ready, but her body didn't leave her a choice. She lurched forward a few times, hiccups and sobs coming along with it, her shoulders shaking with every cry.
Nilou kept her promise and held her the entire time. "There, there. You're gonna be okay. Just let your body do its thing. I'm right here."
After a few seconds of vomiting, alongside painful whimpers and cries, Layla leaned away from the bucket and took a few deep shaky breaths, a shudder rippling through her body. Her face was wet with tears and sweat.
"Do you think you're finished, love?"
"Yeah. I think I'm done." Her hands were still shaking and her breathing was ragged.
Nilou helped her up to get her to the bathroom, then helped her wash up a little bit and get rid of the awful taste in her mouth.
This time she led Layla to their bedroom, deeming the bed more suitable for her lover's situation.
"I'm sorry I woke you up." The guilt in Layla's voice was prominent.
Nilou didn't reply. Instead she gave her a soft smile and a gentle kiss on the cheek.
"Go back to sleep my beautiful. I'll go call Tighnari and see if he has any herbal medicine that can help you feel better. Just try to rest up okay?"
Layla nodded, but Nilou doubted she had heard or understood anything the latter had said in her current state. She placed a gentle kiss on her palm. It did seem like her fever had subsided.
“Rest well, my moonlight,” she whispered softly as she was pulling the blankets up to Layla’s chin.
The door softly clicked when she closed it behind her. She spoke to an empty living room with a sigh. “After so many years, you still have trouble asking for help.”
She pulled out her phone and went through her contacts.
“Hey Nari, could I ask for a favor?”
_________
Layla woke up a few hours later. The apartment was too quiet for Nilou to be awake. She would always have quiet music playing no matter what she was doing.
Layla took the cooling patch off. She was feeling alot better and didn't think she would need it anymore. She left the shared bedroom with quiet steps and found her lover asleep on the couch.
She was rather hungry. The only thing she was able to eat that day was half a bowl of soup that she didn't manage to keep down.
A familiar sweet smell filled her senses as she approached the kitchen. Padisarah pudding. Nilou must've made it for her before falling asleep. She looked around the kitchen a little more. There was tea brewing in the teapot that she didn't recognize the scent of, and some leftover soup in the pot.
The sound of shuffling from the living room snapped her attention. Nilou had woken up and moved to a sitting position while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Layla's eyes softened at the sight. Everything the redhead did was endearing to her.
“How are you feeling Nafasam? Is your fever gone yet? Do you need me to get the thermometer?”
“No, I think I'm a lot better now. Thank you for taking care of me.”
Nilou joined her in the kitchen and put her hands on the other’s waist. “Do you want to try eating again? Then we can have some of the tea I made and dessert!”
“Speaking of which, what is that tea? I dont think you’ve ever made it before.”
“It's a combination of i think five? Or six? herbal teas that Tighnari said are good for a fever. I haven't tried it yet but I'm expecting it to be overwhelming. I’ll water it down for you.”
After tea, dessert and dinner, the couple sits down on the sofa. They cuddle up in blankets while Nilou tries to find something interesting to watch on the TV.
“You're gonna get sick if you stick to me like this,” Layla said, worried about her girlfriend’s health.
“Oh, so now you don’t want my cuddles?” Nilou replied with a fake pout.
“You know that’s not it, my love. I just don't want you to get sick too.”
At that, Nilou pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Her hand caressing the bluenette’s cheek. “That is a risk I'm willing to take.”