Stream of Colors • Josh Kiszka

12.

Vienna's P.O.V

I watched Josh intently as he shut the door, leaving me completely alone in his room. This abrupt emptiness caused everything around me to fall to a foreign silence that I hadn't been accustomed to all night.

Relishing in the quietness, I started peering around his room before I flopped backwards, immediately engulfing myself within in his sheets, wanting nothing more than to just sleep my life away, but more specifically the horrible nausea and migraine that relentlessly kept threatening to ruin my night even more.
But even with the evident sickness and exhaustion, I still found myself accidentally admiring Josh's space and how he decorated it.

Records could be seen anywhere you looked, books scattered all around, a large film camera placed on top of a shelf, a desk adorned with a few green plants, and pictures of him and his family placed anywhere he could fit them.

It also became apparent that it smelled like he had been burning incense earlier in the day, making his room seem even more comforting in my dazed state.

As I continued to let my eyes wander, they became heavier and heavier with each passing second. After a few minutes, sleep eventually caught up with me and before I knew it, I was in a deep dreaming state.

Sometime Later

My body jolted awake as a onslaught of sickness overcame my body, making me rip the blankets off of my legs and attempt to find the door in the dark room that my eyes couldn't seem to find the time to adjust to.

Once I finally felt the metal knob between my fingers, I opened the door and started scouring the house in search of the bathroom, which for some reason was proving to be extremely difficult.

"Vienna? You okay?" Josh's tired voice rang out.

The bile started rising in my throat, "B -Bathroom?"

"It's down the hallway and to the left," he quietly whispered, aware of other occupants in the house that were currently sleeping.

I nodded, aware that he couldn't see me, but doing the gesture anyway before scurrying to the bathroom, quickly shutting the door behind me, since I definitely did not want anyone to hear me.

My efforts once again failed me as Josh knocked on the door, not wasting anytime before he made his way inside the dimly lit bathroom. Without any words, he sat down beside me and gently rubbed my back.

And for the second time tonight, my head was inside a toilet bowel as I let out what little was left in my stomach while Josh Kiszka sat right by my side, consoling me.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally got up enough energy to remove myself from the porcelain appliance and take a couple deep breaths, making my body ache.

"I got you some ibuprofen for the headache," Josh finally spoke.

I looked up at him, noticing for the first time tonight, his messy hair and the slightest hint of two dark circles under his brown eyes.

Realizing that I was visibly starring at the boy, I quickly took the glass of water and the two pills, downing them before I felt the need to once again, throw up.

Josh watched me as I handed him back the glass, "I'm sorry you feel so bad, Vi. I wish I could take it away from you."

I nodded, not feeling as though I had to reply.

"Do you think you feel good enough to go lay back down? Or do you need anything else? I can get basically whatever you need or want. Unless we don't have it, then I could go to-"

I interrupted him as I placed a hand on my forehead, "Josh, you're not helping my head."

"Oh, right. I'm sorry."