Page 104 of Trust Me Always

We haven’t talked much since Wednesday, what with me being home sick and him hitting the road Friday afternoon. When we did, his responses were pretty basic. I haven’t bothered him today because I didn’t wake up until a few minutes after the game started and after another few hours of in-and-out, shitty sleep, I figured he was knocked out on the bus. On the chance that he was, I didn’t want to wake him. It’s hard enough to sleep on that thing from what the boys have said.

I text Ari back, letting her know I’m fine and not to have too much fun without me. Just as I let it fall on my chest, it starts to ring, the dorm RA’s picture flashing on the screen.

“Hey, Cameron,” she chirps the second I answer, and I cringe at her chipper sound. Love her, but my head feels like it’s made friends with the concrete.

“Hey, Frankie. What’s up?”

“Mrs. Garrett is here to see you again. You in?”

I smile, slowly peeling myself from the bed. “Yeah, send her up, please.”

She hangs up and I quickly go pee, pulling a robe on over my Hello Kitty sleep shirt. I lost the shorts at some point, and she doesn’t want to see that.

There’s a soft knock on my door just as I shiver my way into the living room.

I pull the door open and Granny Grace smiles at me, thrusting a bag into my hands. The contents are warm, and I sigh. “More soup?” I ask hopefully.

“Chicken noodle. The noodles are in a little baggie. Take what you think you’ll eat, put it in a smaller bowl, and add what you want to that. If you put all the noodles in now and don’t eat it, you’ll be left without a drop of broth.”

I smile at the woman. “Thank you, Granny Grace, but you didn’t have to do this. Yesterday was already a surprise and too much.”

“You think I’m too old to ride an elevator and pass a piece of Tupperware?” She raises a white brow.

I chuckle and she winks.

“Enjoy, honey. Hope to see you back this week. The kids miss you.” She turns around, and I smile after her, softly closing the door when she leaves.

I grab a spoon and head to my room, too lazy to do what she suggested. I only get a fraction of the way through it before my stomach starts to turn and I’m rushing to the bathroom and getting sick.

I drop my head back against the wall with a sigh. “This blows.”

I close my eyes, and I must fall asleep like that because the next thing I know, warm hands are pressing against my forehead.

My eyes peel open, and I blink tiredly into a pair of worried brown eyes.

“Hey, Cammie Baby,” he whispers, stretching past me and turning on the shower.

“Hey, Big Guy.” I smile weakly, reaching up to touch him butthen recoiling when I remember my hand was all over the toilet bowl.

He chuckles lightly and wedges himself beside me on the floor, pulling off my socks.

It feels heavenly, and I sigh, closing my eyes again.

“How long you been sitting here?” he murmurs, pushing my hair from my forehead.

I shrug against the wall.

“You take anything yet?”

“Tylenol last night.”

There’s another shuffle, and when I open my eyes, he’s walking out.

A few minutes later, he’s back with a water bottle and a little plastic cup with something purple in it.

“No…”

“Yes,” he says sternly. “It’ll help.”

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