“Christine,” his voice became clear as I jumped up and splashed the cold water in the tub.

“What,” I said and cringed hearing my throat crack.

“I just got back from the store and I heard you telling people to shut up,” Justin questioned looking at me.

“I. It’s nothing,” I got out as I reached for his hand to help me out.

“You sure, you sounded panicked,” he said holding on to my bare waist.

“Jesus Justin yes,” I said and cringed when I saw him look away.

I put my hand on his cheek but he shrugged it away, moving away from me he handed me my robe.

“I’ll go make your soup,” he said.

“Christ,” I groaned as I took a second to look myself in the mirror tugging on the dark circles on my eyes.

“Sleep is your friend,” I said and somehow I felt like my reflection was laughing at me with the way it looked.

“As long as you keep up those dreams it’s not,” I mumbled to myself.

--

Padding into the kitchen I watched Justin go about heating up the soup on the stove, I leaned against the wall.

“You need to lie down,” he said not looking up at me as he poured the soup from the stove to a bowl.

“How am I suppose to eat soup lying down,” I asked and he looked up at me and smirked.

“I was planning to feed it to you,” he said then went to get a spoon.

“I’m not that sick,” I stated and I saw him sigh placing the bowl down on the counter.

“Would you let someone just take care of you for once,” he said.

“What,” I questioned as he turned to look at me. “You never let anyone take care of you, you never depend on anyone but yourself,” he stated coming up to me to rub my damn hair off my forehead and back on my head.

“It's worked for the past twenty some odd years, why try something else new,” I said with a shrug but watched Justin’s face soften.

“Even if I want to take care of you,” he asked me.

“You don’t want to do that, you just want to be nice,” I said as I felt him pull his waist towards mine and let our foreheads connect.

“You're gonna get sick, and then you’ll be stuck inside for days,” I said.

“Good, more time to spend with you,” he smiled.

I shook my head and Justin pressed a kiss to my nose, “You don’t get it do you,” he asked.

“What,” I said looking up at him.

“That I love you,” he said.

“I know that, and you know I love you too,” I said.

“Honestly Chrissie, do you know what it means when I love someone,” he asked.

“What’s with the third degree,” I asked.

“NO, I’m just asking a question,” he told me leading me to the couch as he brought me the soup.

“Well obviously since you know the answer, why don’t you tell me, because I’m sure you will,” I said making him smile.

“Loving you means, I could care less what others think, it’s all talk, what I need, and what I want is you, to be able to care for you. For you to care for me in return,” he started.

“I do care for you very deeply,” I said.

“Do you want me to answer this,” he asked.

“Fine oh merciful one,” I said making him shake his head as he sat down next to me.

“To take care of one another, to be one another’s best friends, worst critic, the one with the honest opinion about everything, even if it means the other doesn’t want to hear it,” he said taking my hand in his.

“You sound like we’re getting married,” I said taking a sip of my soup.

“Eventually,” he said softly making me choke on the soup.

“What,” I asked.

“Honestly, I can see it and I love that idea, Christine you’re the first girl I ever thought about that stuff with, it was always let’s take this as it is for now, and yes I want what we have now but I see us lasting,” he said.

“You didn’t see others lasting,” I asked.

“Not like I see it with you and me,” he said.

“How do you see it,” I asked and saw him smile.

“Well, one day I want to make you my wife, and I want to be your husband, and oh and I so do want to have kids with you,” he said making me open my mouth in shock.

“DO look at me like that miss I have ten names of both boys and girls that I like,” he said.

“How’d you see that,” I asked.

“I have my ways,” he said.

“You know I’m starting to feel better,” I smiled.

“Must be the soup,” he said making me chuckle.

“No, it’s not the soup though it helped, but it was more this little dork besides me who put things in perspective, let me see I wasn’t the only one feeling or thinking these things. Than letting the things that mean really nothing comparative control my thoughts on something that is truly incontrollable,” I said.

“A dork,” he asked me.

“Yea,” I said and started to shake with laughter as he started to tickle me.

“A DORK,” he asked.

“Are you going deaf,” I asked between laughter.

“Well than,” he said pushing away from me.

“Well what,’ I asked.

“You’ll just have to marry a dork one day than,” he said.

“Justin,” I said shocked.

“Yes dork merrier,” he asked.

“I haven’t married you and now I don’t think I want to,” I said.

“But Pooky,” he said.

“Justin no,” I said.

“What POOKY,” he said.

“Great I can just see our invitations now, “You’re now invited to Dork and Pooky’s wedding,” I said looking over at Justin.

He just shrugged as he pulled me up into his lap and kissed me on the lips.

“I thought I was sick and that’s ewe gross,” I asked.

“Eh,” he said kissing me again making me laugh as he went and started to kiss my neck.

“You know what happens when you laugh at me,” he said with a low chuckle,” he asked.

“I get some Timbersnake,” I asked grabbing his lower region.

“First its Trousersnake, get it right,” he said with a big smile and a moan when I squeezed him harder.

“I,” I started to say but started to cough hard, covering my mouth I let him go as I moved my face away to not cough in his face.

“Yea, ok about that,” he said making me turn red as I placed my face into his shoulder.

“I love you, “I said simply though it was slightly mumbled into his shoulder.

“As do I,” he said.

“You love yourself,” I asked looking up at him confused making him crack up with laughter.

“Silly, I love you,” he said kissing my cheek as he ran my hair out of my face and back on my head again.

“Good I love me too,” I said making him crack a grin before he just held me and rubbed my back with a low chuckle.

“Good to know Chris, Good to know,” he said into my ear as he turned the TV on as he leaned against the couch so I was laying slightly on top of him on the couch as we settled in to, watched some cartoon network.