Chapter 4
Rafe
Rafe awoke the next morning with a pounding headache and a growling stomach. It was a bad combination of hunger and hungover. He thought sun was shining through the slats of his blinds, but it was an outdoor light. He looked for his phone on his nightstand, then realized it was still in his pocket. Because he was fully dressed, in a made bed.That Eamonnmade.
Rafe smiled at the hazy memory because his head throbbed again. He pulled his phone from his pocket. It was just past three a.m., and he was wide awake. Damn blackout sleep, or jetlag, or both. He stared at the ceiling.I am in a foreign country.It was still cool to thinkabout.
His stomach growled again. It wasangry.
Rafe didn’t know when breakfast was.Wait, I don’t have a meal plan.He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about that. He checked the café on campus, but it didn’t open until six-thirty. After a little bit more laying there with his angry stomach and pounding head, Rafe decided to look for a vending machine. He wanted to take some Advil, but couldn’t on an empty stomach. He neededfood.
He crept out of his room so as not to wake his flatmates. Rafe searched Sweeney Hall and found a vending machine in the laundry room.Thankgoodness!
Ornot.
The vending machine was cash only. British cash only. Rafe didn’t go to a currency exchange or a bank yesterday. He only had American dollars. George Washington gave him serious side-eye. He rested his head against the glass of the machine, willing a candy bar todrop.
Rafe had about three hours until the campus café would open. He told himself he could make it. His stomach growledback.
“Well, we don’t have any other options,” Rafe hissed at his stomach. Just walking up one floor drained him of his last reserves of energy. He returned to his flat, when he noticed a sleeve of English tea biscuits on the floor outside hisdoor.
He must’ve walked over them when he left his room. Rafe didn’t waste any time. He ripped open the packaging and jammed a biscuit inside his mouth. It had the carby sweet goodness of a graham cracker. He ate anotherone.
His eyes drifted to Eamonn’s door. Without knowing, he justknew.
The door next to Eamonn’s opened, startling Rafe. Heath stumbled out with messy hair, wearing his shirt from last night. His pants were draped over his shoulder. He jumped back when he saw Rafe. Rafe didn’t want to seem like a creeper, so he waved hello and ate anotherbiscuit.
“Morning,” Heath said. He tried his best not to sound awkward. It was a valianteffort.
* * *
Hours later,Rafe awoke for the second time, much more refreshed. He munched on another biscuit. The sleeve was half gonealready.
Rafe splashed water on his face and ventured into the kitchen, where Louisa was fixing herself a cup oftea.
“Y’alright?” Sheasked.
“Better. Still recovering from lastnight.”
“Would you like sometea?”
“Absolutely!”
Louisa grabbed two mugs from the cupboard above thesink.
“Did the three of you go in on the kitchenstuff?”
“It’s a hodgepodge from our families, though mostly mine. We were so excited when we got placed in Sweeney. Most dormitories here are old and quite dodgy. The beds here are loads morecomfortable.”
Rafe smiled to himself, thinking about earlier thismorning.
“Um, so I saw…” Rafe instantly regretted saying anything, like he was some gossip. “Nevermind.”
Louisa brought over two cups of tea to the table. “You sawHeath.”
“I…yes. I wasn’t stalking or anything.” Rafe took a sip of his first-ever English tea. The warm, refreshing liquid soothed his throat and stomach. It was like a warm bath for his insides. “I didn’t know you guys weredating.”
“We’re not,” she said firmly. “It happens sometimes. Especially after a night at the pub. I mean, he’s right there.” She shrugged, totally casual about it. “You were really funny lastnight.”
