“Very funny, Weston,” I grate, and close my eyes. Then I open them again. “What the fuck? Two days?”
For the second time I try to sit up only to have West push me back down.
“You can’t get up yet, dude. You’re still sick.”
No shit. I’m fucking cold. My head’s killing me. I feel like there are spikes being driven through my eyes. Yeah, I’m sick.
Last thing I need. “What day is it today?”
“Saturday.”
“Fuck… I need to call George. My boss. He must be shitting bricks. I’m gonna lose my job.”
Or he’s already replaced me. He’s fond of me, but he needs someone who’s reliable and doesn’t vanish into thin air.
“Kash? Breathe.” West bends over me, blue eyes studying me, pinning me like a moth. They’re so fucking blue, a darker star around the pupil, gray with green flecks around it. Pretty. “Look man, it’ll be fine. I’ll call work for you. They won’t fire you for being sick. No way.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Trust me on this. You rest and get well.” He’s braced one hand beside my pillow for support, and is still levelling that sky-blue gaze at me. “You gave us a bit of a scare.”
“I did?” He smells good, I think, real good, and suddenly I’m aware of how close our faces are. His breath smells of coffee and mint, his T-shirt of soap and… bleach? “Uh, sorry?”
“Don’t worry about it.” He draws back a few inches and pulls my covers back up to my chest. His hand stays there, resting over my pounding heart. His mouth curls up at one corner.
And it all reminds me of Nate—last night? Two nights ago? When was he in my room? Fuck, this sense of having skipped time is jarring.
Nate, checking my forehead for a fever.
Nate, leaning over me, his thumb brushing my mouth.
Jesus Christ.
“How come you’re here, mudak?” I swallow hard, my throat dry as a bone. “What about your sis and your granddad?”
He looks away, straightening, his back stiffening. “They’ll have to survive without me for a few hours. Not that they notice when I’m there, unless they fucking need something from me.”
Well, shit.
“I called you, you know,” I say, my hands clenching on top of the covers, trying to distract myself from all the confusing thoughts and my body’s strange reactions to these two guys. “Many times. Why won’t you ever pick up?
“Things… haven’t been that good at home.”
“What happened?”
He doesn’t reply. West’s home situation is so complicated I can’t get a good feel of it. His relationship with his sis and granddad is weird, to say the least. There’s something off there, something that goes deeper than a simple dysfunctional family’s problems, but I can’t put my finger on it.
“I was worried… I thought maybe Nate’s dad would try something with you.” I force my hands to relax.
“No. He hasn’t touched me, if that’s what you mean.”
I nod. Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean. “I was going to come over, see you, but I’ve been feeling off for days. Too tired to do anything but work and go home.”
“It’s okay, Kash. No need to explain. You’ve done a lot.”
“But not enough.” I swallow hard.
“Yea, it’s enough. I swear, man, we can take care of ourselves. We’re all practically adults here, and you may be older, but not by all that much.”