Chapter Thirteen
Abby
My eyes slowly open, trying to take in the room around me. Without my glasses, my vision is blurry as shit, but I can tell I’m in the living room. Even the slightest movement has my aching muscles screaming at me.
I hate being sick.
My hand reaches out from the blanket, searching for my glasses on the coffee table. When I finally find them and slip them on, I’m surprised to see Don asleep in the armchair.
Did he stay the whole night?
I remember him coming to give me medicine and supplies, and I remember…oh my gosh, he saw me throw up. He held my hair back.
As embarrassed as I should probably be, I just don’t care right now. I feel so shitty that it’s hard to care about anything. I’ll be mortified later on when I feel better.
I don’t feel like moving, but I do need to pee. Slowly, I manage to get up and head to the bathroom to do my business. When I come back, I grab an extra blanket and gently toss it over Don. He slept with just his jacket draped over him all night, so I imagine he’s freezing.
I try to be as quiet as I can, but apparently, I do a shitty job because Don stirs in the chair.
“Abs?”
“Sorry,” I tell him. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
“It’s alright. How are you feeling?”
“Like shit. But I think I’ll live.”
He stands up and asks, “What can I get you?”
“Don, you don’t have to wait on me hand and foot,” I say.
“I know. But I want to help you feel better. Can’t you just let someone take care of you for a little while?”
I think for a moment. “Uhm, I’m not sure. No one has really ever done it.”
“Really?”
I nod. “I’m used to going at it alone.”
“Well, sunshine, I’m here to tell you that you and I are friends. Friends are there to help each other when they need it.”
That’s a new concept for me. Sure, Jenson and I are friends—he’s the closest thing I have to a best friend. But he’s got a whole life going on, so we don’t spend a ton of time together. I know not to depend on him. Not because I don’t trust him but because I don’t depend on anyone.
Don wanting to help out is completely different.
And as independent as I am, I kind of like it.
Don’t get used to it, Abby.
“Abs, do you want some tea? Let’s see if you can keep anything down.”
“Sure. Tea sounds great.”
I wrap myself up in the blankets and get cozy once again, only uncovering my arms when Don brings me the steaming mug.
“Let’s hope you can keep this down,” he says.
“Here’s hoping,” I say, doing a mock cheers and taking a small sip. “By the way, thank you for holding my hair back. That probably wasn’t very glamorous.”
“I don’t give a fuck about glamorous.”
“Don, I have to disagree. I’ve seen your dates,” I tease.
He smiles, “And look how well all of them have turned out.”
Realizing what time it must be, I say, “I know you want to take care of me, but don’t you have to get to work?”
“Well, Abs, it’s Saturday.”
“Holy shit, I’ve lost a whole day.” I laugh, which sends me into a coughing spell.
When I’ve finally calmed down, Don says, “Hey, Abby?”
“Yes, Donald?”
He looks a little taken aback. “Abby, my full name is Donovan.”
“Really?”
He nods.
“Learn something new every day.”
He laughs. “Anyway, Abigail.” He pauses to see if I’m going to correct him.
“I’ve got nothing. Abby can’t be short for much.” I sniffle. “Go ahead.”
“What’s the deal with your family?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, last night, when you were throwing up again, I asked if you wanted me to call anyone—like your parents. You very adamantly told me absolutely not.”
I must have been half-asleep because I don’t remember any of that.
But my reaction doesn’t surprise me.
“Oh,” I say.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
Usually, I don’t talk about my family much. They are always a bit of a sore subject. But there’s something inside me that actually wants to share with Don.
“No, it’s okay.” I sit up, trying to get a little more comfortable. “I have two older brothers. Both of them were star athletes, prom kings, and the most popular boys in school. My parents were endlessly proud. Understandably. But they wanted a daughter—someone my mom could put in big, frilly dresses and enter into beauty contests. Instead, they got me.”
Don opens his mouth to say something, but I stop him. “This isn’t me being down on myself. They wanted a daughter who was completely different from me. I was quiet and introverted. I had a certain way of doing things that was the complete opposite of my brothers. My mom tried getting me into things that interested her so that we could bond, but it never really worked. She just eventually gave up.”
I pause for a moment. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea here. My parents never abused me—physically or emotionally. I never got less than my brothers. Ultimately, they are good people. We just have absolutely nothing in common. Because of that, we aren’t very close. I make appearances on holidays, but that’s about it. To no one’s surprise, I’m a bit neurodivergent, and they never quite understood how my brain worked—or really were patient with the idea that maybe it just worked differently than theirs.”
“Is it weird when you go home?”
“Kind of. It all just feels forced. My mom loves to take little digs at me while my dad basically ignores me aside from some small talk. And my brothers both have such busy, high-powered lives that we have nothing in common. We are all still nice and cordial, but we don’t have an amazing time. I choose to keep my life separate from them. It’s what’s best for my own mental health.”
“Fair enough,” he says. “I won’t bring it up again.”
“I appreciate you wanting to help, though.” I feel my eyes getting heavy again. “This cold is kicking my ass.”
“Lie down and get some more sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
You know, a couple of weeks ago, I never would have fathomed letting some guy just hang out in my apartment while I slept. But after getting to know Don, I don’t even second-guess it.
Instead, I slowly drift off, taking great comfort in the fact that Don will be right here.