Nurse Rebecca.

Rebecca drove us home, and the entire way she kept asking whether I was okay. By the time we pulled into my driveway, I'd answered the question at least six times.

Inside, she followed me straight to my bedroom. "Sit down."

"I'm beginning to think you like ordering me around."

"Only when you're being stupid."

She disappeared and returned with a damp cloth. She sat beside me and carefully cleaned the blood from around my lip.

"You know, you're fussing."

"I'm concerned."

"There's a difference?"

"Yes." She looked at me. "I'm allowed to worry about you."

"I know."

"And you're not allowed to complain."

"I wasn't."

"You were."

"Maybe a little."

She smiled. "There." She sat back. "Better."

I looked at her. "Thank you."

She smiled. "You're welcome."

For a while we just sat there, alone in my room. She'd put the shopping bags down beside the wardrobe. The photobooth strip was still tucked inside her phone case. I could see it when she placed the phone on my bedside table. I couldn't help looking at it.

Rebecca noticed. "You do like it."

"It's okay."

"You do."

"It's a picture."

"It's our picture."

I looked at her, and she smiled. Then she leaned back against the wall beside me. "I'm glad I spent today with you."

"Me too."

She rested her head against my shoulder. I went completely still. She didn't seem to notice. Or maybe she did. Either way, she didn't move.

I got about twenty minutes of peace before Rebecca wanted to examine it again and make sure I wasn’t getting any worse.

"Stop touching it," I complained as she leaned closer to inspect the cut.

"I'm checking it."

"You've checked it about ten times."

"Well, it hasn't magically healed, has it? Look what you’ve done! It’s starting to weep again. Let me get the cloth again."

“That was you touching it,” I argued.

Rebecca leaned her body across me to pick up the damp towel she’d used to clean me up earlier. I could feel every curve of her body pressing against me. When she’d got it, I tried to fight her hands away from touching me again.

“Stop it!”

“Why won’t you let me look after you?”

We kept fighting like that for a minute until Rebecca made sure she had the upper hand. Quick as a snake, she rose up and sat herself down onto my lap, straddling me. From there she was able to quickly grab a hold of both my arms. Her hair trailed down over my face as she leaned in closer to me. I could smell her perfume infecting me. I stopped fighting. Her mouth was inches from mine.

“Good boy,” she smiled and dabbed at my cut, pleased at getting her own way. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not really."

She studied my lip. "Much better."

She leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek, just beside the cut and holding it there. My hands came together behind Rebecca’s lower back. For a second, neither of us moved, then I felt Rebecca’s mouth start to slide over.

Right then the bedroom door opened.

"Oh!" Heather stood in the doorway.

Rebecca and I sprang apart, although not quite quickly enough to disguise how close we'd been. Heather's gaze moved from Rebecca to me, then to the arm I'd hastily removed from around her waist. There was a brief silence.

"Sorry," Heather said, a grin spreading across her face. "Didn't realise I was interrupting."

"You're not!" Rebecca said quickly.

I could feel my face burning.

Heather looked at my lip. "Trish told me what happened. How's the patient?"

"Troublesome, but he’s fine."

"Clearly." She glanced at Rebecca. "Looks like you've been taking very good care of him."

Rebecca laughed, though she looked a little flushed. "Someone had to."

Heather shook her head, amused. "Well, I'm glad you're all right." She looked at me again, her expression turning mischievous. "And Rebecca, you know you don't have to pretend you're just here to check on his lip."

"Heather!" I shouted.

"What? I'm only saying." She laughed and backed towards the hallway.

"I'll leave you two alone."

The door remained open as she disappeared.

Rebecca covered her face with her hands. "Oh, my God."

I fell back against the pillows. "Well, that was embarrassing."

She peeked at me through her fingers. "You think?"

Then she started laughing. And, despite everything, I laughed too.

It felt good to get the nervous energy out. Neither of us mentioned the kiss on my cheek. Neither of us mentioned how close we'd been to kissing properly. But the moment lingered between us, and for the first time that day, I wondered whether Rebecca was beginning to realise just how confusing she was making things for me.

Eventually, Rebecca checked the time on her phone. "I should probably go. Mum's expecting me back, and I need to park the car in the right spot."

She stood and began gathering her things. There were two shopping bags beside my wardrobe, and she picked up the larger one.

"Are you leaving the other one?" I asked.

She glanced at it. "Oh, that's fine. I'll get it later."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. It's just a couple of things."

She leaned over and kissed my cheek again. Quickly this time, and carefully avoiding my lip. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"I'll try."

She smiled, picked up her bag, and headed for the door.

Heather appeared in the hallway just as Rebecca was leaving. "Going already?"

"Yeah. I've got to get home."

"Thanks for looking after him."

Rebecca grinned. "Someone has to." Then she was gone.

I looked at the remaining shopping bag. Something about the fact that she'd left it behind felt oddly significant, though I couldn't have explained why.

Heather glanced into my room. "What's that?"

"Rebecca's shopping."

"She forgot it?"

"No, she left it."

Heather smiled. "Well, I suppose she'll have to come back for it."

"It's just a shopping bag."

"Of course it is."

She gave me a knowing look, then started to wander away.

“Hey, Heather.” My sister turned back to look at me. “What did Trish say happened to me?”

Heather shrugged. “Just you were in some kind of commotion at the mall today, and it looked like you’d hurt yourself.”

I wanted to ask if Trish had said why she had come over to me. To ask why she’d seen me on the ground and had turned and walked away. When I didn’t say anything further, Heather turned and left me in peace.

I looked at the bag again. Rebecca had spent the entire day acting differently around me, and now Heather seemed convinced something was finally happening between us. I wasn't so sure. I picked up the remote and turned my attention back to the television. Whatever Rebecca was playing at, I couldn't make sense of it. And I wasn't going to start assuming things after all these years. That had a way of biting me in the arse when it came to Rebecca.