Two of a Mind by S M Stuart

I was trying to dislodge an insect from my ear and Seth was giving me worried look.
    â€œDez. What
is
going on with you?”
    I felt a sudden wave of nausea and headed for the sink.
    â€œSorry.” I broke my promise and crashed down as the buzzing overwhelmed me. When I came round, Seth was bending over me, gently patting my forehead with a damp cloth. His eyes were ringed with dark circles and his lips were clenched tight. I was shivering despite the summer heat and I couldn’t seem to get it to stop.
    â€œCome on,” he said. “Let’s get you home.”
    He picked me up with only a little stumble as he manoeuvred me into his arms.
    When did he get so strong?
    â€œNo.” I struggled to get my feet to the ground. “I’m fine now, honest.”
    â€œWhoa!”
    Too late. We both ended up back on the kitchen floor.
    â€œGuess you are!” I could hear the sarcasm in his voice.
    â€œAll right. I’m not fine. But I’m not going home.”
    â€œWell, tell me what’s up.”
    â€œI don’t really know. I’ve got this noise in my head. It’s making me feel sick and dizzy.”
    â€œSounds like vertigo. My gran used to get it. You need to get something for it, Dez.”
    â€œNo! I’m not going anywhere near that clinic if I can help it. Ow, it’s difficult to concentrate … I … can …hardly …” I just couldn’t get any more words out.
    Seth picked me up again and took me into the sitting room, carefully lowering me onto the sofa. He went upstairs and came back with a familiar bottle – his mother’s lavender oil. Elizabeth was an amateur herbalist, preferring natural remedies to synthetic drugs. He poured a little of the oil into his hand and gently started to dab it onto my temples, lightly tracing circles around my closed eyes and whispering endearments that he probably didn’t think I could hear,
    â€œDon’t worry. It’s okay. I’m here.”
    His soothing voice and the sweet lavender were helping. The murmuring faded slightly so that I could start to think coherently again and I opened my eyes. Seth’s face was so close to mine I could smell the warmth of his skin, the left-over zesty fragrance of his morning shower overlaying the perfumed oil he was massaging into my forehead. I lifted my head to take the kiss that had been hovering between us all afternoon.
Good job I didn’t throw up earlier.
I giggled before I could complete my intention and Seth leapt back, embarrassed that he’d been caught so close to me.
    â€œEr. Just about to er … I was er …” he said.
    â€œS’fine. You were just making sure I was okay,” I offered.
    â€œYeah. Yeah. I was just making sure you were okay.”
    â€œ
Are
you okay now?” he added.
    â€œFeeling much better, thanks. That lavender oil seems to have done the trick.” My head had cleared. Maybe the dizzy spell had been brought on by the hypnotherapy session and the hot sun through the kitchen window after all.
    â€œWell I don’t think we should do any more today,” he said. “I’ll take you home before you have another funny turn. We can look at Mum’s diary when you’re feeling better. Sorry, I shouldn’t have pressured you so soon after you got out of the clinic.”
    â€œDon’t worry, Seth. I’m all right, really I am. But, I
will
go home and have an early night. That hypno stuff must be more tiring than I imagined. I’m whacked.”
    I packed Elizabeth’s
Handi
away into my bag despite Seth’s argument that I shouldn’t bother myself with it any more. I wanted to look at it alone. Make some notes. See if I could see any pattern to the entries or connections that Seth might’ve missed
.
I finally convinced him that I’d be able to handle it without freaking out again.
    The afternoon was beginning to cool and, although the shivers