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She looked concerned as well. “She said she didn’t feel well, and she was going back to sleep.”
“I’m going to go check on her,” I said, the words slipping out before I could think better of them. I turned to look for my guys, spotting my Vice President, and handed him my clipboard. “You’re in charge. Have fun!”
It was only a short walk back to the sorority houses, and the whole time, all I could think about was Ella. How bad was she to skip out on an event?
When I arrived at the sorority house, one girl was just leaving, and luckily let me slip in before the door closed.
My legs ate up the stairs up to her door, and when I finally reached her room, I practically banged on the door. I didn’t hear any movement inside, so I knocked again. “Ella! I know you’re in there.”
Ella opened the door, skin pale, her eyes missing their usual sparkling pallor. “What?” She’d clearly been sleeping, her voice groggy as she looked at me. Her light blue sleep set looked damp with sweat, and I couldn’t stop my frown as she shivered.
“Ella.” I cupped her cheek, forcing her eyes to meet mine, and slid my other hand over her forehead. “Holy shit. You’re burning up.”
“I’m fine,” she croaked, ignoring the obvious. “I-I just need some sleep.”
“You’re not fine. You’re sick.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
The stubborn girl formed her lips into a pout. “Just go without me. I’m going back to bed.”
“Like hell I’m going and leaving you like this,” I said, forcing myself inside her room. “Have you taken anything? Been drinking liquids?”
She shrugged, but said nothing else, just stared at me.
“I’m going to go get some stuff. You change out of these sweaty pajamas, alright?”
Ella looked down at herself, like she’d only just noticed what she was wearing. She nodded, toying with the ends of her ratty hair. “Maybe I should shower,” she mumbled.
I nodded. “You do that, and I’ll be right back, okay?” I made a mental checklist of things she’d need. It’d probably be easier for me to take care of her back at my place, since I had the room to myself, but I wanted her to feel comfortable.
After running into the small market on campus and grabbing a pack of Gatorade—blue raspberry flavored, since I knew that was her favorite—some soup, and other essentials she’d need, I swung back by my house and grabbed a few things from my room as well. Sweatpants, a t-shirt and sweatshirt, and my pillow. At the last minute, I grabbed an extra shirt, throwing it into the bag I’d carried just in case.
I’d grabbed her keycard on my way out to open the front door, letting myself in to her room without preamble.
She stood, still wrapped in her towel, looking a little less pale than she had a half hour ago. A hairbrush was in her hands as she brushed through her wet hair.
“How do you feel?” I asked, setting the bag of stuff down next to the bed.
“Like death,” she admitted, sighing like the admission cost her. “It’s probably the flu. My whole body hurts, and I have a headache, and it’s like my body can’t decide if I’m freezing cold or burning up.”
“Okay.” I nodded, taking the hairbrush from her.
“Hey.” Ella reached for the brush back, but I shook my head.
“I got this.” Working out the tangles, I let the damp strands settle against her back. When I finished, I set it down on the dresser.
Ella looked down at her towel, the color coming back to her cheeks as she blushed. “Um, I’ll just…”
I turned around, facing the door as I listened to her rummage through her drawers. I didn’t want to think about what she’d be putting on, nor her naked body. Now wasn’t the time. Not when she was sick, and she needed someone to take care of her.
Clearing my throat, I said quietly, “I brought an extra shirt in there. In case you want it.”
I hadn’t forgotten the sight of her in my t-shirt that night, and maybe that was the reason I’d grabbed a second one out of my drawer. This one was a navy Delta Sigma shirt, but I’d picked it for the same reason I’d picked the first one.
“Mmm,” she said, fabric rustling as she slipped it on over her body. “This is soft.”
When I turned around, she stood, legs bare but everything covered by my shirt, too large for her slight frame. “It looks good on you,” I said, the words catching in my throat.
She gave me a small smile. “You think?”
