Hidden in the Night

Chapter 7 - Talk More

A small favor was not anything I minded doing, especially for a friend. Even if that meant taking the public bus an hour and a half away to Seattle. Even if that meant standing outside a house that was a million times nicer than anywhere I could ever hope to live. But I really wished I had dressed accordingly.

It had been about two weeks since the party, and it was now well into September. The temperature had been taking a rapid decline the past week, and I knew that I should have brought a jacket with me. But the only jacket I owned was showcasing multiple holes and looked as though it was twenty years into a very rough life, which it very well could have been considering I had picked it up for only a couple bucks at a used clothes store last year. I begrudgingly acknowledged that it was time for a new one, and sighed when I thought about how much my living expenses were about to increase with the change of the seasons.

I let out a shiver as I debated whether I should knock or call Daniel to let him know I was here. He had been sick the last few days and had missed a lot of classes because of it, so I had offered to bring him his work and even try to explain some of the topics of our shared class if he felt up to it. However, the last time I talked to him on the phone he had cut the call abruptly, but not before I heard the noise of throwing up, so I highly doubted he would really be feeling up to it.

I decided to call him, realizing that he was probably in bed and might not hear my knocking on the door, especially in a house this size. I pulled out my phone from my pocket, which was getting dangerously close to dead, and dialed his number quickly.

"Hey Paisley," Daniel groaned, his throat scratchy and congested.

"Hey Daniel, I'm here with your stuff," I explained quickly, really hoping that my phone wouldn't die in the middle of our conversation.

"Oh okay, you can just walk in, I told them to leave the door unlocked. I'm on the second floor, first door on the left. See ya in a few," he said, ending the call before I really had the chance to respond. I wondered who them was, but decided overthinking it would only get me more anxious about barging into his house.

Stop being awkward Paisley, he literally just told you to walk inside.

I let out a sigh and opened the door slowly, warm air greeting me as I walked in, and tried not to gasp at the sight of the inside. It was incredibly nice, and only made me more insecure of the fact that Daniel had seen the outside of my apartment. To the left of me was the kitchen and living room, an abundant area that was larger than my apartment as a whole. Granite countertops, flatscreens, and couches that looked like a couple months worth of rent were all adorning the area. Whoever had decorated had done well, because I felt as though I had walked straight out of my life and into a movie.

I looked to my right to see the staircase and realized I should probably stop staring before I was caught exposing how out of place I truly was. I headed up the stairs and went straight to Daniel's room, where the door happened to be cracked open. I knocked gently before entering.

"Um h-hi," I stuttered, mentally chastising myself for being so embarrassing.

"Hey dork," he smiled, but I could tell that it was a little forced.

"I'm not a dork," I mumbled in response, my cheeks heating up at his nickname that he had been calling me recently.

"Mhm," he replied sarcastically, letting out a horrible cough in the process.

He laid in the middle of his bed, surrounded by empty popsicle wrappers, water bottles and blankets. Used tissues and a bucket sat on the floor and I made a mental note to keep as much distance between me and that area as possible.