Dropping her notes next to her, she rolls over and scoots off the bed. “Deprived of sleep, caffeine, and food. My brain feels all mushy.”
“That makes two of us,” I mumble. “Let’s take a break and get something to eat.”
“Can we order in? I don’t have the energy to brush my hair and put on a bra.”
“Yeah. What are you in the mood for?”
“Pizza. Lots of pizza.”
I go fetch my phone in my room then go sit in the living room while I place the order. While I’m waiting for the food to come, I check my messages and see two from Mason.
M: I Chapter 4MasonI frown as the call goes to voicemail again. I haven’t heard from Kingsley since Wednesday when she left me a message. Feeling worried, I bring Layla’s number up and press dial.
“Hey,” she answers cheerfully, and it eases some of the tension I’ve been feeling.
“Hey, sorry that I’m calling you, but I can’t get a hold of Kingsley. I’m supposed to pick her up after work for the weekend. Is she okay?”
“Damn, I should’ve thought to call you. Sorry, Mace. She caught the stupid stomach bug that’s going around campus. I got her medicine, and she’s been catching up on sleep since we finished our exam. I’m sure she’ll be fine tomorrow.”
Having heard everything Layla just said, I still ask, “Kingsley’s sick?”
Why the hell didn’t Kingsley let me know?
“It’s nothing serious, Mace. She’ll be back to her normal self in no time,” Layla tries to ease my worry.
I let out a tired sigh. “I’ll come over after work. Thanks for taking care of her.”
“Of course.” Before I can hang up, Layla quickly asks, “Can you pick up some Gatorade on your way here?”
“Sure.”
After the call, I can’t focus on my work to save my life. When I read the same proposal for the eighth time, I give up. Picking up my office phone, I dial Julian’s extension.
“Julian Reyes,” he answers briskly.
“Hey, it’s Mason. Kingsley’s sick. I’m going to head over to her place to make sure she’s okay, then I’ll be back.”
“Don’t worry about rushing back. If you have anything urgent that needs to be taken care of, just forward it to Stephanie, and I’ll look at it.”
“Thanks, Julian. I appreciate it, but there’s nothing urgent. I’ve already wrapped up the MSC proposal. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Tell Kingsley I hope she feels better soon.”
“Will do.” With the call done, I grab my car keys and rush out of my office to let my PA know I’ll be out for the rest of the day and to forward anything urgent to Stephanie.