Hot Stuff

“Helping,” Chloe says simply.

The bids go on around us, and Jake starts walking in our direction. When the auctioneer turns back to Chloe, she ups the bid again. “Six thousand.”

And for the first time since Garrett took the stage, a whole new form of fear crashes over me.

Six thousand dollars? For a date with my own boyfriend? What am I, nuts?!

Chloe’s invested now, though, jumping excitedly the next time the auctioneer turns to her. “Eight thousand dollars!”

Oh dear God. I think I’m going to pass out.

I wonder if anyone will notice if I sit down and put my head between my knees.

“Lauren, are you okay?” Holley asks, apparently noticing the putrid color of my skin.

I try to nod, but for some reason, all normal bodily function is struggling to reboot.

“Uh oh,” Holley remarks. “I think we’re losing her.”

And, well…that’s the last thing I remember.

“Lauren!” a disembodied voice yells from somewhere in the distance.

I shake my head back and forth to make the noise stop, but it keeps going, this time sounding even more urgent.

“Laurie, baby, wake up!”

There’s a pat on my cheek, I can feel it there, and it seems like there’s a crowd around me. But for as much as I try, I can’t manage to open my eyes.

And as memories of the last half hour slowly filter in, I can’t completely rule out that the reason is rooted in not wanting to.

“Let me in there, Cap,” I hear Garrett say from somewhere in the background. “I just re-certed my EMT training.”

There’s some shifting around, and then the distinct feeling of Garrett’s warm hands as they feel around the surface of my scalp tenderly.

I am mortified, but I find the strength inside myself to open my eyes.

“There she is,” Garrett says kindly as I blink against the bright lights of the room.

My dad—not exactly the most patient man—shoves back through, knocking Garrett to the side and grabs my hand. “Laurie, you okay, baby?”

I look down at the ground to help contain some of my embarrassment as I answer. “Yeah, Dad. I’m fine.”

“You sure? I mean, maybe we should call the ambulance. Just make sure—”

“I’m fine, Dad. I swear. I’m a doctor, remember?”

“Not right now, you’re not. You’re the patient.”

I laugh a little even though I’m not finding anything all that funny. “I just didn’t eat enough today. I was busy…with a friend…then I came straight here.”

It’s not entirely the truth—since I crawled out of Garrett’s bed at the last possible minute to be able to get home, make the dip, shower, and get ready in time—but I definitely did forget to eat enough food. That, combined with the panic-induced arrhythmia from secretly bidding thousands of dollars for a date with my own boyfriend, was apparently enough to tank my nervous system.

“Maybe—”

“Dad, I just need a soda. Something to get my blood sugar up—”

Before I can even finish the sentence, Garrett is holding out a Coke from the vending machine.

I accept it with gratitude.

Chloe, god love her teenage mind, pipes up with the important questions despite the fact that I’m still sprawled out on the ground like a newborn filly. “So, did the bidding end? And did I win?”

Jake opens his mouth to protest, but Garrett reaches out and squeezes his arm. Jake glances his direction before rolling his eyes and muttering, “Jesus.”

Apparently, their bromance has quite the unspoken language, and Garrett’s interpretation of what’s gone on here is far too keen for my own good.

I only wish I could figure out how to communicate back. Because if I could, I’m positive I wouldn’t be stuck here on the floor in the middle of a crowd of people, watching the one person I want to be there the most out of everyone walk away without looking back.

Jake looks to me briefly and then smiles and gives me a thumbs-up before following Garrett into the men’s room.

All I can do is sit there as my dad rants about the importance of getting meals in no matter how busy you are and wonder how on earth I’m going to find a way out of the giant mess I’ve made.

Garrett

I pull my shaking hand away from the tiled wall I just punched and growl, right as I hear the door open behind me.

I spin quickly, tucking my bloody knuckles behind my back out of instinct, but my breathing is still unmistakably violent.

Thankfully, it’s Jake, but even his eyes widen as he runs his gaze the length of me, and then notices the cracked hole I just created over my shoulder.

He puts his hands out slowly and holds them there before looking me in the eye. “Okay, dude, calm down.”

“I can’t calm down, Jake. Jesus, I’m losing it! I can’t keep this a secret anymore. I can’t pretend—”

“Garrett,” Jake calls, trying to get my attention back in the middle of my spiral.