“I’m fine.” I whispered, though black spots danced in front of my eyes, threatening to turn everything into darkness. My brain hummed noisily between my ears, making the world tilt dangerously on its axis. It was like that one time that I thought I was drinking Kool-Aid and it turned out to be hunch punch. Oof, that had been a bad night and an even worse morning.
I leaned my head back against the brown leather of the seat, listening as Eli started up the engine and pointed us back home.
Despite the swirling heat inside of me and the tingling of my fingertips, the warmth of the sun caressed my cheeks and shoulders, soothing me.
When my eyes opened once more, I was back in my bed.
Lucy sat at my computer, lazily clicking through the pictures of her ex on Facebook. She’d long ago blocked him, begging me to stay friends with him so she could stalk him every now and then. The things I do for friendship.
“When did I get home?” I groaned quietly, sitting up and rubbing my hand over my still spinning head.
Though my stomach still threatened to do flip flops inside of me, I was significantly less dizzy.
“About two hours ago. Eli said he thought you were dehydrated or something.” Lucy barely glanced over at me, her eyes still locked on the screen before her.
In the picture, her ex held another girl by the waist, his lips pressed against her cheek as she giggled.
“Stop looking at that.” I snapped grumpily, eliciting a wicked side eye glare from my dark haired roommate.
I wasn’t in the mood for the pity party she would want to throw later.
Lucy stood up, flipping her thick braid over her shoulder as she walked over to me, glass of ice water in her hand. She thrust it into my clammy palms, seating herself on the edge of my lavender comforter.
“Well?” She said, crossing her arms and staring at me, “Is there anything you want to tell me?”
I held up a single finger, drinking from the water glass deeply.
It coursed down my throat like a cold waterfall, easing away the warmness that refused to release me.
Did I have a fever? Maybe I needed to see a doctor or something? Maybe I was just coming down with a cold. Maybe there’d been something I was allergic to in that coffee.
When the glass was empty and half melted ice cubes skittered around the inside of the glass, I set it gently down on my cluttered nightstand.
“What would you like to know?” I said coyly, pretending to inspect the chipped nail polish on my fingers.
“Don’t be like that.” Lucy frowned, “How the hell did you wind up with Eli today?”
She sucked in a startled breath between her thin lips, leaning forward towards me, eyes huge and her black eyebrows almost reaching her hair, “…was it a…date?”
Lucy hadn’t been on a date for months, though me even longer. You could say she was obsessed with vicariously living through other people’s dating lives.
“I don’t know if it was a date-date.” I said firmly, giving her a pointed stare. This was not to be blabbed about just yet, “I think it may have been more of a thank you date.”
My roommate frowned at me thoughtfully, leaning back on her palms, no longer as keenly interested in my tale.
“A thank you date?” She said skeptically, “What does that even mean?”
I shrugged, “I’m not a love guru,” I mumbled, “Isn’t that your occupation?”
She giggled, shaking her head, “I suppose so.” She hummed.
“He left his bio book in the cafeteria. When he came home from campus, I gave it back. Then he asked me for coffee at his friend’s place.” I chewed my lip, trying to come up with any more detail than that.
Laughter escaped Lucy’s lips as she shook her head, “Well, you can bet you ruined any chances of a second date by passing out on him.” She mused, “Good going there, girl.”
I groaned, flopping backwards so my head hit my pillow. It was still damp from where I slept on it moments ago. I needed a shower something fierce.
“Well, was your short lived romance with Eli Hunter worth every second?” She managed to ask through the giggles that still cut through me.
“Next time, I’ll bring a water bottle.” I responded sadly.
Chapter Five
It’d been a whole week since I heard from Eli.
Seven days since I passed out in his jeep overloaded with coffee.
168 hours since his beautiful face looked right into mine, his fingers just barely touching my hand for the first time.
I’d seen him around, of course. Our campus wasn’t so large that you could avoid someone forever. Though, I wasn’t sure just who was avoiding who. Sure, he didn’t make the effort to knock on my door, but I also ducked behind walls every time I saw his gorgeous blond head in the halls at school.