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Brady chuckled, his face lighting up in excitement. “Are you free Wednesday evening?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Because we’re going shopping.”
6
Brady
BythetimeTuesdayevening rolled in, I was sure I was coming down with something. My head felt sluggish, and I felt sleepier by the minute. Once Kasey had realized I wasn’t doing all that well, she’d told me she’d take care of everything and promptly shooed me out of my own café. I knew it wasn’t only because she cared for me—though she did care for me a lot—but also because she was worried I’d pass it on to her and thereby her little kiddo, not to mention all the café patrons, which was why I left without any argument.
Once I was home and bundled up in blankets—with no energy left to change out of my work clothes—shivers started racing up my body as the fever set in. I knew sleeping would help, but sluggish as I felt, I was too hungry and uncomfortable. Maybe I should order something to eat? I was pretty sure I had absolutely nothing edible at home.
I grabbed my phone to order something light when my eyes fell on a text from Charlie.
CeeBee: Hey, Brady, when do you want to go shopping tomorrow?
Damn, I’d completely forgotten about that. There was no way I’d be in fit enough condition to go shopping with them tomorrow. With a frown, I tapped out a reply, hoping Charlie wouldn’t be too disappointed. I knew I was. I’d been looking forward to hanging out with them and picking out some fun clothes.
Me: Hey, Charlie. I’m so sorry. We’ll have to postpone the trip. Not feeling too well.
CeeBee: Are u all right?
Me: Eh, just the flu or something. I’m bundled up under the blankets. Will be fine soon. Don’t worry.
CeeBee: Have you eaten?
Me: Nope. Was just about to order something.
CeeBee: Don’t order. I’ll be there in a few.
Huh? Why was Charlie coming here? They’d get sick too.
Me: No! You’ll get sick too. I’ll order in. It’s okay.
CeeBee: I’ll be fine. Stay put.
I groaned as I put my phone away, shaking my head and quickly realizing it was a bad idea when I started feeling dizzy again. A part of me felt happy that Charlie cared enough to want to come over, but I also didn’t want them to get sick because of me.
My eyes drifted close of their own accord, and I was out before I knew it. The shrill ringtone from my phone snapped me out of my slumber, and I picked up the call with shaky hands. “’Lo?”
“Brady, it’s Charlie. Open the front door, please?”
“Oh, sure.” I stumbled to my feet, pressing my free hand to the wall to support myself as I slowly shuffled toward the front door. My head felt as if it was full of cotton balls, and I was already starting to feel chilly again. I opened the door and shivered as a cool wind blew in. Charlie stepped inside quickly, closing the door behind them before turning to face me.
They pressed the back of their hand against my forehead and frowned. “You’re burning up, Brady. Come on.”
They curled their arm around my shoulders and led me back to my bed, and I trudged along, leaning into their warmth gratefully. Once we reached my bed, I sat down heavily, willing myself to say something, to thank them, but my mouth wouldn’t move. My eyelids felt heavy, and I was having trouble keeping them open, but I could hear Charlie puttering around the room. After a few minutes, they walked up to me, and I forced my eyes open. They knelt before me on the bed and ran a hand through my hair, pushing it off my sweaty forehead. How could I feel cold and be sweaty at the same time? What kind of sorcery was this?
“Come on, let’s get you into something more comfortable. Then you can rest while I heat up the soup.” It took my scrambled brain more than a few minutes to process what they’d said, and before I could say more than a mumbled “Huh?” they were pulling my shirt over my head, quickly and efficiently replacing it with an old, soft t-shirt of mine. I shivered as the cold fabric slid against my skin, and they rubbed my arm, murmuring comfortingly.
“Can you stand up for me?” Charlie asked, and I nodded, forcing myself to get to my feet. My legs felt like jelly, so I gripped Charlie’s shoulders firmly as I wobbled. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to mind. Slowly and with a lot of stumbling, we managed to get me out of my jeans and into a pair of pajamas. I sat down as soon as they pulled my pants up, unable to support myself any longer. They pressed a soft, comforting kiss on my temple before standing up.
“Come on, lie down. I’m going to tuck you in and then get you something to eat, okay?” Charlie asked, and I mumbled an assent as I crawled to the middle of the bed and lay down, mindful of Cherry, who had apparently slept through all the excitement of watching me stumble around half-dead.
Charlie leaned over me and covered me with the blankets, making sure to tuck it in from all sides. Why were they so good at this?
“Call me if you need anything, okay? I’ll be in the kitchen.”
