My smart girl 3. Rewriting our stars

...That summer… Three days had passed since our nighttime rendezvous on the balcony, and our truce with Jay was still holding. Though after everything that happened that Saturday evening and the quiet words he had said to me, I felt even stranger and more uncertain around him. I tried my best not to catch his eye unnecessarily. But on Wednesday evening, I was hit with such a terrible migraine that I couldn’t sleep or even stay in my room. I crept downstairs along the wall, suffering from horrible nausea and dizziness, desperately hoping to find some strong painkiller in Tae’s first-aid kit. However, standing between me and the opioid analgesics was another future doctor — Jay, sitting calmly in the kitchen even though it was already eleven at night, drinking his favorite espresso. Seeing Jay’s broad back at the kitchen table, I realized luck was clearly not on my side today. I probably wouldn’t be able to slip past unnoticed. With a heavy sigh, I dragged myself into the brightly lit kitchen, which only intensified the stabbing pain in my poor head. I reached the wall cabinet, opened the doors, and stood on tiptoe to grab the first-aid kit on the top shelf. But I swayed and nearly dropped everything onto the countertop. I swore quietly and immediately heard a mocking, hoarse voice behind me: “Hey, Bambi. Can’t sleep either, huh? Decided to keep me company?” I almost groaned as I finally set the damn first-aid kit on the counter. I braced myself against it with both hands and rasped: “Jay, please, just don’t touch me right now.” I had zero desire to argue with him or even talk — every word echoed like a bell in my suffering head. All I wanted was to take something strong and fast-acting, go upstairs, and collapse into bed. Preferably pass out immediately. But of course, my dreams were not meant to come true, because the ever-present Jay McFell got involved… damn him. I heard the chair he was sitting on scrape back from the table. I clutched my head and quietly moaned as another wave of pain hit… And the next moment, warm, strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me against a broad, equally warm chest. The evening… was definitely not going well. I was about to fight my way out of Jay’s greedy paws, even if it meant forgetting the much-needed painkiller, when his quiet and completely serious voice sounded above my head: “Baby, what’s wrong? Are you feeling bad?” I slowly lowered my hands from my temples (where it felt like nails were being hammered in) and breathed out almost soundlessly: “My… head hurts really badly…” Jay carefully turned me to face him, gently gripping my shoulders with his large palms. He leaned down and asked quietly, looking intently into my eyes: “How long has it been going on?” I sighed in resignation, realizing the longed-for pill would now take a while to reach my system, but I still answered. “Half a day already.” Jay frowned and continued his medical questioning. “And do you get attacks like this often?” I sighed again and gave him a skeptical look. “Everyone gets headaches from time to time. People don’t die from that, do they?” He didn’t comment on that, only grumbled: “Silly girl… What do you usually take?” “Ibuprofen.” Hearing this, he clicked his tongue disapprovingly. He pulled the first-aid kit closer and started rummaging through it himself, looking for some medication only he knew about. I was seriously considering quietly slipping away while Dr. McFell was busy studying the contents of our first-aid kit, but he soon found what he was looking for. He held out two tablets to me and said: “Here, Bambi. Take these.” “What is it?” I eyed him suspiciously, then looked at the pills in his palm. “Something that works better than ibuprofen,” came the calm reply. I sighed for the third time but obediently took the tablets from his hand. He poured a full glass of water and handed it to me, smiling with satisfaction when I dutifully swallowed everything he gave me. Then he extended his hand and said with a sly smile that immediately put me on guard: “Good girl. Now come with me.” I stared at him in fright. “Where?” Jay rolled his eyes, but his smile brightened. “Just give me your hand, fawn. Don’t be afraid, I won’t eat you.” I stared at his beautiful long fingers, slightly curled in an inviting gesture, for a couple more seconds. Then I finally took the risk and placed my own hand in his large, warm palm. He smiled in satisfaction and pulled me after him into the living room. I was even more stunned when he sat down on the couch, patted his lap, placed a small pillow on it, and smiled as he offered: “Fall.” My eyes probably widened to the size of saucers. I breathed out almost soundlessly: “What for?” In response to this (in the cheeky brunette’s opinion) stupid question came his signature eye-roll and a mocking-yet-tender: “I’m going to help you, Bambi. What else? Didn’t you know that when someone strokes your head, the pain goes away faster?” Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. I crossed my arms over my chest and gave the suspiciously smirking Jay a distrustful look. “You just made that up, didn’t you?” He just sighed, grabbed my wrist (clearly so I wouldn’t run away), and insistently pulled me toward him. He smiled softly and whispered reassuringly: “Darling, stop being so stubborn… It definitely won’t make things worse, trust me.” I looked down at him for several endless moments, trying to find the catch. But he looked back at me with such an open gaze that I finally gave in, deciding things couldn’t really get any worse. I nodded. The cunning fox had only been waiting for that. He tightened his grip on my wrist and immediately pulled me down, making me literally fall onto him — straight into his strong arms. From the sudden change in position, my poor head spun even more. I lost my orientation in space for a moment and let out a pitiful mewl. But I immediately heard his quiet, apologetic half-whisper as the cheeky brunette wasted no time proprietarily arranging me on his lap: “Sorry, little one, I didn’t calculate my strength… But it’ll feel better soon, I promise.” I shivered as, a moment later, his warm, broad palm settled on my shoulder while the fingers of his other hand gently wove into my hair. He began to stroke my aching nape and temples with feather-light touches. In a soothing, velvety voice, Jay whispered: “Shhh… It’s okay, sweetheart… Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you. I’ll never hurt you…” And for some reason, I believed him. I closed my eyes and finally relaxed a little. I heard his quiet, smiling voice: “That’s it… my good girl… See? It’s not that hard to trust me, is it?” I didn’t answer him — all my strength was going toward fighting the pain in my temples and the lingering dizziness. But… Jay had magical hands. I couldn’t deny that. Under his slow, tender strokes, the throbbing pain in my head gradually began to recede. He stroked my head and shoulders and purred something quietly. Soon I was almost asleep, like a cat on her beloved owner’s lap. Half-asleep, I felt him lean down. His warm lips touched my temple weightlessly, accompanied by a quiet whisper: “Sleep, my girl… There won’t be a trace of the pain left when you wake up… Rest…” I was already on the verge of doing exactly that, lulled by his gentle caresses in my hair and his soothing quiet whispers. But I was prevented from fully falling asleep by… my older brother’s surprised voice, which suddenly burst into my sleepy consciousness and mercilessly shattered the magic of the night that had settled in the dimly lit living room. “Hey, guys… What are you two doing here together in the dark? Although… you don’t have to answer. I can see everything’s good…” I jerked upright, lifting my head from Jay’s lap. Only then did I fully register how compromising the situation looked. I wanted to jump off the couch entirely, but he wouldn’t let me — clearly anticipating such a reaction. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back against him. Tae’s expression was an indescribable mix of surprise (if not shock) and complete disbelief. I hurried to reassure him: “Tae, we’re just… it’s… It’s not what you think!” But Jay destroyed all my attempts to rehabilitate myself in my brother’s eyes. He hugged me even tighter in a blatantly possessive gesture, as if he had every right to do so, and drawled lazily: “No, Tae. It’s exactly what you think.” Hearing this brazen lie, I hissed like an extremely angry cat whose tail had not only been stepped on but completely trampled. In my fury, I smacked the cheeky brunette on his firm thigh, expressing everything I thought of him. He didn’t even flinch. Most likely, he didn’t even notice. He still looked completely relaxed, outrageously calm, and perfectly satisfied with life. “Well then… I won’t disturb you. I’m going to take a shower and sleep. I’m tired after my shift… but you could have turned on the light. For decency’s sake,” Tae said with a knowing smirk — looking eerily similar to his unscrupulous friend at that moment — and left, leaving me alone again with this bandit and burning cheeks. As soon as the door closed behind my brother, I turned to the still-relaxed and smiling Jay and hissed: “What are you doing?! Why did you say that?! Have you completely lost your mind?!” Jay gave me an openly amused look and hugged me even tighter, asking: “What exactly did I say, Bambi? Were we doing something indecent? You were just sleeping on my lap, and I was just petting you like a cat. That’s all. Or did you want to tell your brother something else?” He raised an eyebrow, as if inviting me to present counterarguments. He knew perfectly well I had none. I knew it too, so I got even angrier. I snorted furiously, finally wriggled out of his greedy paws, and crossed my arms over my chest. “You could at least not grope me so openly! Now Tae might think we’ve become friends or something!” I hissed indignantly. Jay rolled his eyes with a mocking snort, crossed his arms over his chest just like me, tilted his head, and said with a smile: “I don’t think you quite understand the meaning of the word ‘grope,’ doll. There was nothing inappropriate in what I was doing to you. I wasn’t groping you, silly. I wasn’t even planning to. And anyway… You only need to be petted like a kitten and kissed… on the forehead.” Hearing this, I couldn’t help but quietly giggle, realizing he was right. Jay added, still smiling softly: “And as for ‘becoming friends’… I would like to do more than just be friends with you, and you know that perfectly well,” this hooligan purred seductively, moving closer. Here we go again… I rolled my eyes. “That’s exactly why it will never happen.” “Are you so sure?” Jay raised an eyebrow, licked his lips, and looked at my own with a suddenly darkened gaze. I unconsciously scooted away from him as far as the couch allowed. Well, it looked like our shaky truce was over. “What do you mean by that?” I grumbled suspiciously, of course understanding exactly where he was going with this. And the cheeky brunette’s devilish half-smile readily confirmed my suspicions. With one smooth, almost imperceptible movement, Jay closed the distance between us again, not letting me escape. He braced his hands on the armrest behind my back, trapping me, and once again made me nervous. Then, with a sly half-smile, he whispered, still staring unwaveringly at my lips: “Nothing, Bambi… Just take my friendly advice…” (he especially emphasized the word “friendly,” and I barely suppressed the desire to smack him on the leg again — or somewhere more sensitive). “Never say ‘never,’ because you might regret it.” He finished and, unexpectedly leaning in, kissed the tip of my nose, catching me off guard. I snorted angrily, pushing the rascal away from me, and for what was probably the hundredth time informed him: “You’re just unbearable, you know that?! Why are you stuck to me like a burr?!” But Jay only laughed quietly and warmly in a special way. Fortunately, he finally moved away from me and relaxed back against the couch, saying: “I just like you, baby… I like you very much. And I’m not going to back off, so don’t even hope. You’d better just accept it.” I was about to get indignant again and tell him exactly what I thought of him, but he caught me off guard once more. As if nothing had happened, he switched topics and asked: “So how’s your head? Is the pain gone?” The topic change was so abrupt that I froze with my mouth slightly open, a bit stunned and still preparing to tell him where he could shove his affection that wouldn’t let me breathe or live peacefully in my own house. But when I met the cheeky brunette’s attentive, gentle, and no longer mocking gaze, my irritation lessened. I listened to myself and quietly exhaled: “Yes, it’s gone.” His eyes warmed even more. He tilted his head, gave me an extremely meaningful look, and whispered with a smile: “See? I told you… affection works wonders.” “It was the pills,” I objected. Purely out of spite. He chuckled cheerfully. “Well, if that makes it easier for you to accept…” I swear, his smile could have lit up the streets at night. I snorted again but froze in fright when Jay suddenly moved closer. He reached out, gently stroked my cheek, brushed a stray strand behind my ear, then unhurriedly and proprietarily buried his fingers in my hair. He pulled me closer by the back of my head, brushed his soft lips across my temple, and whispered: “But seriously… I’m really glad you feel better.” He wasn’t in any hurry to pull away. He gently stroked the back of my neck, and just those light touches of his warm fingertips sent waves of pleasant, unfamiliar goosebumps down my spine. I froze completely still, as if hypnotized, staring at him. Maybe I was just tired of fighting and resisting. He really wasn’t doing anything bad, and he had genuinely helped me. Realizing this simple fact made me calm down a bit. “Jay, I… Thank you,” I whispered quietly, looking away and biting my lip from the sudden awkwardness that washed over me. The next moment, his warm fingers gently gripped my chin, lifting my face. He made me look at him again. “Don’t thank me for this, Rosé. Migraines are extremely unpleasant, and I’m very glad I could help you. It doesn’t matter what actually helped… my hands or the medicine I gave you. The main thing is that you feel better.” Jay looked me straight in the eyes and spoke quietly and tenderly — probably understanding that loud sounds could trigger another headache attack. I looked at him in the semi-darkness of the living room and for some reason couldn’t make myself look away from his focused face. He was… so beautiful when he wasn’t clowning around or pretending to be an eternal jester. How had I not noticed this before? Or maybe I just hadn’t wanted to notice? Right now, in front of me wasn’t a clingy, arrogant tenant, but an adult, serious guy — and a soon-to-be doctor. I was literally seeing him with different eyes. Jay was also looking at me — attentively, tenderly, and protectively. His sensitive fingers were still slowly wandering through my hair, making my lashes flutter and lower with every second. But when he gently gripped my chin, tilting my face up to meet him, and began to slowly lean in, smoothly sliding his darkened gaze to my lips, I snapped out of it and panicked openly. I pressed my hands against his shoulders and finally pulled away, whispering with disobedient lips: “Then… maybe you can let me go now?” “And what about the kiss… on the forehead?” he purred almost soundlessly, although five seconds ago he had clearly been aiming somewhere else. I exhaled raggedly, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment. But he didn’t press further and didn’t move at all. He just breathed quietly against my temple and waited for my answer. “Only… on the forehead?” I whispered, feeling incredibly stupid for even asking such nonsense. But Jay apparently didn’t consider our conversation nonsense at all. He smiled softly, looked into my eyes, and whispered: “Yes, kitten. Only there. May I?” I looked at him for several moments, trying to catch him in another cunning plan. But his gaze was direct and open, and his smile was soft and protective. I finally gave in, understanding he wouldn’t let me go without it. With a heavy sigh, I whispered: “Well… okay. Kiss me.” I thought I heard a quiet chuckle. The next moment, his warm hands carefully cradled my face, tilting it up to meet him. Jay leaned down and tenderly touched his lips to my forehead. I froze, holding my breath. The feeling of his warm lips pressed to my skin flooded me from head to toe with incredibly soothing warmth. It was so… “…nice…” I whispered almost soundlessly, without opening my eyes. Jay pulled me even closer and exhaled with a quiet smile: “That’s how it should be, baby…” Pressed against his warm, broad chest, I stayed silent for a while, listening to the calm, steady beat of his heart. The cheeky brunette, for once, also kept his mouth shut. But after a few minutes, I forced myself to snap out of it and tried to pull away, asking: “Let me go, please…” “You… really want to leave so badly?” Jay sighed quietly. I thought I caught a hint of sadness in his gaze. “Five minutes ago you didn’t mind my company.” He spoke quietly and sincerely. I was at a loss again, not knowing what to say. “Jay, I just…” I started and fell silent, because denying his words would have been stupid. He sighed again but then smiled softly and removed his hands, finally letting me breathe. “Alright, kitten. Go. You really need to rest.” “And you?” The words slipped out completely without my brain’s permission. I mentally slapped myself when Jay looked at me in surprise. But then his eyes lit up with warm light. He stroked my shoulder and said quietly: “I’ll sit here a little longer. Maybe watch something. You go to sleep, Bambi. I hope you don’t have any more attacks like this, but if anything happens, you now know who to turn to for help.” Hearing this, I smiled shyly, understanding he was completely serious, and quietly exhaled while looking away: “Okay… Then… good night?” “Good night, baby.” He smiled softly and squeezed my hand. I slowly got to my feet — my legs had gone numb from sitting so long — but I swayed slightly. He reacted instantly, wrapping his arms around my waist and helping me stay upright. I instinctively pressed my hands to his broad shoulders and froze, looking down at him. I had never felt the warmth of his large palms on my waist so acutely. I nervously blew my bangs out of my eyes while he smiled softly and asked quietly: “Should I… walk you to your room? Or maybe… carry you there myself?” He spoke completely seriously, without a hint of mockery, but my face instantly flushed at the suggestion. I shook my head and hurried to reassure him: “No-no, I’m fine! I can walk by myself, really.” “Are you sure?” “I’m sure. Let go, please.” He studied my eyes for a few more seconds but finally nodded and released me. I exhaled almost soundlessly, feeling as if I hadn’t been breathing the entire time. I headed for the door, feeling his attentive gaze on my back — as if he was ready to jump off the couch and catch me at any moment if I started to fall again. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. I managed not to trip over my own feet. Right at the door, I turned around and met his intense, dark gaze. I smiled slightly and whispered with my lips only, “Thank you,” catching his warm smile in return. Well… perhaps the possibility that the cheeky brunette and I could still manage to coexist under one roof still existed.