Page 73 of Ruck Me

“How come you didn’t tell me?” I asked, studying her more closely. Maybe it wasn’t just the project that made her look so tired and washed out. Stepping close again, I laid my palm flat against her forehead.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking your temperature,” I answered, not entirely sure what I was supposed to be feeling. I rested my other hand against my forehead and compared our temperatures. I was dry and warm while Aoife was clammy andcool.

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” she asked, her lips hitching up in a knowing smile as she dragged my hand from herhead.

“Not really,” I chuckled, moving around her to the sink to wash my hands.

Hanging the towel on the rack I turned and leaned against the vanity. “You know I love you Aoife, but you look like shit. Will you please do me a favor and go upstairs to sleep?”

“ButI—”

“No buts,” I interrupted, placing my hands on her shoulders. “You’re sick. You need to be inbed.”

She closed her eyes, dropped her head forward, and groaned. “I can’t be sick. I don’t have time to besick.”

I heard her sniffle, and my heart clenched. Aoife cried so infrequently that when she did, it tore me apart. Placing my finger under her chin, I nudged her face back up. “How about this? Go take a hot bath, and I’ll run out and pick up some medicine and some chicken broth.”

Aoife wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want soup,” she whined. “I just want to finish my project. I’m almostdone.”

I bent down and scooped her into my arms. Nudging the door open with my hip, I stepped into the hallway and made my way toward her room. “I’ll make you a deal. You bathe, I’ll pick up medicine and soup, and when I get back, you’ll eat it and then you can work on your project. For one hour. Then you’re going tobed.”

“You’re mean,” Aoife whispered against my neck as she nuzzled into my embrace.

“And you’re working too hard,” I answered as I set her down on top of her mattress, the faint smell of vomit curdling my stomach. I loved this girl, but she fucking stank like a drunk, homeless person and needed to get cleaned up. Stepping into her en-suite, I turned on the tap and waited for the water to get warm. Plugging the drain, I added a glug of some vanilla bubble bath and waited for the water to turn sudsy. Once the tub was full, I turned off the faucet and moved back into her room, only to find Aoife curled up on her side, softly snoring.

At least she’s sleeping, I thought, as I pulled a quilt up over her and turned off the light.

When I reached the kitchen, Ainsley was making a cup of tea. “Hey Ains,” I said, throwing my bag over my shoulder and grabbing my cold, soggy meal and putting the container back in its greasy paperbag.

“You finally persuade Aoife to shower?” she asked, wrinkling hernose.

Ainsley was a sweet girl who I’d never heard say an unkind word about anyone. This was her polite way of saying that even before she’d thrown up, Aoife smelled likeshit.

“Almost,” I answered. “I think Aoife's got the flu or something because she just threw up in the toilet.” Ainsley’s eyes bugged out of her head before she caught herself and schooled her expression. In addition to being a sweet girl, she was also a neat freak with a penchant for cleaning. The idea of a vomit-splattered bathroom was giving her a panic attack that she was trying desperately tohide.

"I should probably go spray it down with bleach,” she said, setting her mug aside and reaching under the sink for a spray bottle and some cleaning gloves. “You know, germs andall.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” I agreed, knowing she’d just do it anyway. “Listen, I’m gonna head back to my place, but can you check on Aoife in the morning? If she’s not feeling better, can you callme?”

“Go,” she said, waving a yellow rubber glove at me. “You can’t get sick too. Big match and all that. I’ll keep an eye on ourgirl.”

I closed my eyes and said a prayer of silent thanks for Aoife’s two awesome roommates. If mine weren’t such fucking pigs, I’d think about hooking them up with one of my own, but that was probably just asking for trouble. I was pretty sure Donal had started dating someone he didn’t want us to know about ... and Ferg? Well, he was a lost cause. Tadhg might be a good fit for Clodagh, but I didn’t want to risk it in case she ended up blaming Aoife for all of his shortcomings—of which there were many, not the least of which being he was still clogging the toilet with used condoms

“Thanks!” I called out, opening the door on a wave. “And remember, give me a call if she doesn’t get better. I’ll be back around noon with medicine.”

“I’ll let her know,” Ainsley called back, sticking her head out of the bathroom. “Nowgo!”

Back in my car, I shoved a few fries in my mouth and swallowed them down, my throat tight. I felt guilty leaving Aoife’s care to her roommates, but there was no reason for me to stick around, only to watch her sleep and possibly get whatever bug she had too. Still, I felt like I should do more forher.

Glancing down at my phone, I checked the time. It was late, but my mam would probably still be awake, likely reading one of those romance books she enjoyed so much. Decision made, I punched in my home phone number and waited for someone to pickup.

“Hello?” she asked, her voice a bit panicky.

“Hey ma, it’sEoin.”

“Eoin! Is everythingokay?”

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