Adam's List(36)

Once I’ve settled and my stomach has calmed, he leaves my side to return with my bath towel from the closet door and a bottle of water from the fridge. “Small sips.”

I wipe my mouth with the towel and take one small pull of the water, shutting my eyes when the cool liquid calms my burning throat. Although I feel like death and must look horrendous, I’m excited to have Adam beside me. I fuss with my hair, hoping to at least tame any flyaway chunks. “What are you doing here? What happened?”

His jaw flexes, almost manically. “Do you remember anything?”

“Not really.” I shake my head with ease so as not to upset my stomach again. “I just remember going to the party with Kel.”

Rubbing at his neck, he glances down before his eyes return to mine. “Jewels, you were drugged last night.”

A trickle of ice cold fear washes over me. I pull my knees up against myself, dragging my sheet up with them. “Was I...I mean, was there sex involved?” My face burns hot as I swallow the giant sob rising in my chest.

“No. At least we’re pretty sure nothing happened.” His nostrils flare. His gaze hops around the room, as if it’s too painful to look directly at me. “The asshole who roofied you swore up and down nothing happened after we said we were calling the cops. You begged us not to take you to the hospital, but we called the ER. They said to keep an eye on your breathing and fill you with liquids. And they said if there’s any reason you think he’s lying...I mean, if you think he did anything to you...that you need to check into the ER right away for a rape kit.”

I lost my virginity almost three years ago and know far too well what it feels like the morning after having sex. The dull aches and tenderness, the swelling. Shifting my weight, I’m positive nothing happened. The only things out of sorts are my head and stomach.

“I don’t need to go,” I say, my face burning. The last thing I need is for my parents to decide I can’t handle college after all, and force me to move home. I don’t have it in me to go back there.

Adam’s body remains tense, on edge. “You sure?” When I really look at him, I notice his lips seem a bit puffier than usual, and there’s a small cut in the corner of them. My gaze travels up to his eyes, finding a bit of discoloration around his left. Frowning, I reach out to brush my fingers against his temple.

“How did this happen?”

He winces a little under my touch, and pulls my hand down. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad I got there when I did.”

I skim over the hard edges of his facial features, wondering if he threw any punches back. The Adam I’ve grown comfortable with doesn’t seem to have a mean bone in his body, but I suppose everyone has a breaking point. “You’re the one who found me?”

“You didn’t answer my last text. I was worried you were upset with me because of what I said at the diner.” His expression softens. “I knew about the party you mentioned, and I only live a few blocks down so I went over there to talk to you in person.”

I take another half-sip of the water and lick my dry lips. “Where’d you find me?”

The pained way he looks back at me makes my breathing shallow. Whatever he saw obviously upset him. Badly. “He took you up to one of the bedrooms.”

“You just happened to guess I’d be up there?” My hands tremble underneath the sheet as my stomach roils. Does he think I’m a slut? Still, if he hadn’t found me when he did, I could’ve been raped. Was Dean the one who slipped me the roofie?

Adam sees the sheet quivering and sets his hand over mine, calming my nerves.

“One of my old fraternity brothers saw that asshole helping you up the stairs. He thought the two of you were together.”

Tears burn behind my eyes and snot trickles down my nose. I quickly wipe it with the back of my arm with a hallow laugh and rake my fingers through my hair. “Shit. I must look hideous.”

Adam’s dimples I adore pop into their rightful place. “Actually, I was just thinking I didn’t know it was possible for someone to still look incredible after barfing like that.”

Burying my face behind my knees, I laugh gently into the sheet, trying not to jar my stomach. “Liar.”

He laughs along with me for a minute before squeezing my hands. “Can I get you something?”

I shake my forehead against my knees, still humiliated that he’s seeing me this way and wishing my stomach would stop quaking all over the place. Every movement I make seems to make the pounding of my head worse. I just want to ball up in the fetal position and disappear.