The sun kisses my skin as I lay on the beach soaking up the sun. Birds of all kinds fly over head singing their own melody. The sound of waves crashing against the rocks is like music to my ears. I stand from my beach towel and brush away what little sand I had on me. A light breeze hits my face and I suck in the salty smell of the water. The sand feels so warm beneath my feet as I make my way into the ocean. As I swim further and further from the shore, the calmer the water became. Water has always been a great way to disconnect from the everyday stressors of life. After floating around on my back, I decided to dive as deep as my lungs would let me. I stop in the middle of my descent and look up at the sun shining down in the water. It's like a entirely different world down here. A school of very vibrant colored fish begin to circle around me in perfect synchronicity. One breaks free from the school and swims very close to me. I reach my hand out and brush the slimy, scaly surface of the fish and it scurries away, rejoining the school. A large shadowy figure can be seen lingering in the distance. As I adjust my eyes the figure disappears into the murky background. All of a sudden the fish scatter in all different directions as a large shark begins to barrel it's way in my direction, bearing its large white sharp teeth. I scream, but all that came out was bubbles of air. After dodging it's attack, I begin to swim as fast as I could towards the surface, but the harder I swam, the further away the surface seemed to be.

I snap my eyes open and feel the sudden urge to vomit. I spring from my bed and run as fast as I could to the bathroom with my hand covering my mouth, praying that I make it in time. Collapsing on my knees in front of the toilet, I empty the contents of my stomach. My throat begins burns like I've just swallowed fire. I rest my arms on the rim of the toilet seat and place my head on my arms. A large chunk of hair falls from my messy bun. The more I brush it out the way, trying prevent a disaster, more hair falls back down with it.

There is one thing I hate in this world more than anything and that's throwing up. I feel someone grab my hair from my sweaty hands, holding it back for me. When I thought I was finished, I flushed the toilet and sat on the floor, pressing my back against the cold surface of the bathtub. That's when my eyes landed on Draven. He was the one holding my hair back.

I didn't mean to wake him. "I'm sorry if I woke you. I tried to be as quiet as possible." I begin to feel a embarrassed.

He grabs a washcloth from the towel rack and wets it in the sink. He then squats down in front of me and begins to wipe my face, "Don't worry about that. Are you okay?" You can hear the concern in his voice.

Just as I was about to answer, I felt the vomit rapidly racing up my throat. I push him out the way just in time for it to miss him and hit the floor where he was just moments ago. That is exactly what I didn't want to happen. Not only am I sick, but now I have to clean up my mess on top of it. I rub my temples, trying to stop the pounding in my head.

"Do you think it was the food?"

"No, she threw up before you guys left," Reese says from the door, while holding a glass of ice water.

Draven's brows furrow, "Why didn't you tell me you wasn't feeling well? We could have rescheduled."

Yes we could have rescheduled, but I was really looking forward to our date and didn't want to ruin it. At first I thought it was just my nerves, but now I know I might be coming down with something. I don't say anything, in fear of throwing up again.

"Come on, lets get you back to bed."

Draven attempts to pull me from the floor and accidentally steps in my puke. Reese laughs and Draven gags, causing me to throw up once more. This time I managed to make it in the toilet. I flush the toilet and position myself back on floor, while Draven, washes his foot in the sink with soap and water.

My teeth begin to chatter as little beads of sweat run down my forehead. I wipe them away with my hand and lean my head back against the tub. Now I have cold sweats. This is just great.

Reese pushes his way into the bathroom and grabs a dirty towel from the hamper and begins to clean up the floor. "You don't have to do that. I would have got it when I was finished," I tell him. He ignores me and continues to clean the floor. Why does he have to be so stubborn?

Draven places his hand on my forehead, "You're burning up. We need to get you back to bed."

"I'll get the bucket," Reese tells Draven before exiting the bathroom.

Normally I keep a puke bucket under the sink in the bathroom. But a few months ago, Reese showed up sicker than a dog and needed it. Needless to say he never put it back. Draven scoops me up from the floor and carries me bridal style back to the bedroom. He lays me on the bed and covers me up.

"Thank you, but I could have walked," I tell him pulling the covers up to my neck to keep warm.  

He sits on the edge of the bed and begins pulling the pins I left in, out of my hair, "I know, but I wanted to." Once he was finished pulling the pins from my hair, he runs his fingers through it. "Let me take care of you," he whispers.

The way he said it melts my heart. "You're so sweet, you know that?"

He chuckles and continues to run his fingers through my hair, "Shh...Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to protect."

"And what reputation is that?"

He shrugs, "I have many, and you have managed to stripped me of one of them."

From what Reese has told me. Draven is known as the ruthless brother. He shows no emotion when it comes to business decisions, which is why he does the dirty work no one else wants to do.

I feel my eyes begin to droop. If he continues to rub my head like he is, I'll be asleep in no time. Reese appears with the bucket, a glass of water and a bottle of ibuprofen. He sits the bottle of ibuprofen on the nightstand along with the glass of water and places the bucket next to the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Reese asks, handing me two pills. I pop the pills in my mouth and down the water. The cool liquid eases the burning sensation in my throat.

"Tired," was the only word I could get out before I threw my head over the edge of the bed throwing up what I had left in my system, including the water and pills I just took. Thankfully, Reese had placed the bucket in the right place.

"I don't know what's going on with me. I felt fine yesterday."

"If you're not feeling any better in the morning, we're calling the doctor," Reese says.

I really hate going to the doctors. Especially for something as minor as a stomach bug. "I don't need a doctor, Reese. It's just a bug. It will pass in a day or so. I just need to rest, that's all."

"Alright, but if you get any worse. You're going and that's final," he tells me sternly.

I roll my eyes and sink further into my pillow. There is no point in arguing with him. Draven continues to run his fingers gently through my hair and my mind drifts back to the dream I had. It felt so real.

"I had this weird dream. It's actually the reason I woke up."

"What was it about?" Draven asks and Reese takes a seat at the foot of the bed.

"Well...I was on the beach tanning and decided to go for a swim. While I was swimming, I ended up being surrounded by a large school of beautiful, colorful fish," I smile at the memory. They were really beautiful. "And then a shark scared them away and attacked me. It was so weird."

Both Reese and Draven laugh. "Yeah, sharks can ruin a wet dream," Draven jokes. "Now why don't you get some rest."

"Will you lay with me?"

"Of course I'll lay with you. You don't even have to ask."

Reese stands from the bed and yawns, "I know I'm going back to bed. I'll see you both on the morning. Hope you feel better."

"Love you..."

Reese stops in the doorway and smiles, "Love you too, Sugar."

Draven crawls under the covers behind me and pulls me close. His body heat stops the shivers immediately. He kisses the back of my head and whispers, "I love you more."

He might be a little rough around the edges, but he sure is soft on the inside. "I love you most," I whisper back.

He snuggles his face in the crook of my neck and kisses it softly. Not fighting the exhaustion anymore, I let my eyes fall shut and before long, the calmness of the night consumes me.