By the time we reach the living room, the party is raging. Classic rock music cranks through the speakers suspended from the ceiling. The bass in the corners of the room vibrates beneath my feet, sending a tremor up my legs. As the son of a tech billionaire, Jamie loves technology. So, of course, this house is packed with gadgets and other cool shit most of us don’t know how to use.
Dozens of half-naked girls, dressed in low-cut tops and short skirts and dresses, dance in the living room. A few girls attempt to grind on my leg as I push through the crowd. But I’m on a mission to get to Briana. I’m so damn worried about her my chest hurts. When I dropped her off earlier tonight, I wanted to run after her. I thought of forcing her to come to stay with me. Except aggressive, bossy tactics like those would never work on Briana. So, I’m just going to check on her and bring her a few things she might need and see how she reacts.
“I’ll be back later,” I yell to Nash over the loud music. “Don’t wait up.”
He winks at me, and then I slip through the crowd, pushing my way out the front door. I type a quick text message, and then a few minutes later, Ramon pulls up at the curb. Before he can get out of the car to open the door for me, I slide into the backseat.
“Good evening, Mr. Rivers. Where would you like to go?”
“Jefferson Hall, the senior dorms on Broad Street.”
“Yes, sir,” he says, which still makes me uncomfortable.
No matter how many times I’ve asked Ramon to call me Julian, he still listens to my father’s orders. He works for daddy dearest, not me. Ramon was once my father’s driver, but after I got accepted into Strickland University, he had insisted Ramon follow me here. I know the real reason I have a personal driver. My dad wants to keep tabs on me. I chose Strick U to get away from him, only to have him threaten to take away my tuition money if Ramon didn’t come with me. So, I had no choice but to agree.
“Wait,” I say to him. “Before we go to Jefferson Hall, can you see if there’s a pharmacy or someplace that sells medicine and snacks open this late?”
“I believe there’s a pharmacy down the street that’s open twenty-four hours,” he says.
“Okay, let’s stop there first. I have to get a few things.”
Twenty minutes later, Ramon parks in front of Jefferson Hall. “Hang here for a little bit.”
“Yes, sir,” he says.
I shiver at his words. He sounds like he’s talking to my father. And I hate that fucking prick.
Slinging the store bag over my shoulder, I climb the stairs in Briana’s dormitory. I run into a few people I know. They try to stop me, but I’m too determined to get to Briana’s room. She’s too stubborn to let anyone help her. I hope she doesn’t slam the door in my face. The halls are crowded with drunken idiots, music thumping from various rooms that have people flowing from them. How the hell is Briana supposed to get any rest living here?
I stop in front of room three twenty-seven and ball my hand into a fist to knock on her door. A few seconds pass where I don’t hear a single sound. So, I try again, this time with more force. Nothing. I slam my fist harder into the wood a few more times before the door swings open. A very angry looking brunette appears in the doorway, dressed in a Stark Industries T-shirt and pajama pants that have the Marvel’s Avengers logo on them. Briana’s hair is sweat-matted to her forehead, her normally clear blue eyes glassy and red-rimmed.
“What do you want?” Briana shouts, gripping the door in her hand.
“I came to check on you and see if you need anything.” I hand her the plastic bag. “How about a peace offering?”
She stares at it like the bag is about to spontaneously combust. “What’s in it?”
“A few things I’ve needed in the past when I had a concussion.” Holding out the open bag, I continue, “I got you some medicine to dull the pain, some ginger ale, and a few other things.”
She leans forward to scan the contents and then snatches the bag from my hands. Briana wobbles to the left, dropping the bag on the floor in the process. I bend forward to pick it up. By the time I gather everything in my hands, she’s disappeared into the room.
I stop myself, wondering if following her into her dorm uninvited is a good idea. But after considering the look on her face, I go against my better judgment and rush into the room after her. The only light is coming from an open door in the back of the place, where I can hear Briana throwing up. I knew it would only get worse for her. I should have come sooner.
I drop the items in my arms on the coffee table in the living room and then step into the small bathroom, where I find Briana on the floor in front of the toilet. She doesn’t look up at me as I brush her hair away from her face and hold it for her, rubbing her back as she dry heaves what’s left in her stomach.
“It’s okay, Bri,” I say in a hushed tone. “I’m here.”
After she cleans up and brushes her teeth, I carry her into the living room and set her on the couch. I sift through the stuff on the table and then hand her a few Tylenol to swallow down with some water. Briana doesn’t fight me. She’s too tired and weak to protest.
Sitting at the end of the microfiber couch with Briana, I lift her feet into my lap, smiling like an idiot. This feels like old times. I rub her bare feet for her, making slow circular movements with the pads of my thumbs. She hasn’t let me do this for her in years. And I missed it. I missed her so damn much.
“How come you’re sleeping on the couch?” I ask her.
She presses her cheek to the pillow and then looks up at me with one eye open. “I don’t have a TV in my room. Can’t afford one.”
“You should sleep in your bed.”
“Julian, please,” she growls. “Just let me do what I want without telling me how to live my life.”
“How many times have you thrown up since you left the locker room?”
A beat passes before she says, “Four, I think.”
Having gone through my fair share of concussions, I feel for her. I know what it’s like to not stop vomiting for days and feeling dizzy for even weeks afterward. One of my concussions lasted months in high school, which made it near impossible to play. I had to lie to my coach to get ice time, and even then, he still limited my play.
I stroke her back with my fingers. “You need to rest.”
She leans into my hand, allowing me to massage her. “I am resting.”
“You know what I mean. In a bed.”
Briana sighs. “Would it make you happy if I slept in my bed?”
“Yes, very.”
I only want what’s best for her.
“Fine.” She attempts to sit up and slide her legs off the couch and falls into my shoulder. “Shit, this sucks.”
“I know.” Without thinking, I kiss the top of her head. She stills in my arms but doesn’t say anything. “You’ll get through this. And I’ll be here for you every step of the way, okay?”
She peeks up at me. “Why are you doing this for me?”
“Because this is my fault.”
She snickers.
“And because I still care about you.”
Her body stiffens. I guess I struck a nerve.
“I also hate seeing you like this. So, if there’s anything I can do to make this easier for you, then you just say the word and it’s yours.”
She nudges her head against my shoulder. Exhausted, she can barely lift her head. “Thanks, Julian,” she whispers.
After she closes her eyes and a soft purr escapes her lips, I lift her up and into my arms. She brushes her lips against my neck. A shiver rolls down my spine from her delicate touch. She’s half asleep and feels like she’s burning off a fever.
I kick open the door to her bedroom with the sole of my sneaker and lower Briana to the twin mattress. She rolls onto her side, tangling herself in the gray sheets. She’s never cared for anything with style. Briana is the type of girl who buys things only out of necessity. I have always liked that about her. She’s simple and plain but nothing a
bout her is ordinary. After I fix her sheets, I tug the matching comforter up to her chin and run my hands down both sides of her body to tuck her in.
Crouched next to her bed, I run my fingers through her hair, pushing it off her burning forehead. I consider taking her to the hospital. But I know she would have a fit. Briana has always been a fighter. She doesn’t know any other way. No one has cared for her, not since her parents died, anyway. I know what it’s like to feel abandoned by the people that are supposed to love you most. My parents are still alive, but they’ve made it clear my existence is meaningless to them. For years, they left me at boarding school and only allowed me to come home for holidays. And some years, I wasn’t even allowed that. I mostly raised myself, except I had the luxuries Briana has never been afforded.
I remember the first time I saw her at one of my parties. She lit up the room without even realizing it. Everyone noticed her. Briana assumed it was because she was the scholarship kid who didn’t belong. But that wasn’t it at all. She had this fiery personality that drew me to her. She was interesting, different, and spoke like someone who had lived a thousand lifetimes. Now, she’s closed-off and cold, no longer the girl I once knew. And that’s my fault.
The spark I loved so much about her burned out after our breakup. I have yet to see that part of her return. When I’d made a deal with Sadie to bring Briana to the auction, I had every intention for her to win. Even if I never get another chance with her, I have to make up for the past.
Briana opens her left eye. We stare at each other for a few seconds. The girl I fell in love with is still in there. I know it. If only she’ll let me hang around long enough to find her, to show her that part of her is still there.
“You don’t have to sit here with me,” she slurs.
I trace my fingers along her arm. “I want to.”
“I wish you weren’t so perfect. It makes it a lot harder for me to hate you.”
“Then, stop hating me,” I challenge.
Overwhelmed by a swirl of emotions, my heart thumps out of my chest as I await one of her witty or crude responses. Instead, she gives me something that resembles a smile. Progress, I think. At least I hope so.
She hugs her pillow and closes her eyes.
I take this as a sign I should stay the night. So, I leave her bedroom, flipping off the light as I close the door behind me, and head into the living room to sleep on the couch.
Chapter Eleven
Julian
After I make a pot of coffee, I remove my cell phone from my pocket to call Dr. Carter. Briana is still in her room, and considering it’s almost ten o’clock, I let her sleep too long. I worried about her all night, unable to sleep for longer than thirty minutes before I would check on her. Every time, she was snoring and looked so peaceful I was afraid to disturb her.
I dial Dr. Carter, who answers on the second ring. After telling him about Briana, and how I think he needs to see her again, he promises to meet us at my house in one hour. I hang up and fix two mugs of coffee. One black for me, the other for Briana with cream and two sugars. It’s funny how I still remember the little things about her. Like how she takes her coffee or what toppings she likes on her ice cream. I paid attention to everything she did and said when we were together. I observed her closer than anyone I had ever met. Because I could never figure her out and what made her tick. But I wanted to know, and that made me study her even harder.
On my way to her bedroom, with mugs in hand, I stop dead in my tracks when Briana opens her door. She raises her arms above her head and yawns, unaware of me standing several feet from her. Gripping the doorframe, she blinks a few times and then her eyes find mine. She stares at me, a mixture of confusion and curiosity scrolling across her face. I’m sure she expected me to leave her alone. But I’m not the man she thinks I am.
“I hope one of those is for me,” she says after a long awkward pause between us.
I hand her a mug that she gulps down in three long swigs. Then, she shoves it at my chest. “Do you have any more?”
Nodding, I turn away from her to refill her cup. She comes up to my side as I add the sugar and cream to her coffee. I slide it along the counter in front of her hand, and she wraps her fingers around the ceramic mug that says Like a Superhero. I laugh to myself. She loves to collect things with funny sayings on them.
I sit on the couch next to Briana. She crosses one leg over the other and sips her coffee. That’s another weird thing she did when we were dating. No matter where she would sit, whether it was on a chair in a study hall or on the sofa, she would sit the same way. Which looks super uncomfortable, if you ask me. Strands of her dark hair stick up in different places. Her cheeks are still streaked with black lines of mascara that have extended down to her chin. She looks like she had a rough night, but she’s still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“We have to meet Dr. Carter at my house in one hour.”
She narrows her eyes at me but doesn’t speak.
I take another long sip from the mug and then set it on the table in front of me. “I was thinking you could stay with me until Sadie gets back. I’ll make sure my teammates aren’t around much. No parties, no loud noise, nothing that will bother you in any way.”
“Why would I want to stay at your house? I have my own place.”
“Your dorm has a lot of parties that will keep you up when you need to rest. Didn’t you hear the parties down the hall from you last night?”
She shakes her head. “No, I was out cold all night.”
“Well, it was loud. The music didn’t stop until around four o’clock this morning. You’ll be more comfortable at my house.”
She rolls her eyes at me, ignoring me as she drinks her coffee. Between sips, she says, “I’m perfectly fine right here.”
“I could get you a hotel room in the city. Then, you would have someone to wait on you. Would you like that?”
She laughs. “No, not at all. Do I look like the kind of girl who wants servants waiting on me?”
I sigh. “No, but…” I don’t even bother to finish my thought.
A few minutes pass in uncomfortable silence. So, I grab the remote from the coffee table in front of me and click on the television. I flip through Netflix and stop when I see Green Lantern.
“Are you kidding me?”
I glance over at Briana, one eyebrow raised. “What did I do now?”
“Green Lantern? Gross.” Her face twists in disgust. “Except for Batman and Aquaman, you know how I feel about non-Marvel movies.” Briana sets her mug on the table and crawls over to me, swiping the remote from my hand.
“And what’s wrong with non-Marvel movies?” I challenge, even though I know how much she hates them.
“They’re not based on Marvel characters. Duh.” She turns away from me to click a few buttons on the remote. Thor: Ragnarok is now playing on the flat screen.
“I didn’t like the last movie,” I admit.
She scoffs, dropping the remote on the table to lift her coffee. “Why not?”
“I don’t know. Just didn’t care for it. I like the first Thor movie better.”
“Don’t diss my man in my house.” She looks over at me from beneath her dark lashes as she sips from her mug. I swear she’s smirking behind that cup.
“We have to leave soon to meet Dr. Carter.”
“Is this some trick to get me to stay with you?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Doc said he’d meet us at my house, and I didn’t argue with him.”
“Give me a few minutes to get ready.”
Briana disappears into the bathroom.
* * *
Thirty minutes later, Dr. Carter sits next to Briana on a chair in my dining room. I made sure none of my teammates would be around until later. I’m stuck doing Nash’s chores for the next week in exchange for him talking the guys into playing football in the Quad for the afternoon.
Dr. Carter opens the black satchel on the table and removes a lon
g, white instrument. “How are you feeling, Briana?”
“Not great. I’ve been sick since I passed out at the game, and it only seems to be getting worse.”
I knew it would, which was why I couldn’t bear to leave her alone. They discuss the last twenty-four hours, and Dr. Carter evaluates Briana. He shines a light in her eyes, tells her to follow his finger, and performs all the usual tests to check cognitive function.
“Your brain needs time to recover from the hit. The good news is this will pass. How long depends on you. It could be anywhere from a few days to weeks or even months. I recommend getting some rest. Make sure you stay off your feet.” He pulls a pad from his bag and scribbles on it. “I’ll write you a note that you can give to your professors. You have to take the week off. No studying or anything that might cause you to think too much, okay?”
She chuckles. “Thinking too hard will cause more damage?”
He nods and hands the note to Briana. “It could. A concussion is more serious than most people think.”
“Okay, I’ll give this to my professors and hope they excuse me, but if they don’t, I can’t afford to miss days of class. And my exam… It’s on Monday.”
“Don’t worry about the exam. Do you have anyone who can take care of you for the next few days?”
She shakes her head. “No, my roommate is in New York until Sunday night, and I don’t have any family.”
My heart aches from her confession.
“Briana can stay with me,” I offer.
She shoots daggers down the table at me, her lip curling up at me in revulsion. “No, I don’t think so, Julian. I’ll be fine on my own. I’ve taken care of myself for a very long time.”
“I would consider Julian’s offer,” Dr. Carter says. “You may need someone to drive you to the hospital if you begin to display serious symptoms.”
Briana pinches the bridge of her nose between her fingers and sighs. “Do I have to stay with him?”
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