Now, have some stuff.
Chapter Thirteen
I woke the next morning with the blaring of an alarm clock somewhere in the distance. I rolled to my stomach, finding my cheek against something frigid. My shoulders ached, and my back screamed in protest as I rolled away from the cold. With foggy recollection I remembered talking with Kitty, and her rushing off to take a phone call, and talking to Rush, and the dream. Had I even made it to my bed? A door opened and I heard foot steps.
“Laela! Are you okay?” Kitty cried. I felt her hand on my cheek, and then my forehead. “Laela, hun, are you awake?”
I groaned in response.
“Did you sleep in here all night?”
I groaned something that sounded like a 'I think so.' She sighed.
“Your body is going to hate you. Sleeping on a floor like this could kill a man.” she giggled at herself. “Well, it's five thirty, would you like to shower first, or shall I?”
“You can,” I mumbled, pushing myself off the floor. “I need to lay on something soft for a minute.”
She laughed and helped me off the floor. I proceeded to drag myself into my room, falling onto the bed, and sink into the mattress. My body felt heavy again, but I knew if I fell asleep, I wouldn't wake up in time for class. For a few minutes I just lie there, my face smothered in the comforter, and then I heaved myself off my bed and pulled out my uniform and shoes so I was ready to go just in case my speed failed me this morning. Kitty stuck her head through the door and announced the shower was free, and I took my share of hot water for the morning. Stepping out of the shower I dried myself off, and stared at myself in the mirror. My hair had curled up slightly, and my dark tresses made me look like the undead. My eyes were tired, and dark circles were beginning to form. Just what I need. I grumbled inwardly. I stepped up to the mirror and began to make myself look less dead, and decided I didn't want to straighten my hair, so after the makeup had gone on, I drowned my curls in mousse.
Kitty called for me from the kitchen, announcing she was leaving for breakfast with or without me in five minutes. Grumbling all the way back to my bed, I dressed quickly and exited with my shoes in my hands. Kitty smiled at me and we left together, riding in the elevator alone, and when we entered the dining hall. The noise assaulted me instantly, and I wished I had skipped breakfast. I felt like I was recovering from a bad hang over and every little noise and light seemed to make it worse. Kitty kept eyeing me while she talked about her worries for the day, and then how excited she was to take me to her favorite place this afternoon. When we had picked a table and ordered our food, she put her hand on mine and looked me straight in the eye.
“Kitty, you freak me out when you do that.” I said, sighing.
She pulled her hand away. “Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You didn't... have another episode, did you?” she asked, biting her lip nervously.
“No, I was on the phone with Rush, and then I ended up falling asleep before I sat up.” I told her, glancing up at the ceiling. “So, that call from Jay last night must have been real important for you to rush off so quickly.” I hoped to change the subject.
It worked.
“Call from Jay...?” she wrinkled her eyebrows. “Oh! Right, last night, sorry. Yeah, he was having a bit of trouble with his homework for his Calculus class, and since I took that last year I went to help him. He's a bit of a nut with the grades.” she smiled.
Her smile seemed deliberate, like she wasn't telling me the whole truth.
“So you ran off that quickly to help with math? That's one heck of a problem.”
She smiled again, and the food arrived, relieving her of an answer. Cam and Jay joined us, and I looked at Jay, determined to figure out the true nature of the call. It couldn't have been math.
“So, Jay. How'd the math homework go last night?” I asked casually, looking up from my food.
He squinted his eyes at me, trying to figure out what I meant, and then looked at Kitty. I followed his gaze, and noticed the smile Kitty gave him. It was the same as the one she had given me. I waited for his answer, hoping somehow their stories wouldn't match up.
“Math... right! Last night I called Kitty to have her help me with my Calculus homework. That problem was kicking my trash. Sometimes I just don't understand what the heck they're trying to teach us here.” he said, smiling at me. “Did I steal her away from private girl chat last night?”
Kitty piped up. “Yes, you did.”
“Well, I do apologize,”
I rolled my eyes and continued to eat my food in silence. Glancing around the dining hall I tried to spot Stitch among the crowd. I hadn't seen him come in, and wondered if he was okay. I wanted to ask him about that note last night, and if I could help with anything. His anger had come so suddenly, I didn't know how to react to it, and it had frightened me. I had barely finished my food when the bell for classes shrieked over head, and so the day began. By the time I had reached lunch, my energy had been absolutely drained, and I still had three classes to go. Something about that dream had taken my energy, and I found myself struggling to stay awake during lectures. Kitty insisted that we eat lunch outside since the sun was shining, and she needed to warm her insides with the rays. So, we all trekked to the terrace, and got our food there. It was a simple sandwich, which I ate quickly, and then found myself nodding off. Under the tree we sat at, Cam moved to my side, and rested his back against the trunk, lifting his arm over me, and pulling me into him.
“You look absolutely exhausted, love.” He commented. “We've still got forty minutes before class starts, why don't you take a nap?”
I didn't have the energy to respond, so I tucked myself into his side, and within moments, sleep enveloped me.
I woke, sitting up in the bed, completely naked. I clutched the sheer sheets to my body and glanced around. The room was filled with a soft golden light, and the open windows let in a gentle breeze filled with the smell of fresh rain. Looking around the room again I found myself quite alone, and yet, I didn't feel alone. Sliding off the silk sheeted bed, clutching the topmost sheet to my body, I stepped delicately to the ground, my feet sinking into the carpet. The mahogany desk in the corner of the room was empty, but in the crystal ash tray a cigar still burned. What a waste of a perfectly good Diplomatico. I said to myself as I crept to the desk and lifted the cigar to my mouth, taking a long drag. The smoke burned in my lungs as I puffed out the silvery smoke.
“Vous faites que regard de cigare dix fois mieux. Bon pour vous voir levez la jolie dame. Ayez un sommeil gentil ?” A man's voice came from behind me, making me turn to him.
I smiled at him, placing the cigar back on the ash tray and making my way to him. He wore only his pajama pants, his pale, beautifully sculpted chest bare. His hair was tousled from sleep, and his blue eyes sparkled.
“ Oui, beau. Vous ?” I replied,reaching up to him on my toes to give him a kiss.
“Le meilleur sommeil que j'ai jamais eu. Merci à vous.” He took my hand away from the sheet, letting it fall to the floor, and kissed me again. “Je t'aime, Lily.”
I woke from my sleep when Cam gently shook my shoulder.
“Rise and shine beautiful. Time for class.” he smiled, brushing my stray curls from my face.
I nodded and separated myself from him, standing and straightening myself up. That dream. It was different. I wasn't with Stitch. I was with someone else. Someone vaguely familiar.
Now for the translating part.
"You make that cigar look ten times better. Good to see you up, pretty lady. Have a good sleep?"
"Yes, handsome, you?"
"The best sleep I ever had thanks to you.".............. "I love you, Lily."
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