Untimely Love (Book 3)

♤Chapter 47♤

♤ARIANA♤

I woke up tucked under my covers with no clue how I ended up there. My head swam as I peeked out from under the heavy blanket. The room was dark. It felt like midnight. Sighing, I dropped my head back onto the pillows and closed my eyes. Slowly, details started coming back to me.

I already knew Chris was here. It had been embedded in my brain, so much that I dreamt about him. I didn't remember the dream entirely, but he was there, fading in the back of my mind. Mostly, my mind replayed the fact that he came. I wasn't sure what I did before that, a lot of it was a blur, which was scary.

A few moments passed before I got up. My bones felt chalky and my muscles tightened, making my whole body ache. I'd been sleeping too much. It's the only thing I've been doing since I came home yesterday. I felt groggy and queasy like I needed to throw up.

Staring down at the carpet, I watched my toes wiggle through the fluff, not quite feeling them yet. I kept doing it until a sensation started in the soles of my feet, then began moving my feet back and forth.

When I finally stood, my entire body vibrated. I wasn't sure why, but everything felt sensitive—overcharged.

I stepped into the hall, ignoring the voices in the back of my head that urged me back to bed. I glanced down at the oversized long-sleeve, not remembering how I got into it. This wasn't what I was wearing earlier. At least, I didn't think so.

I stopped at the end of the hall that opened up to the house. Nobody. All the lights were off other than the one on the microwave that lit the stovetop. I glanced outside at the patio, but still nobody. It still rained—a drizzle that I could see through the glow of the orange patio lights. All it did was rain over here these days, not that I was complaining.

My stomach growled and I made a face, heading to the couch instead of the kitchen. I didn't have anything in mind when I came in search of people. I didn't have anything to say or do, just wanted to get up and get some feeling back into my body.

My head still swam as I sat, making me nauseous, but I focused on caressing the living room's fluffy carpet with my feet, finding some comfort in it. My mind stayed blissfully blank until that voice started on bullshit again. They'd left me here alone. Which was fine. They probably went to eat. Understandable. I couldn't shake why the thought made me feel horrible.

Sighing, fell to my side, kicking my feet up onto the couch and curling in on myself for some warmth. There was a blanket but it was on the farthest part of the couch. I'd have to travel to get it and that wasn't on my bucket list right now.

I listened to the crickets outside, the cicadas, the light rain. I'm still thinking about that blanket though, and am seconds away from climbing over the back of the couch to lay in the bay window when movement caught my eye.

My body ceased up for a second, getting ready to panic because this was the end. Someone broke into the house and was about to kill me.

But it was Chris. The ever-curious, smiling guy, who said, "You're up."

I dropped my gaze to the carpet, rubbing my hand absentmindedly along the edge of the couch. "Thought you left," I muttered.

"Is that why you got up?" He asked, his tone light.

I tried to smile and failed. My face didn't move even though my brain commanded it. I needed a few more hours for maximum brain power, it seemed.

Chris sat on the carpet in front of me and for some reason that made me want to turn away; hide my face in the back of the couch. I averted my eyes away from him instead cause I didn't feel like moving now that he was here.