All I could think was that if I concentrated on cleaning his gash then maybe I wouldn’t make myself look like an idiot anymore. The concentrating helped because I could just feel his eyes on me. I wanted to ask him what he was thinking, or why he was staring, but I thought it was better to just stay quiet and clean his arm. I worked quickly and when I was done I looked up into his face with a somewhat steely determination not to make an ass out of myself anymore today. “Hey, you think you can handle it if we clean it off with alcohol. I bet it’s going to sting like a bitch, but I’m afraid it might get infected if we don’t.”“Yeah, that’s fine.” He said as he concentrated on my face.

“Are you sure? Because a cut like that, I bet it’s going to hurt. Like hurt a lot.” I inwardly debated if he was trying to be brave, or if he was nuts enough that he just didn’t care. My bet was nuts.

Ryan put on a confident face and said, “I think I can handle it. But if it makes you feel any better I promise I won’t scream like a little girl.”

Well at least I could go get the alcohol without feeling like I hadn’t warned him properly. “Ok, wait here. I’ll go get the alcohol out of the bathroom, and I’ll be right back.” I headed out of the kitchen and turned right down the hall towards that bathroom. I snagged it out from underneath the bathroom sink cabinet and hurried back to the kitchen because some part of my brain still couldn’t believe that there was an exceptionally hot half naked guy in my kitchen. But sure enough I rounded the corner and he was still standing there waiting for me. “So, do you want me to like pat it on with the rag or…”

“No just pour it straight into the wound. That’s the best way to avoid any infection.” And with that comment he positioned his arm over the sink so that we wouldn’t make a mess. I just shook my head. He really was nuts.

“I’m betting twenty bucks you scream like a girl.” I chided.

“And I’m betting a date with you that I won’t scream like a girl.” He stared intently at my shocked face with a cocky little grin as I absorbed his comment in.

“Ok.” Really? I thought to myself. That’s all you can come up with is ‘ok’? He’ll think you’re oh so smooth now. In fact, I’m sure I just won the ‘smooth award’ somewhere.

I shook my head and gingerly started to pour the alcohol into the gash that ran nearly from his shoulder to right above his elbow. As I braced myself for the scream that I was sure he had coming, when the alcohol hit his wound he gasped from the pain and then snapped his jaw shut. His face became clenched and contorted from pain and his entire body literally locked up in a spasm of sorts. Jerking the bottle upright and setting it on the kitchen counter; I stared into his distorted face. He was in so much pain that I had absolutely no idea how he was not screaming. His body shuddered and then I saw where there were beads of sweat on his forehead that started trickling down his face.

I inadvertently took a step back from him afraid that he was going to crack and instead of screaming throw a punch or something. Then the strangest thing happened; I felt a blast of hot air that was strong enough to lift my hair a little as if it was in a breeze and then there was a rich smell of some kind of flowers I couldn’t identify that practically engulfed my senses. My body started tingling in response to something, and I felt a flash of heat ripple through me. Then as quickly as it had started, it was over. I looked around my house somewhat wildly for a minute trying to figure out what just happened. “What was that? Ryan did you feel that?”

“Feel what Kay? The alcohol burning the crap out of my arm. Yes, I most certainly felt that.” He was looking at me somewhat analytically, and I thought that maybe he was thinking that I belonged in the loony farm or something.

I was seriously going to have to reread the side effects of that new medication I was on. Maybe I was having hallucinations? But it felt so real. In fact, my body was still humming with something that I couldn’t place.

“Right, you’re right. It must have been the heater coming on or something. I just wonder when my mom got that smelly thing. It has such a strong smell of some kind of flower.” I started scanning the wall outlets for an air freshener plug in and then the counters for some kind of new smelly candle. Nothing. There had to be an explanation for it. The hot air came on and hit whatever air freshener Mom had put out, right?

“Kay, are you all right?” The way Ryan was watching me now I was obviously never getting that date. What a freak he must think I am.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Sorry, I guess I’m a little out of it today. How’s your arm? I guess we should wrap it up now.” I reached for the ace bandage and shook my head to clear the crazy fog that was still in there. I glanced up into Ryan’s face before I touched his arm just to make sure that he was ok with me trying to take care of him.

He must want me to stand, like, fifty feet back so he didn’t catch my crazy.