I try to return the favor when she’s sick or down…but I can’t travel to France and back in an instant. She has to settle for me making her a grilled cheese, or getting food from somewhere local.
Lazily sweeping the bed with my hand, I search for my phone. I need to do something to get me out of this down.
Even if I don’t want to. Even if my brain is telling me to just rot in bed all day—for the rest of the week.
I shoot a text to Orie. She knows the most out of anyone about what I deal with, and she’s seen me in worse states.
Movie night and takeout? I need a pick-me-up :P
It doesn’t show as read right away, so I set the phone down. I keep my hand on it, waiting to feel the vibration when she eventually does text me back.
I don’t know how long I lie there staring at the wall, but my eyes feel dry by the time my phone vibrates.
Absolutely! Soup, or something more exotic?
You choose please.
Also, I will leave the door unlocked for you. :)
Closing my phone, I use as much strength as I can muster to drag my arms below me. It almost feels like my limbs don’t even belong to me.
Like, a faint fuzzy feeling vibrating through each cell of my skin. One that makes it feel almost foreign.
Pushing up, I slide very slowly out of bed, not bothering to make it afterward. Once I’m moving, the fuzzy strange feeling begins to fade. As it does, I get alittlebit more energy.
First, I need to unlock the front door. Then, I can get comfy on the couch while I wait.
I hear my door creak open, a few footsteps, and then the thud of it closing. Orie is here,finally. It feels like it’s been forever since I texted her.
“Tonight, we dine with elegance,” she calls out into the house, exuding much more high energy than normal. “Realpizzas, withrealmozzarella, all the way from a little town in Italy.”
Sitting up, I look over my shoulder toward Orie’s voice. She holds, like, five pizzas above her head with one hand, balancing on the tips of her fingers.
Tilting my head, I raise a brow. “I thought you wanted something more exotic, if not soup.”
“It’s fromItaly, that’s exotic to us,” she scoffs, setting the pizzas down on the coffee table. “If you want somethingmoreexotic, I could get your genie boyfriend for you.”
If I could raise my eyebrows any higher on my forehead, I would be doing it right now. “You gonna pull him out of the shadows or something?”
“Only if you wanted me to.” She winks. “It could be nice, though. A hangout with your two favorite people—but I’m the most favorite.”
Slipping back down onto my couch, I shrug. “Yeah, it would be nice, but he’s probably busy…it’s last minute.”
She holds up a finger and speeds off, heading back toward the front door. My curiosity controls me, and I prop myself back up, looking in the direction she disappeared.
The front door opens and closes again, but the sound of footsteps is doubled. Within seconds, Orie returns, Arman trailing her with a smile.
“You sneaky devil, you.” I laugh, but tears bite at the back of my eyes.
She teasingly corrects me. “It’s demon, not devil.”
“I brought dessert.” Arman holds up a bag, but it’s nondescript, leaving me to wonder what’s inside. “I’m going to put it in your fridge, then we can watch the movie.”
When he disappears into the kitchen, Orie slides in next to me dawning a cheeky grin. “He wasn’t busy.”
“What if I had said I didn’t want him to join?” I ask, narrowing my eyes while smiling.
She shrugs, opening the top pizza box and grabbing a slice. “He knew that if I didn’t come get him in the first like, ten minutes, to go home.”
