He cups the back of his neck and rubs it, wincing. “She’s really sick.”
“Okay, um…let me just get dressed,” I say, backing away from the open door.
“Yeah, okay,” Nate says, walking in after me.
I step back a bit surprised that he follows me inside. Why doesn’t he just go back to Julia’s apartment? Why does he feel the need to wait for me? I glance sideways at Dex, who is definitely wondering the same thing by the look on his stupefied face.
“You think Julia will be okay alone if you wait here while Jane’s changing?” Dex blurts out, pointing my spatula in the direction of the fuck wall. I swallow back a hysterical giggle and explode into a full-fledged coughing fit.
Nate sits down on the couch and leans forward with his elbows on his knees. “Yeah, yeah. She’s okay. I just can’t take puke, man. It makesmewant to puke. And she’s puking up everything she’s had for the last week.”
“Good to know,” Dex grimaces. He glances in my direction quickly and makes an exaggerated gagging face. I try not to laugh and spin on my heels to head to my bedroom and dress fast. I put on the first thing I can grab, a hoodie and a pair of loose pants.
I rush over to her apartment and find Julia hovering over the toilet, crying. The room reeks of Merlot-flavored vomit and fresh shit.
“Oh God, are you okay?” I ask, closing the bathroom door behind me. My eyes instantly water from the smell. I walk behind her and shove open the window to get some fresh air in the small space and turn on the small vent fan above the shower.
“Uh, so many drinks,” she moans.
“Yeah, sweetie. I can see that,” I say, pulling her hair away from her face and tying it into a messy bun high off the nape of her sweaty neck.
She looks up and slow blinks at me with unfocused eyes. Her lips are stained the color of red wine and one of her fake eyelashes dangles at the corner of her eye. “Nate isn’t any help at all.”
I can see that too, but I don’t agree out loud. There’s no right way to commiserate with your friend about the lack of her boyfriend’sgood boyfriendabilities when you’re in love with said boyfriend.
I rummage through her medicine cabinet and find some pain relievers. “Well, he can’t be that perfect, can he? Here, take a sip of this cold water and take something for the pounding headache you’re going to have.”
She chokes down the pills and gags over the toilet. “Nate couldn’t even hold back my hair,” she whines.
“Come on,” I said, helping her to her feet. “Let’s get you in bed with a puke bucket next to you and get you some sleep. I’ll call Gail and tell her you’re calling in sick today.”
She mumbles and stands with a sway, clinging to the walls. “The fucking room is spinning still.” The front of her shirt is streaked with vomit and her pants are splattered with filth.
“You know what we should do first? Let’s get you in the shower and wash all that gunk off you.”
She looks down at her shirt and she sobs. “Can you take this to the dry cleaners for me right away? If you don’t it’ll be ruined.”
“Sure,” I say, pulling the drenched material over her head. She’s not wearing a bra underneath and my jaw clenches at how perfectly flawless her breasts are. Round, firm, and perky, with dark rosy centers and peaked tight nipples beyond compare. Julia is like an exact replica of a Barbie Doll.
She starts rolling down her leggings and I want to scream to the gods of beauty about the injustice of it all. Every inch of her skin is unblemished, not one strand of hair, no stretch marks or cellulite, nothing. I turn the shower on and busy myself with regulating its temperature so I don’t just stand and stare.
“Okay, the water seems warm enough. Wash up and I’ll go get you some warm clothes.”
“Noooo,” she moans, “don’t leave me. I’m so dizzy.”
So, I stay as she slowly washes herself, and then I help her out of the shower and get her dressed.
* * *
“Is she okay?”Nate asks when I quietly close Julia’s bedroom door behind me.
Startled, I flinch back. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, she just drank way too much. She’s asleep now, I doubt she’ll vomit again so you don’t have to worry about peeking in on her all day so she doesn’t choke on her own vomit.”
“Oh, I can’t anyway. I have to get to work.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, me too.” I wonder if he would have stayed to make sure she was okay if I didn’t live next door to her. What would he have done? “I gave her a quick shower too, and clean clothes.”
He stares at me for a minute, and looks down to the floor nervously. Shit, he isn’t going to mention the amazing kiss-cam perfect-kiss moment, is he? ThenImight puke on him if he does.
