Two Opposites

[secret19]

Hi Glitter! Are you still thinking of updating? If so I’m definitely interested!!!    

[Lunaconner]

i just finished this entire story and i and hoping for an update because this story is amazing like i LOVE it sm!!!

[glitter_]

To everyone once again: I'm super super sorry, that it took me this long to update. I appreciate every single one of you commenting on this story, supporting it and sticking around long enough to see this continuation. I hope you guys like it. As always... Feedback and inspiration is much wanted. Y'all are the reason I keep writing. Thank you so much and enjoy. Hopefully it won't take me as long to write the next part.

 

Chapter 34

 

Theo had been to this restaurant many times before, so he knew how great the food normally tasted. Now, with his whole head clogged with congestion, he couldn’t identify a single seasoning in the meal he was chewing.

 

“How is yours?”, Kaya asked, curiously looking over to his plate. “Great”, he lied, not wanting to destroy her excellent mood. “It sure looks great. Can I try some of yours?” Theo sighed wheezily. He didn’t want to potentially infect her with his germs but at the same time didn’t want to act suspiciously. So he nodded weakly, pushed the plate over to Kaya and let her take a big bite of his vegan burrito.

 

“Woah… It’s delicious”, she said, sliding it back. “You wanna try mine, too?” As she asked that question, she already was in the midst of putting a huge amount of pasta onto his plate. Theo wasn’t remotely hungry enough to have space in his stomach for a few extra bites, but he also didn’t want to ruin this date night just because his body rebelled a bit.

 

After all it wasn’t the first time a cold had kicked his ass. Every time he got sick, which was way more often than he would like to admit, his immune system got completely overwhelmed with the virus it had to fight off.

 

While Theo picked up his fork to roll the noodles onto it, he decided to just power through this evening and ignore any more alert signs from his body. The whole day, from the moment he got up, left the house, worked and went back home, the only thing he could muster up his strength for was taking care of his well-being, combating the symptoms of his illness, making sure his lungs wouldn’t collapse.

 

And as he thought about all that, he realized that he didn’t just have to do all these things today, but every single day of his life. That realization made him freeze for a moment, hand with the fork full of pasta right before his lips. He saw his arm shake in absolute exhaustion and Kaya’s frown, which made him react quickly. Putting the noodles into his mouth, he tried to force a smile onto his lips, which probably looked a tad too strained. Swallowing the food with a wince at how dry the back of his throat felt, he prepared the second portion.

 

No more whining, Theo, he told himself. Get your shit together. For once he just wanted to be free of the burden and responsibility that came with his health problems. From now on he was going to ignore everything inside and focus on the outside instead. On how the waves crashed into the cliffs below them and fused their sounds with the soft music, that played in the speakers over them. On how the stars sparkled in the sky and reflected their beauty onto his girlfriend. On how she had told him she was ready to go to therapy without him needing to push her into that direction.

 

“You know… I talked to Leila today.” His stomach dropped at that sentence. “It was good. Talking things out, I mean. You were right about her. She truly is an amazing person.” That was… different from what he had expected. Theo couldn’t believe how much his girlfriend had already grown into the person he always knew she was. Kaya made bigger steps in her recovery than he ever imagined possible. He was so proud of her.

 

“I love you”, he said, disregarding the nausea, the noodles had left him with. This was not about him. It was about the person he loved most in the whole wide world. “I love you, too”, she said, cheeks red with excitement. God, was she gorgeous.

 

“How do you say I love you in Portuguese?”, she wanted to know. “Eu te amo.” “Ejo ti amo…”, she repeated in fascination. “And in German?” “Ich liebe dich.” “Ick libe dick…?” “Something like that”, he chuckled, coughing the tightness in his chest away to the best of his abilities. “Hey, don’t make fun of my pronunciation, alright?” Playfully smacking his arm with her napkin, Kaya laughed so loudly and heartily, that it made some people next to them turn around in annoyance.

 

They kept laughing together, as Theo’s efforts to teach Kaya some basic vocabulary in the two languages, he grew up with, failed miserably. Just as his plan seemed to work out, his nose made sure to remind him of his harsh reality.

 

An all too familiar feeling crept up his nostrils in a fiery intensity. Normally he would have done everything in his power to prevent the sneezes from being expelled but something about this day, about this whole messy situation, hindered him from battling the irritation and delaying the inevitable as long as possible. Maybe he was too tired, too distracted or too sick to care anymore. He grabbed the napkin in his lap, forcefully pressed it over his nose and let loose. Well, not exactly loose, since stifling was a deeply rooted muscle memory of him.

 

“Hiiiiih’NyGtshew, Hhhhhhee’XghTchoo, Hiiiihhh’NjYkxxschuee… Hhh-hhh-huhhh…” And with that it felt like the gates to the flood were opened. There was nothing in the world to make it stop now. Theo kept on sneezing. After the twentieth or so he stopped counting, blowing his in itching misery streaming nose as discreetly as humanly possible. It did little to ease his desperate urge to sneeze, though. So he continued so, putting aside the snot soaked napkin und pinching his nose shut as to avoid drawing even more attention to themselves than Kaya’s laughter already had, the confinement stopping the pathetic high-pitched gasps in their track.

 

Breathlessly he expelled every rest of viruses and allergens that bothered his sensitive mucous membranes in tiny bouts that climbed up and down his nose and throat, always accompanied by an unpleasant abyssy echo in his chest. “Hhh’xxh, Heh’NyGtsh, Hi’xGxh… Hah’kXh, Ha’kzshiew, Huuuh’ThKcshXh ugh… Hhhh…”

 

It was one of those moments, where he would have preferred to sink into the ground and never come back up, rather than having to be responsible for this embarrassing hell of a situation.  So much for ignoring his body on the rest of the date.

 

Theo had no clue what was setting him off this crazy. He hadn’t had a sneeze attack this bad in forever, especially in public, where other people were there to experience every single bit of it. Usually, his extreme self-consciousness prevented that from happening. If even his mental block could be stronger than his allergies.

 

Blinking through tears of irritation and exhaustion it was hard to get a clear view of his environment. But he didn’t need to scan everything in perfect precision to know people were looking. Although fully consumed in the midst of a fit, he felt the shame of a dozen stranger’s eyes on him.

 

First, he was able to spot Kaya through his blurry view, with a flushed face and fidgety hands she watched him succumbing to the unstoppable urge again and again and… again. She mumbled a few bless yous and are you okays, but they were swallowed by the endless spiral of nasal explosions. It hurt him to know even his girlfriend, who had repeatedly assured him that she didn’t mind, seemed to be ashamed of his sneezes.

 

They were becoming enormously painful and hard to contain. Theo couldn’t get enough air in to get them out properly anymore, which resulted in a second round of the loud hitches of doom. Even though overwhelmingly noticeable, these few gasps in between gave him more time to observe his surroundings.

 

He saw the waiter making his way over to their table. If he would have enough air left in that instance Theo would’ve probably started crying out of embarrassment, right then and there. “Bless you a lot, sir. You seem to be struggling quite a bit. Is it because of hayfever? Maybe you want to be seated inside?” “Yes, we would love that very much. Thank you for caring”, Kaya practically shouted, before the waiter even finished his sentence.

 

Meanwhile everything inside of Theo screamed No. Which seemed kind of contradictory considering his unmatched embarrassment of sneezing in public. But Kaya had gone out of her way and had planned this beautiful date night for the two of them with a gorgeous outside ambiance and overly delicious food. The least she could have expected from him was to take his freaking allergy medication and get over himself. But because he had been so worn out after returning home from work, Theo hadn’t given the evening as much thought as he should have.

 

And it wasn’t like pollen dust was his only problem right now. His immune system battled to enemies on the same front. All he could worry about was that he had ruined the night, especially for his girlfriend who deserved so much more.

 

He shakily stood up during a small pause between sneezes and gave the waiter a puffy look of defeat. “I’m so sorry. Excuse meee-hhe’NyGkchoo, ugh… hhh…” “Bless you and… No worries. I checked the pollen count today. It’s through the roof. I’m working dizzy on allergy meds right now, so I feel the struggle. Bless you again… aaand again.” Theo mustered up all his strength to gift the waiter, whose boundless understanding made him feel intensely overstrained, a small smile.

 

They passed a few tables on their way inside, all of them staring in unison. Theo hoped, he imagined the few that’s disgusting whispers he received, as they took a seat at one of three rather small tables inside, which underlined the fact the restaurant thrived from serving people in the panorama outside.

 

“I’m sorry. I hope we didn’t cause you any trouble. It’s just that… my boyfriend is allergic on another level.” Even though Kaya had said these words with such sympathy, they also held a certain embarrassed shyness Theo wasn’t used to. If his nose weren’t in overdrive right now, he would’ve been just a little upset at that statement.

 

He felt Kaya’s hand reaching out for his, the one, that didn’t try to control the volume of oncoming sneezes. She patted it but he reflexively pulled away.

 

“As I said… No worries”, the waiter repeated, sliding over a blister of Claritin pills and leaving them alone with a genuine smile. Without wasting another second, Theo grabbed the tablets as if his life depended on it, which… it kind of did, then stood up hectically, shoulders bouncing, nostrils flaring, chest heaving. Still sneezing continuously he headed for the bathroom in an attempt to escape and control his crappy health, for the third time that day. As he closed the door behind him, wheezes crept into his hitches like a bad omen.

~

And with that Theo left Kaya alone, stunned and worried. She watched him as he walked off. His fragile figure, hunched over in absolute allergic overexertion, desperate for some kind of relief, speeding to the bathroom, as fast as he could, while constantly being interrupted by an abrupt wave of stifles that sent him into twitches like little lightning bolts that struck to the melody of the storm raging within him.

 

Even though it felt invasive to listen to his unmistakable struggle, Kaya couldn’t help but appreciate the sound of his perfect stifles fading, as the door closed behind him. “Hhhi’Xxh’shiew… Heh’ngtschuee-‘XgXhchoo… Hhhha’KxjcTchii-‘MyKxd’schiew… Hiih’XhXt…” So helplessly itchy and hitchy, so rapid and crunchy… Kaya closed her eyes. Now wasn’t the time for… this thingy.

 

She crossed her legs, breathed deep and opened her eyes again. What was she supposed to do now? She was torn between directly jumping to her feet and following him to make sure, he was okay or just giving him some time and space to himself.

 

After she reevaluated him pulling away from her touch, as she had tried to show affection and support, Kaya decided for the latter. It had pierced through her soul, that Theo hadn’t let her help him, when that’s all she wanted to do, all she dreamed about. But she knew his pride, his strength and stubbornness in these situations and tried to calm her nerves by trying to tell herself, that he hadn’t intended to hurt her with his behavior. He never had and never would.

 

So she kept seated, restlessly eyeing the clock on her phone and their half finished meals, which the waiter had switched so smoothly and quickly, she hadn’t even realized it. After ten minutes she became unsure of her decision. After twenty minutes she asked for the check. After thirty minutes, when she was done paying and giving the nice waiter a generous tip, who said goodbye to her with a sad shrug and get-well-soon-wishes for her boyfriend, Kaya stood up and slowly walked towards the bathroom.

 

She could feel her wobbly knees trembling because of nervousness, as she knocked on the door. “Theo? Are you alright? Let’s go home, okay? Take a rest…?” To her relief it didn’t take her boyfriend long to unlock the door and get out, eyes and nose bright red, skin color paler than hers, crackly breaths escaping his mouth in uneven, shallow gasps. This wasn’t just allergies. Something was way off. This allergy attack seemed to have fully drained him.

 

“Are…” Kaya had to swallow a huge node in her throat to be able to start speaking again. “Are you okay?” “Ya”, he said, voice thin and tired. She took his hand and started guiding him down to the car. Without any resistance he let himself be pulled by her, as if all his energies had dissipated in the matter of the last thirty minutes.

 

As they drove back in silence, Theo just stared out the window. He was so out of it he didn’t even think about putting his seatbelt back on, although he normally had the biggest driving-phobia she had ever experienced. Kaya had trouble concentrating as she sensed the total agony of her beautiful boyfriend next to her. He hadn’t even tried to argue with her, hadn’t tried to convince her, that everything was fine, like he normally always did.

 

When she finally pulled up before their house, they both just hopped out and unlocked the door without a single word. Before Kaya knew it, Theo had already gone upstairs. Sighing, she took off her shoes, then her jacket and jewelry. She didn’t feel ready to go to bed yet so she went into the kitchen and took a look in the fridge.

 

Everything had been such a haze, she hadn’t even thought about eating the rest of her pasta or asking to take it home. Finding nothing that would satisfy her remotely as much as her meal at the restaurant would have right now, she sat down, angry and defeated.

 

Every negative emotion she could imagine splashed to the surface and forced a few tears out of her. This was supposed to be their first carefree date night. She had wanted to celebrate Theo getting a job, mustering up the courage to drive and being the best boyfriend she could wish for. She had wanted to share the news of her emotional progress.

 

But everything that was left now was her feeling of huge frustration and worry. Theo had dismissed her, if intentionally or not. Kaya needed to suppress a sob, as she realized, that she felt almost as shitty as she had, when returning from a date with Sebastian.

 

More than an hour of her sitting uselessly in the kitchen passed, before Kaya was able to see not only the down-, but also the upsides of their date. Theo’s support towards her desire to go to therapy, him calling her baby… ugh… and then of course… his sneezing.

 

It had been like a too good to be true scenario, to watch him fully succumb to his allergies in such a perfect setting. Them on the terrace, soft music playing, shore rushing, and the endless sound of Theo’s sneezes, as the moonlight framed his beautiful being.

 

“Kaya?” She jerked up, only now realizing Marcel’s presence. She must have been so lost in thought that she hadn’t heard him approach. Theo’s older brother chuckled heartily. “How are you? You good? Did you cry?” Subconsciously Kaya touched her cheeks and felt crumbs of mascara uncomfortably rubbing at her fingertips. “Yeah… I mean no, I… I must buy makeup with better quality…”

 

“Uh… alrighty…?” Marcel didn’t seem to buy her excuse. “Where is Theo?” She gritted her teeth by the mention of her boyfriend. “He already went to bed.” While pulling out a cutting board and placing different vegetables on it, he turned around in the process, the concern in his posture evident. “Oh okay… Why? Was he tired from work?”

 

Kaya shrugged in response. It felt rather intimate to share something so special to her with Theo’s older brother, but at the same time, he probably needed to know about this. “Is he okay?”, Marcel dug deeper. “Weeellll…”, Kaya said, “He kind of had a crazy allergy fit in the restaurant. That’s why we came back so early.” “Oh… That sucks. Is he okay now?”, he asked, while cutting up paprika. “Yeah, I think so. He took some Claritin. And he wasn’t sneezing on the way back.” “Okay. Maybe he just needs some rest.”

 

Marcel’s voice sounded a little bit more at ease now. As he put a good amount of olive oil in the pan and started heating it up, Kaya thought about the last days with Theo. The excessive sneezing, the dismissive behavior, the extreme tiredness. “His sneezes sounded kind of different the past days.” The words came out, before her brain had even registered them forming in her mind.

 

The oil was already sizzling in the pan, eagerly waiting to cook something, while Marcel’s features, as he turned around once again, went from worried to anxious. “What do you mean?” The question sounded urgent. Kaya’s heart skipped a beat as she answered:

 

“I don’t know, just… hitchier? Gaspier? If that makes sense…? And also, I don’t know, a bit…” “A bit chesty?”, Theo’s older brother finished the sentence for her. Kaya nodded. “Did he breathe differently as well? Faster, noisier, shallower, for example?” She nodded again.

 

Complete shock took over Marcel, as he practically threw away the wooden spoon in his hand and sprinted towards the stairs. Scared and confused, Kaya followed him hurriedly. “Marcel!”, she shouted. “Marcel! What the hell is going on? Talk to me please! What’s the matter?”

 

They climbed the stairs in a tempo, Kaya didn’t know was possible, as she kept on rambling without even expecting a response anymore. Not thinking about knocking, Marcel pushed open the door to Theo’s and Kaya’s room, turned on the light and paced to the bed, where his brother lay on the side, facing his back to them.

 

He turned him around. The sight of Theo laying limp in his brother’s arms made Kaya gasp in horror. His eyes were shut in a pained expression, creases of anguish gracing his forehead, as gurgles of suffocation escaped his deep blue lips. “Call 911!”, Marcel cried out, tears rolling down his face.   

[dwaekki]

YOURE BACK!! This is such an amazing story and I'm so glad you're continuing it 😭😭 this chapter was such a mix of emotions and I loved every second of it, but now I'm worried about Theo 💔 I hope he can recover quickly and that we can find out what happens in the next chapter as soon as possible,  because I can't wait! Both him and Kaya have been through so many emotions and I'm so ready for the comfort, reassurance and caretaking that is sure to follow. Hopefully nothing TOO serious happens to him, and that he can get the treatment he needs. Thank you for updating, I hope to read more soon! ❤️❤️