Blood & Sugar

Chapter 12

 Slowly, Sofia's eyelids flutter open. She has that weird feeling you get when you nap too long, knowing you've either slept for five minutes or five days. Almost immediately she realizes she is not wearing the same thing she was before and that her hair is extra wavy the way it gets when she falls asleep while it is still damp. It is then that the memories come back to her of laying on the ground. Freezing.

Instant regret fills her when Sofia sits up entirely too fast and has to let her body adjust and try to blink away the dark spots clouding her vision. After a few minutes, she feels well enough to try standing up. Tucking the messy strands behind her ear, she grabs some pajama pants noticing that whoever changed her had put her in a comfortable oversized t-shirt and her favorite pair of sleep shorts.

Something on her nightstand catches Sofia's eye and she walks over to see a note hastily written 'Take care of yourself. Do not hesitate to call if you need anything-CM' with a phone number scrawled beneath it. The hurried strokes somehow manage to still look flowing and elegant and some strange part of Sofia's mind is a little envious of the easy grace that seems to come so naturally in Cassius' every move.

Setting the note down, not sure what to do with it, she decides food is the more immediate concern and walks out into the kitchen to see Hiari sitting there drinking what she presumes is coffee. As soon as the older woman sees her, she scoots a mug over to where the seat next to her is and Sofia gratefully accepts. Before even taking a sip, she allows the warmth of the mug to seep into her hands which have a lingering stiffness.

With a deep inhale of the delicious aroma she drinks it down, ignoring how the still too hot beverage is burning her tongue, only pausing when she feels eyes on her. Putting the mug down, Sofia awkwardly clears her throat "You didn't have to stay or make the coffee. I appreciate it! Don't get me wrong but I really am just fine."

Hiari raises a single perfectly arched brow "That would be more convincing if I had not had to call the guys so they could search all around town trying to find you. Cass finally spotted you around 3 am. On the ground. Soaking wet. Freezing half to death. Now look at me and tell me you are just fine."

Automatically, Sofia's face goes candy apple red in embarrassment. She hates to admit that Hiari may have a point and perhaps saying she is 'fine' was maybe an exaggeration when the older woman lays it all out like that. A knowing look crosses Hiari's eyes again and she leans forward, placing her hand on Sofie's arm.

"I know how hard it is to lose people you love babes. It is okay to mourn and grieve but you need to do it in a healthy way. Stop bottling it all up until it overflows and drowns you. I'm going to go now but you know how to find me if you need anything. Someone to talk to, a fun distraction. Anything. Nosti Valley is a tight nit community and things work better when we all stick together."

With those parting words and one last hug, Hiari is out the door and Sofia can't help but feel like there was more to that last statement than meets the eye. Either way, she can't bring herself to care at the moment. Her body aches in all kinds of places and her stomach is begging to be fed after guzzling down coffee when she can't remember the last time she had a real proper meal.

A glimpse at the clock shows that it is half past 2 in the afternoon and she groans at having wasted all day. With a heavy heart and an equally heavy body to match, Sofia sluggishly walks back to the room wanting to get ready for the day so she can go out and get some food. She pauses momentarily when she sees that the door to her yéyé's room is open. With hesitant steps and a lump in her throat, Sofia closes it, not even peeking inside. She knows she is not ready to. She can't risk letting her emotions take hold of her again the way they did last night.