Ari let her legs give beneath her, back sliding against the wall until she plopped onto the floor across from him. "You've seen me at my worst. Scared, bleeding, and frail. I won't think any less of you for being like this." The corner of her mouth pulled up into a smirk. "I'm glad this illness hasn't changed how much of an asshole you are."
She used her hands to scoot across the floor until she was a foot away. This time she avoided touching him or coming too close. It wasn't the fear of getting hurt that stopped her but the way he kept trying to protect her, even from himself.
The lid to the bottle was unscrewed, using it as a plate for the pills she poured onto it. "Here. I'll even close my eyes," Ari promised, doing just that. She wouldn't watch him. Only listened for the sound of his weight shifting or a difference in the labored breathing that made him seem stricken. "I trust you."
