Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Emily’s first shift at the café had left her sore and tired. After a fun summer in Sunshine with Wanda and the kids, she was glad to be back living on campus. She picked up her purse, waved goodbye to her manager, Sam, and walked out the door as he switched out the lights. It was eleven pm, and she could barely see straight. She wasn’t a night owl, and after five hours on her feet, serving customers, clearing tables, washing dishes and whatever else was needed in that moment, she was exhausted. She hoped she’d get better at it over time. Otherwise, she was never going to be able to stay on top of the study that she needed to do.
The dorm room was empty, since everyone on her floor was at a party in the dorm next door. Again. They’d invited her to attend, but she had to go to work. Besides, even if she hadn’t, she didn’t want to go to the party with them. She’d drunk too much at the last one, and it’d taken her several days to fully recover. She didn’t want to feel like that again and couldn’t understand her roommate wanting to behave that way several times per week. It allowed her to enjoy an empty dorm room and late-night television alone with a tub of ice cream.
She licked her lips in anticipation. She’d missed out on dinner, since her shift had run right through mealtime. She’d managed to scarf down a day-old muffin that was about to be thrown out around eight o’clock. Other than that, she’d had nothing to eat since that morning. She’d have to do better about eating before she went to work or she might well pass out from hunger next time. She wasn’t used to skipping meals.
Inside the dorm room, she threw her purse on the table in the kitchen. Then she searched the freezer for ice cream. There was a tub with her name written on it. She pulled it out of the freezer and then looked for a clean spoon. In the end, she had to wash one, since they were all piled in the sink. They shared the kitchen with two other girls as well, but she hardly ever saw them.
She sat on the couch and flicked on the television, then ate as she watched a rerun of The Closer , a detective show with a female lead. She’d always enjoyed the show, especially since the main character had a Southern accent and was always digging through her enormous purse looking for things the same way Emily often did.
Her stomach growled, hungry for more than ice cream, but she didn’t have the energy or willpower to get up off the couch and make something. Instead, she devoured another spoonful. She must’ve fallen asleep after a while because she woke to a scratching sound at the door.
She startled and leapt up from the couch. She quickly put the lid back on the ice cream and returned it to the freezer. She heard the scratching sound again, this time accompanied by a groan and then thumping against the door.
“What on earth?”
She hurried to open the door, and Madi fell through it, landing against Emily’s chest. She held her steady with both hands. “Madi! Are you okay?”
Madi groaned then laughed. “I couldn’t get my key to work.”
Her breath smelled like a distillery.
“You’ve been drinking,” Emily said as she wrinkled her nose.
Madi held up two fingers close together. “Just this much.” She laughed again. “Maybe a little more.”
“Come inside and I’ll make you some coffee.”
“No coffee. Sleep.” Madi padded to her bed and fell face first onto the covers.
“You should at least have some water,” Emily pleaded with her before locking the door again.
“Too tired,” Madi moaned. “Oh, my head is spinning.”
“You really should’ve stopped a little sooner,” Emily said, kneeling beside her bed. She felt her forehead. “You’re very warm. Are you sick?”
“Oh, ugh.” Madi leaned over the side of the bed and threw up. It spattered all over Emily’s shirt and shorts and landed in a puddle on the floor.
Emily held a hand to her mouth and did her best not to copy her roommate. She got to her feet and rushed out of the room to the hall closet where they kept the mop and bucket. This was disgusting. It hadn’t been part of the agreement she’d signed—she never expected to have to clean up her roommate’s vomit. Madi’s partying was really getting out of control.
After she cleaned up the mess and forced Madi to drink a glass of water, she lay in her bed staring at the ceiling and trying to get back to sleep. But she couldn’t. She was wide awake. Those few hours on the couch had tricked her body into thinking it was time to get up, and all she could do was think about everything on her to-do list, her relationship with Aaron and where it was headed, and her sister’s illness. Finally, she reached for her phone and dialled Aaron’s number.
She didn’t expect him to answer, since it was three am, but he did. He sounded sleepy.
“Hello?”
“Hey, baby,” she said.
He yawned loudly. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Sorry I woke you. I thought you wouldn’t answer and was going to leave you a message.”
“You called me in the middle of the night. Of course I’m going to answer,” he said.
She smiled to herself. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too,” he replied. “When will I see you next?”
“I’m not sure. Whenever you like. I’ve finished classes and exams, but I’m working now. So, I know my schedule about a week in advance.”
“Oh, yeah. How did it go today? I didn’t get to call you because I had that work dinner. And when I got home, I thought you’d be sleeping.”
“It was good. I learned a lot. But you’re right—I went to sleep soon after I got home. Then Madi came in about half an hour ago and woke me up when she couldn’t get her key to work. She was too drunk to get it into the lock. And then she threw up on me. So, I’ve been cleaning up vomit and getting her to bed.”
He laughed quietly. “I’m so sorry, baby. That’s a lot to deal with when you’ve been sleeping.”
“I didn’t know having a roommate would be more trouble than doing full-time caring work.” She was feeling more than a little irritated about the whole thing.
They chatted for a few more minutes, then hung up the phone. She lay in bed for a while longer, then finally arose. The birds were beginning to sing anyway, and soon the sun would be climbing up the sky. Maybe she could go for a run before it got too hot. Later she had another afternoon shift at the café.
She got dressed in workout clothes and tied her hair into a ponytail. Then there was a quiet rap at the door. She walked out of her bedroom and stared at the front door. Another knock, this time louder. Her heart rate increased. Who would be coming over at this time of morning? It was only four thirty. She walked over to the door and leaned against it.
“Who’s there?” she asked.
“It’s Aaron. Let me in.”
She opened the door, then leapt into his arms. He kissed her fiercely, lifting her feet off the ground. She laughed against his chest.
“What are you doing here?”
“Somebody woke me up,” he said, giving her another kiss.
She grinned. “What an inconsiderate person.”
“Since I haven’t seen you in far too long, I thought it might be nice to take a walk together and then grab some breakfast before I have to go to work. What do you think?”
“That would be perfect.”