“Kill me, maybe,” he moaned, before another cough assaulted her ears. “Every part of my body aches.”
“I know the flu is brutal. Make sure you rest. I spent three days in bed sleeping when I had it.”
“Trust me, unless the house is on fire, I don’t plan on leaving my bed,” Kevin said. “If I feel better, I’ll call you on Sunday. I’ll text you Olivia’s number if you want to try her. Have fun in New York.”
“Thanks. Feel better.”
Lauren stared around her empty classroom. Now that Kevin couldn’t go, she had an extra ticket. Should she ask a friend or give Olivia a call? Her first choice of companions was out. Callie hated the ballet. The only way she’d get her there was by physical force. Kelly was out, too. Not many of her friends enjoyed the ballet, but Kevin’s sister did. Would she enjoy a whole weekend with Olivia? They’d only met that one time. She’d have to think about it, and, worst-case scenario, she would go alone. Just because she had an extra ticket didn’t mean she had to use it.
***
Under three layers of blankets, Kevin shivered again and cursed his bad luck. He could not recall when he’d last been sick. And never like this. Every inch of his body ached, one minute he was hot and the next freezing, and the cough medicine did not even take the edge off. He just wanted to die and end his suffering.
His physical ailments only added to his foul mood. Of all the weekends, it had to happen on this one. While not a huge fan of the ballet—in truth he found it downright boring—he had been looking forward to a getaway with Lauren.
He had postponed his Friday afternoon appointment until the following week just so they could leave when she got out of school. Rarely did he change business meetings for anything or anyone, much less something as trivial as the ballet, but he knew how important this was to Lauren. Not to mention he figured it was a great opportunity to further develop their relationship. Even before she’d asked him, he had been considering a romantic weekend getaway. Especially considering her distant behavior as of late. Although she never called on a regular basis, her phone calls had become even less frequent. When they did talk on the phone, she sounded preoccupied and kept their conversations short. The last time they’d gotten together, she remained stiff and rigid most of the night. Only twice had he glimpsed the woman he’d first met: once when she discussed the ballet with his sister and then when she slipped her hand into his under the table. Of course, he could chalk up her behavior that night to meeting his parents for the first time.
When she’d dropped this weekend in his lap, it had alleviated some of his worry over the change he’d noticed in her. How important could the guy from her past be if she invited him away for the weekend? Not that it mattered now. Thanks to the damn flu, he was stuck in bed, his hopes of pushing their relationship closer to an engagement put on hold.
Although, maybe it didn’t need any further encouragement. If Lauren wasn’t fully invested in them, would she have asked him? She could have just as easily invited along a friend like Callie. She hadn’t, though. She’d asked him, and she’d sounded genuinely disappointed when he’d just talked to her.
Despite the drummer in his head using his brain to compose a rock song, Kevin smiled. He had nothing to worry about.
***
“That was amazing.” Suzanne Miller followed Lauren into their suite at The Sherbrooke Plaza Hotel located in the heart of New York City. New to Ridgefield, Suzanne taught tap and ballet with Lauren, and they had become friends over the past winter.
Amazing was only one of the many adjectives Lauren would use to describe the show. It had been everything she’d imagined a New York City performance to be and then some.
“I could have sat there all night and watched them perform,” Lauren said, fingering her gold hoop earring. Her eyes once again took in the elegant suite, an odd sense of unease forming inside her.
When they had checked in the previous afternoon, the hotel concierge had immediately descended on them. Despite her protests that it wasn’t necessary, he’d escorted them up to their suite. When she realized their floor could only be accessed with a VIP room card, she’d known Callie hadn’t booked her in any ordinary room. Still, when the elevator doors opened she’d been surprised. Nothing around her resembled the hotels she was used to. Then the concierge unlocked her suite door, and she’d stared at it once again, reminded of just how different Callie’s life had become.
“I still can’t believe this whole trip was a birthday present.” Suzanne stood near the window looking down at the city. “Half my friends forgot to even wish me a happy birthday this year.”