Page 104 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
“Nori?” Vir was at her side in an instant. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“Just a headache,” she replied before excusing herself.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, moments later, he was waiting right outside the door.
“Do you need something? Aspirin? Coffee?”
He looked so deeply concerned, her hand shot up to smooth the crease between his brow. But halfway there, she redirected its trajectory to swoop back to the side of her own head instead.
That’s right. Just scratching my head. Not being weird or anything.
“Nori? Are you okay?” Vir asked again, his frown deepening.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I was just trying to remember… stuff from before. Sometimes I get these flashes of random memories. They rarely make sense. But if I force myself to remember, I get these headaches. You look so worried, Vir. I’m okay. It’s not that bad.”
He kept frowning at her.
“Really, I’m fine.” She grinned before motioning towards the kitchen. “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing.” Vir shook his head. “Just sit with Billie and wait for fifteen more minutes.”
“I can—”
“No. Go sit.”
She gave up and joined Billie at the couch again, glad she wasn’t at the cottage feasting on instant ramen alone like she’d originally intended.
“This is really good,” she commented a while later, taking a bite of the creamy mushroom pasta.
Vir gave her a lopsided grin. “There’s more in the kitchen.”
Her eyes darted towards the pan sitting beside the stove before she dug back into her bowl with renewed enthusiasm.
He chuckled.
She glanced towards him and the whole place went dark.
Vir turned his phone’s flashlight on and motioned for her to remain seated, while he shuffled over to the window to peek outside.
“The hail damaged a transformer nearby,” a man’s voice floated up. “It was in the news just now. Do you have some candles?”
“A power cut is rare in this neighborhood,” Vir explained, walking back towards her, “so there’s no back-up. That was Sam. My landlord. I’ll go borrow some candles.”
Nori looked through the window as he left. A slick, white layer of icy chunks already covered the entire front yard below and the road beyond that. It was a hailstorm alright. The pattering was so loud. How hadn’t she noticed before?
“The car!” It was a rental she’d gotten for the semester. She searched for the keys, but they weren’t at the table where she’d put them earlier. She returned to the window in time to watch the car reversing into Sam’s covered driveway, while the old man stood a few feet away with an umbrella, motioning directionswith his arm. It was almost all the way in when the headlights flickered off, and it came to a halt.
Nori swore.The battery!
Vir stepped out of the car, and he and Sam together pushed it the rest of the way under the cover. Watching him sprint back into the building, Nori grabbed a towel from the bathroom and rushed to meet him at the front door.
“You’re soaking!” She threw it over his head. “I’m so sorry. I forgot to plug the car in today. And thank you.” She frantically rubbed the towel into his hair, apologizing and thanking him again.
“It’s okay, d—don’t worry,” Vir spoke through chattering teeth as he took the towel from her. “Give me a second. I’ll ch—change and come back.” His hand reached out to smooth her hair as he mouthed the words, “It’s okay,” again, before he walked away.
As Nori watched his receding back, her fingers brushing against the spot where his hand had just been, something alien, yet strangely familiar, swelled inside her chest. Flashes ran past her periphery, too bright, too rushed to follow. Flickering lights, a cool touch, a hand smoothing her hair, and a progression of relieved sighs, each easier than the last.
It was all gone just as quickly as it had appeared, and when she blinked, something hot rolled down her face. She touched her cheek and her fingers came off wet. Wiping her eyes with a resigned sigh, she went back to the couch to wait for Vir.
