Page 51 of The Flirty Forward

His question really makes me worry about his head injury. “Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”

“No, I’m fine. I just...have I been here this whole time?”

I reach up and feel his head. I can’t help myself. “It’s Friday, and we’re at my house. Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t have a fever, but maybe we should call David again.”

“Did you rub the back of my head?”

His question makes me pause. “Uh, yeah.” I feel the need to explain myself. “You seemed to be in a lot of pain. I know whenI get migraines and just want relief that massage can sometimes help. I...you asked me to do it,” I add quickly.

His eyes meet mine. “It was good. I don’t remember much from the last two days, but I remember that. Thanks for taking care of me; I can’t believe I’ve been out of commission for two days. I’m so sorry you had to take care of me, Stephanie.” I know he’s serious when he calls me by name because he never does that.

“It’s okay. Are you feeling better now?” He stares at me a moment, and I can’t figure out for the life of me what he’s thinking. He’s so somber, it’s throwing me off. “I need to get to school. Will you be okay by yourself? David is supposed to come over midmorning to check on you, but do you need me to call one of your family members or teammates or anything?”

He shakes his head and then frowns, like the movement hurt him. “I haven’t told my family yet, but I’m fine. I’m just going to go back to bed. I can’t believe how tired I’ve been.”

“That’s one of the side effects of your concussion; that’s what the medical team said.”

“I’ve been concussed before, but this one is a beast.”

“You should probably eat before you go back to bed; you haven’t eaten much the past two days,” I suggest.

“I’m fine. I can order something; you don’t need to worry about taking care of me.”

I’m already moving towards the refrigerator. “I can’t cook like Brielle, but how about an omelet? I have leftover grilled chicken and some veggies.” When he doesn’t say anything, I glance over at him. “Sebastian, why don’t you sit down before you fall down.”

“I’m fine,” he grouses but sits in the seat at my tiny kitchen table. His body dwarfs the seat, the entire space really. I turn back to the stove and make quick work of making an omelet. A few minutes later, I put a plate of food out in front of him. Helooks up and meets my eyes. “Thank you.” He smiles, and I feel just a little bit better about leaving him. After he eats, his face has more color in it. “That was good; thank you.”

I grab my coffee cup. “I need to get going; call me if you need me. Otherwise, I’ll see you after school.” I put my laptop bag on my shoulder and head to the front door. “Bye.”

“Bye, Stephanie.”

I’m thankful to see that the school parking lot is void of any outsiders that aren’t supposed to be there. The trip into the building is smooth and problem-free. I settle in my classroom and prepare for the day. “You’re back!”

I look up as Brielle barrels into my classroom and takes a seat in one of the student desks. “I am.”

“Welcome back. How’s Sebastian doing?”

She’s texted a few times over the past two days, and I’ve kept her and Aiden informed of how he’s doing. “He got out of bed for the first time this morning, so that’s a start.”

“What’s the frown for?” she asks.

I hadn’t even realized I was frowning. “He’s just really weak; it’s...weird seeing him like this. He’s actually quiet.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine Sebastian being quiet. Is he bummed about the game tonight?”

I look up. “They have a game tonight?”

She nods. “Yeah. You still don’t follow their games?”

“You’re surprised by that? You know how not into sports I am.”

She looks contemplative. “I just thought with things with Sebastian that you were more invested now.”

“Bri, you know we’re not in a real relationship, right? I can’t stand the guy.”

“But you let him stay with you the past few days.”

“Because he had a head injury and needed a place to go,” I point out even though we both know he has family members thatwould have taken him in in a heartbeat. I don’t want to consider too closely why I felt led to be the one to let him stay with me and take care of him.

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