Run to Me

Lies

Diane bobbed her head to the music, singing the song on the radio under her breath.  You laid your head on the window, the cool glass relieving some of your discomfort.  You felt like you were on a roller coaster, the world around you spinning one way then the next. You looked over at her, slightly jealous that she felt fine. She noticed and took her eyes off the road long enough to get a good look at you. She frowned and put her hand on your knee, caressing it with her thumb. 

"I can turn around if you want. I think you need the rest," she said, drowning out the music. 

You shook your head, groaning. For some reason the pounding behind your eyes grew stronger. You shouldn't have done that.

"I need to see Mandy. I need to talk to her face to face. I won't stay long, but I still need to do this."

Diane bit the corner of her lip, thinking about something. She nodded in response, removing her hand and then sticking it in her coat pocket. She pulled it back out, holding out her hand in front of you. In her palm sat two different pills. You sat up, looking over at her.

"What are those?"

"Aspirin, to help your headache," she said quietly, forcing a smile. 

You picked up the pills and looked at them. One was different from the other.

"One of them isn't the same as the other though," you said, wondering if she had accidentally pulled out the wrong pills.

"One is an aspirin, the other is a stronger pain killer. A full dose of aspirin isn't enough to knock that migraine out completely, but a full dose of a pain killer would knock you out, and I know you want to be as coherent as possible during your meeting with Mandy."

Diane smiled nervously at you. You couldn't help but smile back. You knew she didn't want you to go off alone right now, but the fact that she was trying her hardest to make sure you could do what you wanted just made your heart sing. You threw back the pills and swallowed, eager for them to kick in. 

Diane watched you for a moment longer and you raised your eyebrows at her, chuckling nervously.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" you asked. 

She smiled and blushed, turning her eyes back to the road. Her smile remained though.

"No, just making sure you took your medication since I can't trust you to eat your breakfast," she said, her voice laced with a sassy tone. 

You laughed, even though your head protested. You reached over and hit Diane's shoulder and she gasped, holding her arm dramatically.

"Watch it missy, or I'm going to have to punish you."

Suddenly the air in the car seemed thick, and she looked over at you in a way you hadn't seen before. Something was different in her eyes and her smile was curved... differently.

You laughed nervously, unsure of what to do. She looked at you for a moment longer in silence before coming to and turning her eyes back to the road. She cleared her throat and her eyes seemed to dart around the road. 

"So I am going to run by the pharmacy when you're with Mandy and pick up some flu medicine. I think that's what going on with you. It wouldn't be surprising after that week you spent cramped on a bus with God knows who," she said. She said it in a completely normal tone as if what just happened, hadn't.

You slumped in your seat and nodded. 

"Yeah, sure. Okay," you mumbled as you turned the other way. Diane confused you.

Diane dropped you off a block away from the coffee shop. It was a real fight for her to agree, but she finally said okay if you promised to take the mug of tea you hadn't touched with you. You told her you just wanted to stretch your legs and walk a bit, but really you just didn't want to look like you were a little kid being dropped off by your mom to a playdate. You agreed to meet her back in two hours and you went on your way.