Serix smirked at Cassie when she joked about talking him to death. “You can try, but I learned a trick to block people out of my head,” he retorted, standing up and taking her outstretched arms. He pulled her to her feet, draping one of her arms over his shoulders and holding onto her wrist so it wouldn’t fall down. Then, he wrapped his free arm around her waist to give her some extra support, pulling her close to his side. It was the standard procedure for escorting an individual who couldn’t move on his or her own, but Serix’s heart began to race again. He marveled that Cassie couldn’t hear it hammering against his chest.

“Back to the bedroom, it is,” Serix said. He led her slowly down the hallway and into the proper room. As they walked, he was acutely aware of how well her slender frame fit against his side. [i]Now isn’t the time to be thinking like that,[/i] he silently reprimanded himself. [i]She’s only half conscious.[/i] Still, the thought lingered in the back of his mind.

When they reached the bed, Serix gently lowered Cassie onto it. He let her lay down by herself, figuring she wasn’t so weak as to need his help with that. He sat on the edge of the mattress and looked down at her. The situation reminded him of that same morning, when he had been trying to take a closer look at her golden hair. He had made a fool of himself not only by getting caught staring, but also by falling on top of her. He flushed at the memory and turned away so Cassie wouldn’t be able to see the color in his face. He needed to get his feelings towards her sorted out.

“I was thinking about going out to explore for a bit,” he said, looking back at her again. “Just to pass the time, you know? Maybe I could find something useful in one of the other abandoned buildings.” He shrugged and his expression turned a bit sheepish. “But… I could stay here. If you want me to, that is.”