Wrong Place, Wrong Time ✔️

Chapter 10: Chills

The devil sits on both shoulders

Third Person:

Caleb yawned and stretched luxuriously, his bare feet making no sound as he padded across the cool kitchen tiles. He sleepily scratched the back of his head and opened one of the cupboards, on an important quest for food. A sigh squeezed past his lips and he hummed a random tune, examining a can of baked beans. So lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the figure at the table. At least, not until they cleared their throat.

"Holy guacamole!" Caleb yelped, whirling around and clutched his chest. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was Arya. "You scared me Ree!" He laughed, but abruptly stopped when she didn't say anything. "Ree?"

Her knees were brought up to her chest, tucked under her chin. She was shaking badly, her eyes darting from the table, to the wall, to the window and back to the table again. A single tear slipped down her cheek, swiftly followed by another one. Her teeth chattered and she breathed out heavily and frantically- like she was running a marathon.

"Oh God." Caleb whispered, at a complete loss of what to do. He rushed over and hugged Arya, rubbing her arms to try and warm her up. He felt her relax against him, then immediately tense up again. "Guys! Get down here! Guys!"

A thunder of footsteps could be heard and soon, the men appeared in the kitchen. Their hair was messy and their shoulders were drooped in exhaustion. However, they quickly woke up when they saw Arya's predicament.

"What's happening to her?" Ethan asked, paralysed to the spot.

"I-I don't know!" Caleb exclaimed. "I came downstairs a-and she was like this... what should we do?"

"Put her in her room." Chris said. "Then we call Marigold and see if she can help."

Zack nodded and placed one hand under Arya's knees and the other behind her neck to support her head. Gently- as if he was holding a baby- he lifted her up and held her to his chest. A tiny whimper of discomfort trembled Arya and it felt like a dagger had been plunged into the mens' hearts. Zack quickly climbed the stairs and shouldered open the door to Arya's room. He then carefully lay her on the bed and pulled up the thick covers to her chin.

"I called Marigold." Nick said, bursting into the room. A frown drew his eyebrows together. "She said that she won't be able to come as she's got an operation in an hour. But that it sounds as though Ree has chills."

"What do we do?" A very distressed Chris was desperately pacing the room.

"Uh, let's wrap her in more blankets- Ethan, go get the warmest hoodies you own. Twins, get the thickest duvets you can find and I'll go make some hot chocolate. Chris, you stay here and make sure she's comfortable."

The men nodded and set about doing the tasks assigned to them. Fear controlled their movements- a kind of fear where you worried about the safety of someone you loved. When you didn't know how to help, and couldn't do anything but watch as they suffered.

A few minutes later, Arya was wrapped in six duvets, three hoodies and was sipping hot chocolate from a metal straw, assisted by Chris. She felt bad about making them worried and wanted to apologise, but her mouth did not obey her brain and she was forced to stay silent. It was as though icy chains had been wrapped around her chest and were slowly suffocating her.

Chris slowly slid into the bed behind Arya and engulfed her in his strong embrace. Zack sat on her right and Ethan on the left, with the twins in front of them. Arya smiled, trying to convey her gratitude and love for the men with no words. They understood.

"Let's watch 'Friends'!" Caleb grinned, opening the drawer of the nightstand beside him. He pulled out their MacBook and positioned it in front of them. He went onto Netflix and started their favourite series before shuffling to the right slightly so Arya could see better.

Within minutes, the room was filled with the warm baritones of their laughter. Chris leaned forwards and rested his chin on Arya's shoulder, his comforting hold on her never faltering. She relaxed and felt herself warming up. By the time they'd watched about five episodes, she was no longer trapped in that icy grasp.

"Thank you." Arya croaked, her voice hoarse.

Nick leaned over and interlocked their fingers and squeezed it reassuringly. "Any time, Ree." His phone pinged with a text notification and he glanced at the screen and scowled. He shot Arya an apologetic look. "So sorry Ree but my boss just texted- I have an important case today that I can't miss. I'm so sorry-"

"It's fine!" Arya cut in with a slight laugh. "Go and smash that case, Nicki."

"Yeah Nicki." Caleb mocked, slinging an arm around his twin's shoulder. "Go put that criminal behind bars!"

"Get off me." Nick shoved him away. "And only Arya is allowed to call me Nicki. Just like she's the only one allowed to call you Kale."

"Fair point." Caleb conceded.

"I feel so special." Arya placed a hand on her chest and snuggled deeper into the cocoon of blankets. She glanced at Ethan and suddenly remembered the events of last night. "How'd it go with Rey?"

To everyone's immense shock, a light dusting of pink coloured his cheeks.

"Woah... Ethan is blushing!" Caleb gasped. He grabbed a pillow and raised it threateningly. "Who are you are what have you done to my best friend?"

"Shut it Kale." Ethan snapped, then cleared his throat. "Um, to answer your question, it went well with Rey... turns out she was lying about being in a relationship and, well, now we're dating."

"Awww!" Arya cooed, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "My ship has finally sailed!"

Ethan blinked. "What in the blazes are you on about?"

"Never mind." She sighed dramatically, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. "You have to be a fanperson to understand."

"I'm gonna have to go too." Zack said. "Even though I'm the boss, there's been a... situation that I have to deal with. Will you be okay Ree?"

"I can stay with her." Chris volunteered. "I'll call in sick and we can binge-watch shows on Netflix all day."

"I can too." Ethan exclaimed in a fake high-pitched voice. "We can paint each other's nails and curl our hairs!"

"If you insist." Arya sniggered at his horrified expression. "What about you, Kale?"

"While I would hate to miss out on a Netflix fest and a girls night, I unfortunately have to go to work as well. The restaurant would collapse without me!" Caleb gave her a one-armed hug and pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her forehead. "See ya later."

"Bye." Arya muttered as the men exited the room. She turned to the other two. "Wanna watch 'Modern Family'?"

"It's like you read my mind." Chris pressed play on the device. "I'm glad you're feeling better now, Skittles."

Arya forced a smile. She felt her secret bubbling inside of her like hot magma, wanting to spew out of her. She longed to tell her best friends, who were currently immersed in the show, that she was sick and would not get better. But she was a coward. She couldn't bare to deal with it right now.

So she kept silent.

End of chapter 10.

I have actually suffered from chills before- this is how I was helped. There are probably better ways, but I'm just drawing up from my own experience!

For anyone who is interested:
Chills are your body's way of raising its core temperature. Can be caused by cold temperatures, infections etc. When you shiver, your muscles are relaxing and contracting. The involuntary movement is what raises the temperature. They usually resolve in about two weeks- and it's better to increase your fluid intake and have plenty of rest.

Qotc:

1. How do you think the boys will react if they find out about Arya's sickness?

2. Think she should tell them about being sick?

I hope you guys liked it!

Stay safe and thanks for reading :)