Chapter 7: Feel Like Death

Hallie’s POV

The piercing sunlight streams in through the crack of the curtains hanging over the window beside my bed. I groan in pain from the pounding in my head as I fight off the light, squinting my eyes in the hopes it’ll go away.

But it doesn’t. It stays shining in my eyes, forcing me awake. I instantly regret opening my eyes because it makes the pounding in my head worsen as my eyes adjust to the light shining in. I groan as I hold my head in both of my hands, regretting every decision I made last night.

The last thing I remember seeing before closing my eyes last night were River’s red-speckled eyes. I’m slightly mortified that he had to see me in that condition. Even more so when remnants of what I said to him slide into my brain.

“I’m so embarrassed,” I groan to myself as I shuffle into a sitting position, pulling the duvet up to my chest.

Although I don’t want to face River after what happened last night and how much of a fool I looked in front of him, I know I can’t sit idly by and not thank him for taking me home and making sure I was safe.

I can’t help but wonder why he wanted to help me when we’ve only spoken twice before then. Maybe he saw I needed help getting back safely and wanted to be a good neighbor and escort me back? Yeah, maybe that’s it.

Despite my pounding head and my brain begging me to stay in bed all day, I swing my legs over the edge of the mattress, ignoring its pleas. I notice I’m still wearing the same clothes from the night before. I can’t possibly go to River’s door in this state. I already made a fool of myself in front of him last night, so I can’t do that again.

As slowly as I can to not aggravate my head further and upset my stomach even more, I get dressed into a pair of sweats and a black tank top. Once I thank River for last night, I plan to spend the rest of the day in bed watching movies and sleeping off this insane hangover.

I shuffle out of my room and walk down the hallway. I don’t know why people go out drinking all the time when this is the result of a night out. Although drinking with your friends is fun, the hangover the next day certainly isn’t.

My heart begins to race when I reach River’s door. Number 519. I was too busy remembering how embarrassing I was last night that I completely forgot about what I saw in his room. The image of a jar with suspicious red liquid is imprinted in my mind. Why would he have such a thing in his room?

It could’ve just been juice or some type of red drink that appeared suspicious to me in my drunken state, or it could’ve been something completely different. Seeing that mixed with the other odd things I’ve noticed about River has me wishing I could inspect his room for anything that could explain all of that.

Maybe coming to his room is a good idea.

I take a deep breath before knocking on the door. Within seconds it swings open, forcing a gush of air across my skin. I blink up at River who is peering down at me with an amused smile on his face.

“Well, look who decided to roll out of bed. How is your head feeling?”

I groan and rub at my temples, and only now realize that I forgot to brush my hair before leaving the bedroom. I’m sure my hair looks like a bird’s nest. Great.

“Don’t remind me,” I mutter. I try to lean around River’s body to get a better look at his bedroom. I remember seeing the jar on the bedside table, but it’s no longer there. D*mnit. “I wanted to come by and thank you for getting me back safely.”

River leans his right shoulder against the doorframe and folds his arms over his chest. “I figured if I didn’t step in you might not have made it back. I’m convinced you would’ve passed out on the street with how much you had to drink.”

I playfully roll my eyes, “I highly doubt that. But either way, I want to say thank you. I appreciate you helping me like that.”

I cringe at the thought of having to remind him about last night, but I know I’ll feel uneasy unless I say something. “And…I want to apologize for what I said last night. I shouldn’t have said I find you odd. That wasn’t right.”

River seems unfazed by my words and shrugs, “It’s okay. Everyone is a little odd, right? I took no offense by it.”

I raise a curious brow at him. “Not even a little? I feel like I wouldn’t like someone saying that to me.”

My eyes widen when River leans forward until our eyes are in line. My breath hitches in my throat as I stare into his eyes through the hair falling over them. I feel completely and utterly entranced by them, unable to move a muscle or force air into my lungs.

“You’re also a little odd, strawberry, but I like it.” A shiver runs down my spine as his smooth, deep voice lowers into a whisper. “How does that make you feel?”

I swallow hard, my mouth opening slightly to try to form a response. When he says it like that, how could I possibly take offense by it? Maybe he’s right. Maybe it’s okay to find people odd and intriguing without it being a bad thing.

“I feel…fine,” I admit with a small smile on my face.

River smiles at me and stands to his full height, allowing me to catch my breath. Whenever I’m near him, I find it hard to breathe. I don’t know if it’s because of his beauty or because I feel different when I’m around him. I feel…alive, and it has me wanting to be around him more.

“How about we go get something to eat at the café down the road?” River suggests, “It’ll help cure your hangover.”

I grimace at the thought of eating food, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to get to know River a little better. He is my neighbor after all, so I should try to get to know him more than the guy I find in the kitchen late at night.

“Sure,” I nod and look down at my outfit. “I’m not dressed to go out, though.”

River waves me off and closes the bedroom door behind him, shutting me off from his world. I would’ve loved to go in and get more of a sense of who River is as a person, and possibly look for that jar with the liquid, but that might have to wait for another day.

“Don’t worry about that. You won’t be the only person dressed like that and feeling like death. I’m sure half of the campus will be.”

River and I walk in comfortable silence down the road until we reach the café. I take the last empty table in the back of the room and wait for River while he orders for us. I can’t seem to keep my eyes off him as I stare at the back of his head and then take in his broad shoulders and slim waist in the black shirt he’s wearing.

I wonder if he works out. I’m sure he does if he plays for the baseball team…

I blink back to reality when River pulls out the chair across from me and sits down. “The food shouldn’t be too long.”

“I appreciate it,” I clear my throat, hoping he didn’t catch me staring at his body.

“You like to stare, don’t you?”

D*mnit, I’ve been caught. I chew on my bottom lip, unable to meet his intense eyes. “I, uh…don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I mean, did you enjoy the show in the alleyway the other day?” River asks as he leans back in the seat with a cheeky smirk on his face.

Oh, that’s what he is referring to. I didn’t think he would bring that up to me, and much less in a flirtatious way. My ears start to burn as I remember the way he looked at me, his eyes bright in the dark alley. My skin feels as though it’s on fire.

“I’m sorry, I –” I clear my throat and lick my bottom lip, “I didn’t mean to intrude on you like that.”

River shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly and tilts his head slightly. His eyes bore into mine, burning holes into my skin as he watches me with curious eyes. It isn’t until I lift my eyes to his does he give me a smile. One that reaches his eyes with a hint of cheekiness behind it.

“It’s fine, strawberry. I didn’t mind you watching.”