Sick Day – Part 17

“He’s really cute,” Logan murmurs, close to silently.

“Yeah,” Alexander whispers hoarsely.

Nolan finally gives up on trying to get the last of the water, groaning as he flops his head back on the pillow. His eyes close, and his breathing slowly steadies. Alexander stares, and Nolan’s face suddenly looks a lot more interesting. He has freckles on his nose, slightly faded from the long winter months. Alexander watches his eyelashes flutter gently. They’re shorter than his own, but for some reason, they look amazing on Nolan. Alexander unintentionally swallows. 

There’s a small scar on the pale boy’s right cheekbone, and Alexander wants to ask him where he got it. Thinking about it, he wants to ask him a lot of things. Alexander wants to know who he got his freckles from, why he keeps his hair just a few inches above shoulder-length. He wants to ask why he flinches when people move quickly, and why he never sugar-coats his words. He wants to understand how Nolan can look so innocent, with his razor-sharp remarks hidden behind a peaceful smile. Alexander wants to ask a lot of things, and he thinks he never will. Not to him. Not to Nolan.

Nolan, who walks up to people without a second thought to their well-being and tells them “You’re doing this wrong”. Nolan, who never shows up to the cafeteria without something to write on or type in. Nolan, who’ll give the shortest possible answer, but never turn anyone away. Nolan, who he never looked at for answers, and who never looked at him with anything but anger. Nolan, who Alexander couldn’t stand. Nolan, who always treats him with suspicion. Nolan, who likes to speak up at the worst times. Nolan, who’s always polite until he thinks he should interrupt the teacher. Nolan, who seems to drift from class to class, never stopping to talk to someone unless someone stops him. Nolan, who seems to think that being him sick doesn’t matter. Nolan, who falls asleep in class every other week until the professor gets someone to shake him awake. Nolan, who looked so fragile and breakable laying on the bed. Nolan, who looked as though he hadn’t slept in a while. Nolan, who probably doesn’t deserve this kind of resentment.

Nolan, who he’d never really looked at before.

“Thanks,” the boy in question manages to say, before slipping into unconsciousness. 

“Real cute,” Alexander restates, breathlessly.