Chapter 46 Taking Care of Steven
"Ouch! My hand hurts!"
Nora took a deep breath. That jerk Steven!
She wanted to slap him so badly.
But seeing him in such pain, combined with that dream, she couldn't bring herself to do it. After all, he had once saved her from a dire situation.
And that dream made Nora realize she desired Steven. Could it be that she... liked him?
Nora felt conflicted inside as she rubbed her sore waist and stood up.
Actually, she knew how to calm Steven down. She hadn't used this method initially because Steven was getting a divorce, and she didn't want to resort to it.
But now, if she didn't use this method, Steven might not let her perform acupuncture on him!
Nora brushed his hair away from his face with her fingers, leaned in with her red lips, and kissed his handsome face.
The air was silent for a few seconds.
Nora waited anxiously.
But Steven didn't lash out again; he gradually calmed down.
Success!
This was something Nora had figured out over the past three months. When Steven had a headache, he was like a child who needed to be comforted as a mother would.
All she had to do was kiss him and speak softly to him, and he would lower his guard.
Nora whispered, "It's me, Steven. Don't be afraid..."
She cautiously reached out her hand, and Steven intertwined his fingers with hers. He slowly relaxed and accepted her closeness.
Nora sat down and gently cradled his head in her arms, soothing him, "It's okay, Steven. Once I finish the acupuncture, your headache will be gone."
Steven lay in a familiar embrace, his consciousness heavy, but he knew this person always comforted him gently when his head felt like it was splitting.
He no longer resisted and obediently let her hold him.
Nora picked up a needle and applied it to the acupuncture point on his head.
Steven winced in pain.
Nora immediately kissed his forehead and softly comforted him, "It's okay, it'll hurt just a little, and then it'll start to feel better."
She always comforted him this way.
Acupuncture was actually quite painful.
But he couldn't move; otherwise, she would have to start over.
The needle slowly went deeper.
Steven furrowed his handsome brows tightly and clung to her like a child in need of care.
"It'll be over soon, be good..." Nora's voice was soft and gentle.
Steven felt like he was lying on a cloud, soft and comfortable, but the sharp pain in his head pulled him back to reality. He tightened his grip on Nora's waist.
Nora was just about to apply the second needle.
She kissed the corner of his lips, "It won't hurt, it'll be over soon."
After the kiss, Steven opened his eyes and looked at her.
They stared at each other in the darkness.
Nora froze.
What was going on?
How did he wake up in the middle of acupuncture?
He had never woken up halfway before.
Nora felt embarrassed and awkwardly explained, "Um... your head hurts, so I'm giving you acupuncture."
Steven looked at Nora's flushed face.
It turned out someone really was giving him acupuncture, kissing him, and comforting him every time he had a headache.
He had always thought it was just a dream because he never imagined Nora would perform acupuncture, and his headaches always improved significantly afterward.
Previously, he would have several headaches each month, but since Nora had given him acupuncture three times, they were much less frequent.
Steven's light gray eyes stared at her, breathing slightly heavily, "You were giving me acupuncture, so why did you kiss me?"
And she kissed him several times.
Nora blushed, "Because kissing you calms you down."
Her voice was very soft.
Steven frowned, "So this isn't the first time. Every time I have a headache, you kiss me?"
"I'm just doing it for your own good," Nora mumbled.
Steven was so ungrateful. He needed to be kissed to behave, and now he was giving her a hard time because of it?
The conversation came to a halt.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Nora still held the third needle, her expression conflicted, "Do you want the third needle or not?"
He glanced at her, seeing her looking down with a pitiful expression.
"Do you always need three needles?"
"Yes," Nora nodded, "Initially, it was five needles. By the third time, you seemed better, so I only used three."
It turned out his headache relief was truly thanks to her treatment.
Steven was silent for a moment. "Go ahead."
Nora responded and awkwardly positioned Steven's head. It was one thing when he was unconscious.
But when he was awake, it was a different story.
She pressed the awake Steven against her chest. Not only was she uncomfortable, but Steven was too.
With his forehead against her chest, he could hear her frantic heartbeat, making Steven's body heat up.
Nora told herself internally, "As a doctor, you must be compassionate. Don't overthink it, don't overthink it..."
She lifted her hand and applied the needle.
Steven winced slightly.
Nora instinctively leaned in and kissed him.
After the kiss, both of them froze.
Nora wanted to slap herself!
What kind of bad habit was this?
Steven's expression was complicated, teasing, "Got a habit of kissing me now?"
Nora's face turned crimson, embarrassed to the point of wanting to dig a hole and hide, "Sorry, it's a reflex."
"A reflex?" Steven raised an eyebrow, "Do you have a habit of kissing men?"
"...Of course not!" she stammered, "It's just that you're always so guarded, so I kiss your forehead to soothe you. I really don't desire your body."
By the end of her explanation, her voice was barely audible.
She had secretly had that kind of dream tonight.
To say she didn't desire him would be a bit shameless.
But she couldn't be labeled as a pervert either, right? After all, everyone has desires.
"Why are you feeling guilty?" Steven looked at her meaningfully, "Do you really desire my body?"
Nora's face turned beet red. "I really don't."
"Then why are you so flustered?" Not desiring him? How could she be this shy?
However, her shy look was quite cute.
Steven's gaze deepened as he looked at her.
Nora felt even more embarrassed. If Steven found out about her dream, she'd be ridiculed for life!
"It seems you really do desire my body," Steven said confidently, his eyes dark.
Nora was at a loss for words, not knowing how to explain. She decided to stay silent and sighed heavily.
"Why aren't you speaking?" Steven raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know what to say." Nora moved a bit further away, her face still flushed, "You should rest. I'll remove the needles in 20 minutes."
"Okay," Steven replied.
One lay down.
One sat down.
The room was illuminated by a single wall lamp.
The atmosphere was quiet, with a hint of awkwardness and ambiguity.
Nora pretended to look at her phone, scrolling through random things, anything to avoid meeting Steven's gaze.
She opened a video app, deliberately turning up the volume, and laughed loudly at whatever she was watching.