Across The Hall (17 page)

time. I walked her up to her door, making sure she didn’t fal and hurt herself. I stood outside her door for a few minutes, talking. I real y wished that

she would be going to Chicago with us. The night had been so promising. I knew with some more time she would come around and everything

would be okay. I told myself that my previous idea of staying away so she could be happy with her friends was not the thing to do. The night proved I

could be one of her friends, too.

Eventual y, we both knew it was time to say good night. The silence grew between us. She was so beautiful standing in front of me. Her heavy-

lidded eyes watched me and her hair was coming out of the messy bun she had it in. It was fal ing down over her face, so I reached over and

brushed it back behind her ear. I felt the heat of her skin against me, and I wanted to keep my hand there, cupping her cheek. I pul ed it away,

knowing that she was drunk and her reaction to me tonight was alcohol-induced. Tomorrow we would probably be back to normal. I whispered

“sweet dreams” to her, and opened her door. She held my eyes to hers for a few beats of my heart, and I would have given anything to know what

she was thinking. She didn’t say anything. She turned, went in, and closed her door.

I couldn’t help but smile to myself while I got ready for bed. I cleaned al my books up off the table. I doubted I would do very wel on the

pharmacology test. I didn’t care. I could retake pharmacology again if I had to, whereas I may never get another night like that with Sylvia. I went to

bed thinking about it. Someday, Sylvia would see that we were just better together, even if it was just as friends.

It was supposed to be my quiet weekend al to myself. Everyone was going to be gone. Kai and the others were al going to Chicago to enjoy the

rare three-day weekend we had. I was okay with them al being gone, though. I was stil mildly upset with Kai. I wasn’t sure I could even cal it being

upset. I was more like jealous. Kai had met Quinn’s mom. Not only that, she’d gotten along with her and even had plans to go to lunch with her. I

missed Marie. She had been almost a mother to me after I lost my own. I loved her, but I just couldn’t go see her after Quinn left. I thought about her

frequently that first year of col ege. I would come home over breaks and often get to the end of her driveway before I’d talk myself out of it. Then they

moved, and I never got the chance to renew my friendship with her.

I tried to not let it bother me when I agreed to go to Kerri’s for a games night. I even resigned myself to partnering with Quinn. The others were

starting to complain about not being partners with their loves. The funny thing was that together as partners we dominated about any game they

threw at us. Any game except Hand and Foot. We had yet to win even a round at that one. During every round dumbass Quinn would attempt to

keep a book of red threes. We never, never, closed them. We never even came close to closing them. The last time Reed was giving him crap

about it, Quinn just winked at me and stated that one of these times his luck would change. I’m not sure if that was directed at me or not, but the

wink made me sigh inside. Everything after that was just a blur. It al just seemed like a dream. I remembered the idea of what happened, but I

couldn’t quite recal the details. The plus side of not remembering the details was that I didn’t feel like I was completely lying to Beau about what I

had done that night. I just told him I had been to Kerri’s for games night.

Beau was out of town again, possibly in Texas. I wasn’t sure. He was gone al week and didn’t expect to be back anytime soon. I missed him but I

was so happy to have the time to myself without anyone around. I needed to get some homework done. I also planned to give my apartment a

thorough cleaning. I hoped to see Jason at some point during the weekend, too. I missed him and I stil needed to tel him about Quinn.

Friday night I came across a weekend-long marathon of my favorite TV show. It had been a few years since I had seen it, and decided to sit up

and reacquaint myself with it. It was one I had watched al the time with Quinn. In fact I hadn’t ever seen the last season of it or any of the reruns when

it went into syndication because it was just too painful. Friday night, though, I decided enough was enough. I watched it until I fel asleep on the

couch.

Saturday morning, I was startled awake by a particularly loud crack of thunder. We were under a severe storm watch for most of the weekend,

another reason I think Kai wanted out of town. She hated storms, and always wanted out of town when we were in for a big one. As my heart calmed

back down I looked around the living room, trying to determine what time it was. The sky was dark from the storm, so I couldn’t tel . The TV was on,

stil playing the same show. I recognized this episode as one that was real y good. I waited for the commercial to go to the bathroom and check the

time. It was just after nine. I figured I probably wouldn’t get back to sleep for the day.

I grabbed a pop and headed back to finish the episode. I curled up on the couch under my favorite soft pink blanket. It was old. It had been on my

bed in since I was little. It was my security blanket. Many days I’d spent cocooned in its cozy warmth. It had seen me through both the loss of my

mom and Quinn. It was one of the few reminders of Quinn that I kept around. We snuggled under this very blanket several times while we watched

TV or movies. I tried to not let myself dwel on that thought again.

I was drawn into the story on TV. It was one of the more complex mysteries. While I could remember who’d done it, I couldn’t remember how it

was solved. I figured there were about ten minutes left of it when someone knocked on my door. I smiled widely with the thought that Beau got into

town earlier than he’d planned and had come to surprise me. I imagined us curled up on the couch together, watching the rest of the marathon. I

wondered if he ever watched it. I ran my fingers though my hair, I regretted not having brushed it while I was in the bathroom. I looked down at my

clothes. I stil had on my black yoga pants and an old sweatshirt of Kel y’s that I’d cut the neck and sleeves off of. It wasn’t what I normal y wore when

Beau was over here with me. I shrugged and figured it wouldn’t be on long anyway.

I briefly entertained the thought of answering the door naked. Kerri would be proud of me doing something so daring. Of course I couldn’t do that.

If I tried that, it would be the landlord or something. I heard some serious coughing coming from the other side of the door. I opened the door to find

a hacking mess under a red plaid blanket. I furrowed my brow trying to make out who was under it. The coughing stopped and Quinn turned around.

He was pale, and his eyes were kind of glassy. I could hear his every snuffled breath. He looked and sounded miserable.

“Quinn? Are you okay?” Obviously he wasn’t.
Wait, what is he doing here? He’s supposed to be in Chicago.
I answered my own question with,

“Are you sick?”
No, he’s coughing up a hairball.
I mental y kicked myself for that stupid question.

“Sylvia,” his voice was so raspy that even I cringed at it. “I’m very sorry to bother you, but with everyone gone I didn’t know who else to ask.” He

coughed into the side of his arm again.

“What do you need?” I was surprised that he was actual y at my door. I had a vague recol ection of Quinn walking me to my door after games

night, but I didn’t know if that had real y happened. I wasn’t sure if I should ask him in, but he looked like he could col apse at any moment. “Come in

here,” I urged as I ushered him in.

He took a couple steps and stopped to cough again. “I just wanted to know if you had some cough medicine. I coughed al night and I just real y

need to sleep this cold away.” His voice just sounded raw.

“Oh, that sucks. Yeah, I have some. Sit down while I get it.” I went back to the bathroom to look in the medicine cabinet. I had a whole bottle of

Nyquil. I quickly brushed my hair while I had the chance. I could hear him coughing the whole time I was in there. The poor guy. He sounded real y

bad. I knew from experience that Quinn rarely got sick, but when he did it was bad.

I brought the Nyquil out to him and paused on the way. He was sitting on my couch with his head thrown over the back of it. He looked so

vulnerable like that. My heart ached. I wanted to go over and run my fingers through his uncharacteristical y limp hair and just comfort him. He turned

his head and saw me and gave me a weak lopsided grin.

“Ah, you’re an angel.” I smiled back and walked towards him. “Real y, Sylvia. I can’t thank you enough for this.”

As he stood he pul ed the blanket tighter around him. I realized then that he was shivering. I kept it fairly warm in my place, so I knew it couldn’t

have been that. He had to have had the chil s. I was real y worried then. “Quinn, I don’t think you should be alone. Have you cal ed Marie?” Surely his

mom would come if he was sick.

He chuckled a little but it turned into a cough. “I’m a big boy now. I don’t need my mommy to come running for just a little cold. I just need some

cough syrup and some sleep. Besides that, I wouldn’t want her out in this storm.” I had to agree with that. The thunder and lightning hadn’t let up at

al . I wouldn’t have wanted that either.

That was when I made a snap decision that I knew I would regret later, but the words were out of my mouth before I could stop it. “Wel , I’m here. I

could stay with you awhile.” His chocolate eyes went wide in complete shock.

“What?”

“I mean, you know, just sit with you to make sure you’re okay and al .” I stumbled over the words with embarrassment. I was looking down at my

foot twisting against the carpet. He didn’t say anything, so I looked up at him. He stared at me with a mix of consternation and what I thought could

be relief. I don’t know why, but I quickly added, “I mean I’m not doing anything and, wel , you real y shouldn’t be alone.” What I wanted to do was get

him a hot cup of tea with honey and lemon for his poor throat.

“If you want to. But real y, you don’t have to. I would be boring company. I wil probably just take this and sleep.” He held up the Nyquil bottle I had

given him.

“That’s okay; I’l just bring my work with me. I planned to get caught up on it this weekend.” I suddenly looked forward to staying with him. Real y, it

would be okay. He’d likely sleep, and I could get my work done. It would be a win-win situation for both of us.

“Um, okay. Thanks.” He turned and headed to the door.

“Give me a couple minutes,” I cal ed out to him. I wanted to get a few things together. He stopped to wait for me, leaning against the door. He

looked so awful. I had just seen him the previous morning and he didn’t look that bad. His normal y uncontrol able hair was lying limply across his

forehead. He was scruffy like he hadn’t shaved in a couple days. He was even paler than I was, yet he had bright red cheeks, signaling a fever.

What bothered me most, though, were his lifeless eyes behind his glasses. I hadn’t seen him with glasses on since he’d come back. He always had

his contacts in.

I hurried back to my kitchen and grabbed the ingredients for the tea. My books and laptop were al stil in my bag, so I didn’t have to get anything

else together. I added the stuff from the kitchen and threw the strap over my shoulder. “Okay, I’m ready,” I said as I turned my TV off and picked up

my keys. I fol owed him out the door, and locked it behind me.

I had never seen the inside of his apartment. I knew it was a mirror opposite of mine: L-shaped living room, with a smal dining area in the hook of

the L. I knew the kitchen was to the right of the dining nook, and further down the hal that ran between the two would be a bathroom on the right and

his bedroom at the end. I just didn’t expect it to be decorated so simply. I had seen Marie’s work before and figured she would have it a veritable

showplace.

I took my time looking al around. I was astonished at the lack of items in the room. The wal s were painted a coffee color but were completely

bare. He had a large black leather sofa in the middle of the room. It was facing a metal and glass entertainment center. There was a large TV and

speaker system on it. I rol ed my eyes. Of course Quinn would have a sweet set up. He’d always liked his electronics. The TV was on what looked to

be CNN. There was a laptop sitting on top of a coffee table that matched the entertainment center. The table was covered with used Kleenex. I

wrinkled my noise and glanced at Quinn, who was watching me intently. I pointed at the mess on the table.

“You need to clean up your own messes, though. I’m not a nursemaid.”

Quinn smiled, “Right away. Anything else?” I shook my head.

He headed to the kitchen; I fol owed him, tel ing him that I was going to make him some tea. I put my bag on the dining table and got out what I

needed. He reached into the cupboard under the sink and came up with a plastic bag. I watched as he set it on the counter and read the directions

on the Nyquil bottle. He pul ed out a shot glass and poured himself a shot’s worth of the nasty green liquid. I wanted to gag for him. I knew how bad

that stuff tasted. He slammed it back quickly, as if it were a shot. He winced and shook his head.

“I hate that stuff. It tastes like black licorice. I can’t stand that, either.” He fil ed a glass of water from the fridge. The apartments came with

appliances but none of them had fancy fridges like his. Kai and Kerri both replaced theirs for bigger ones like this that had built in water and ice