Chapter 70 Do You Want Me to Hug You?

Chapter 70 Do You Want Me to Hug You?

Steven's POV

I saw the flash of surprise in Rebecca's eyes. My hand instinctively froze, and all my next movements hung suspended in mid-air.

In the dim room, her breathing had clearly quickened.

But she was the one who asked me first if I could get closer to her, wasn't she?

When I heard those words, my whole body went rigid, my heart instantly tightening. I didn't know how to answer. I never hesitate this long over a question, but this time I was unusually silent.

Later, she turned away from me, her back facing me. That movement felt like a thorn piercing my heart.

Was she angry?

Just seeing her possibly upset, I couldn't stand it. I knew I had to do something, couldn't just sit there pretending nothing was wrong.

That's why I stood up and lifted the corner of her blanket, which led to her suddenly turning to look at me.

Seeing that surprised and nervous expression on her face, I suddenly felt a bit panicked. I should have asked for her permission first.

Just lifting a girl's blanket like that was really too rude.

I stared into her eyes, trying to keep my voice low, "May I?"

Her shoulders trembled slightly, then she slowly shifted over to make a little space.

My heartbeat immediately quickened. She had given me her answer through that movement.

I carefully lay down beside her and pulled the blanket over us.

This hospital bed was ridiculously small, so small that our arms pressed tightly together with almost no gap between us.

I could clearly feel my heartbeat getting faster and faster.

But I couldn't do anything, shouldn't do anything.

I really wanted to pull her completely into my arms, tell her not to be afraid, tell her that as long as I was here, she was safe.

I had even imagined in my head how I would do it. Maybe I'd wrap one arm around her waist, gently stroke her back with the other hand, let her head rest against my chest until she slowly fell asleep.

But I knew I couldn't do that right now.

She was Everett's girlfriend. I shouldn't hope to get any closer to her.

But this feeling was truly torturous. The room was too quiet, and our skin was pressed so close together.

We were already close enough that I could embrace her with just a lift of my hand, yet I had to restrain myself from touching her. This distance was practically tearing at my self-control.

My body and my brain were both urging me to pull her into my arms.

The hospital room was excessively quiet, so quiet I could make out the rhythm of each of her heartbeats.

I heard her breathing gradually become deeper and heavier. She clearly wasn't asleep either.

And then one thought lodged itself in my head and refused to leave: was she thinking about me right now, the way I hadn't been able to stop thinking about her all night?

Besides the smell of medicine and disinfectant in the air, there was also a very faint sweet scent mixed in.

That was her unique scent, which I had long since memorized. I had developed an almost instinctive dependence on this smell.

This scent made my heart tighten in waves. I asked almost without thinking, "Do you want me to hold you?"

She had been lying flat, but hearing this, her whole body turned to face me. She stared at me wide-eyed, completely still.

I thought she would refuse. I was already preparing my retreat.

But she just nodded slightly.

My heart felt like it had been reignited. She actually agreed.

If she weren't a patient right now, I probably would have pulled her tightly into my arms immediately.

But the monitor beside the bed was still beeping softly, those numbers constantly flashing. I reminded myself over and over in my head that she was a patient, I had to be gentle, couldn't startle her.

I reached out my hand and gently placed it on her waist. Her waist was even thinner than I had imagined.

There was almost no extra flesh on her back. As my hand slowly slid down along her spine, I could feel the rise and fall of each vertebra.

Through the thin hospital gown, I felt the muscles in her back tense up for a moment.

My hand stopped. Looking at her back, I mentally gave her an out. If she even just moved forward slightly to avoid me, I would immediately withdraw my hand and put distance between us.

But she didn't. She just tensed for a moment, then quickly relaxed her body again.

My palm could clearly feel the warmth radiating from beneath her skin.

I pressed my tongue against the roof of my mouth. This feeling was killing me.

How could she make me lose control like this, yet she seemed completely unaware of it herself? I really couldn't hold on much longer.

I slowly pulled her toward me, gently drawing her into my arms. She didn't resist. This reaction was already good enough for me.

Her head rested against my chest, her soft hair lightly brushing against my chin and neck. This subtle touch stirred up my heart again.

I forced myself to suppress that surging impulse, only letting my fingers gently rub back and forth on her waist.

I knew this was enough. One step further, for her right now, wouldn't be comfort but disturbance.

The way she obediently leaned against me, giving me all her weight with such trust, felt almost unreal and excessively beautiful.

I didn't want to break this balance. Instead, I felt especially clear-headed at this moment.

After that night, I stayed by her bedside almost every night. I always stared at her sleeping face for a long, long time.

I traced her face stroke by stroke in my mind. She was truly beautiful, so beautiful that it was hard for me to look away from her. Each time I couldn't help but look too long.

My gaze moved down bit by bit, finally stopping on her lips.

I was very aware that after these days of my care, the color of her lips was no longer as bloodless as when she first entered the hospital. Now they looked soft and full.

That pale pink color easily made one think of something sweet, more attractive than any peach in advertisements.

My hand lifted almost without thinking, my fingertip landing on her lips. Her lips felt even softer than I had imagined.

I pressed lightly, and the color of her lips became more vivid, as if awakened.

My Adam's apple rolled involuntarily. My finger slowly traced along the shape of her lips to the corner of her mouth.

Those lips quickly took on a distinctly red hue. I didn't immediately withdraw my hand. My fingertip could still feel the warmth emanating from Rebecca's lips.

This sensation was too addictive, so much so that my hand lingered longer than reason would allow.

I was indulging in this almost dangerous quiet when a harsh phone ringtone suddenly rang out. I irritably pulled my hand back.

Who the hell had such bad timing, calling at this exact moment?

I glanced back at Rebecca, still sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed, put my phone on silent, turned and walked out of the room, quickly heading up to the rooftop.

The night sky was deep as if stained with ink, with only a few scattered stars above. I looked down at my phone. The caller ID showed Everett.

"Hello, this is Steven. What is it?"

The other end was silent for a few seconds. Everett's voice sounded somewhat hollow, "Is Rebecca okay?"

I laughed when I heard that question, and that laugh carried obvious anger, "If you really want to know, why don't you come see for yourself?"

Everett rushed to make excuses, "I'm really too scared. I saw her accident with my own eyes. That scene was too frightening. I really don't dare face her."

I just let out a cold laugh. I wasn't going to judge whether he couldn't face reality or had a guilty conscience.

But as his brother, there were some questions I had to ask clearly.

"Everett, for what I'm about to ask you, you must answer honestly."

I made my voice cold, enunciating each word clearly, "That light that suddenly fell in the practice room—does it have anything to do with you?"