In which I fall in love with my brother's best friend.
*****
"Don't pretend like you don't feel anything." His voice is low, sending shivers down my spine.
"What do you mean?"
"You know damn well what I mean."
"I don't know what you're talking about...
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More days have passed while I'm staying here in the hospital. Vaughn's parents and I take turns in taking care of him. There are a few days on which they spend the night here, and I go back to Jake's house once in a while.
Vaughn is getting better, which is such a relief. This week, his parents have gone back to Michigan, leaving just the two of us in the hospital. Sometimes, Jake and Lais come by to check on him too.
I watch as a nurse conducts the procedure to check his blood pressure tonight, and that's when my phone rings. My lips form into a thin line as I see the caller. It's not in my contact list. "Sorry, I have to take this for while."
A frown touches Vaughn's lips, but then he nods. He must be wondering why I'm not picking it up here. I excuse myself, get out of the room, and answer the call.
The person from the other side of the line speaks, and from what I'm hearing, I should be thrilled. But strangely, I feel nothing. She says that I should have received the notifications earlier, but ever since Vaughn was admitted into the hospital, I haven't checked my emails.
"Thank you, but... Can they give me some more time?" I ask, hoping that they'll understand. "I still have some family matters to settle here, and I'm actually in the hospital. There's an emergency." I'm not entirely lying.
The person speaks again and gives me more explanation about what's going to happen next, and I listen intently, trying to memorize everything. By the time the call ends, I blow a sigh. This is too much to take for me. I need a few more days to sort things out.
When I come back to the room, the nurse has already finished the check-up. She excuses herself, and I thank her before sitting beside the bed.
"Who was calling?" Vaughn asks.
"It's Stacey," I lie. But before he can ask me another question, I change the topic. "What did the nurse say?"
Vaughn sighs. "Everything's great. I'm still not allowed to walk, but lately, my recovery has been getting pretty good."
Relief washes over me. "That's great to hear. You should take a rest more so that the medicine will work at its best." I adjust the pillow under his head as he lies down again.
It's already quite late at night, and a yawn escapes from my lips. I'm about to head to the sofa bed when Vaughn's words make me stop. "Where are you going?" he asks.
"Sleeping?" I raise my brows. I usually sleep on the sofa bed here, so there's nothing new.
He squints, as if he doesn't like the idea anymore. He pats the space beside him. "Well, you can sleep here, with me." A smirk creeps on his lips. When he sees me openmouthed, he adds, "Come on. There's plenty of space here. The bed is quite spacious, it will fit the two of us just fine."
