•clueless•

•9•

As soon as I woke up, it hit me. It wasn't unusual for me to get headaches, I just hated it. Working in a popular bar wasn't a big help, but I needed to pay my bills.

Stepping into work later that day after dropping Amelia off at home, it only got worse with the excited shouts. As much as I wanted to call out, I knew I couldn't. So instead, I was stuck serving drunk customers with a raging headache.

I tried my best to remedy the pain by guzzling down water after water, but nothing seemed to work.

"You okay, honey?" My mom asked as soon as I was free for the first time tonight. Wincing at the pain, I turned around to meet her. "Not really. You know how I get headaches?" I mumbled, gently rubbing my temples.

"Oh, honey. Why didn't you call?" She asks, pulling me into a tight hug. "I felt like I could work." I shrug, relaxing into her body. My eyes physically felt like they were being pushed out of their sockets due to the pressure, that's how bad it was.

"Call Rooster to take you home. I don't want you driving-." My mom starts, but I cut her off.

"No, please. I can drive." I reply, pulling back enough where I could see her eyes. "Rae, I know you can but just to be safe." He presses her hand against my forehead, my eyes fluttering closed at her hand.

"Perfect. Rooster! Can you come here, please!" My mom calls, covering my ears for the sake of my headache. My heart flutters at his nickname.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" I hear as my mom drops her hands. "Can you please take her home? She doesn't feel good." She asks, feeling my head once again.

"Of course." He replies as I finally look at him. His eyes immediately soften as we make eye contact. "Hi, B." I weakly smile, genuinely happy to see him. "Hi, Rae." He smiles, a playful but comforting smile. Nodding, I pulled my bag out from underneath the bar.

Coming around the bar, I made my way around it to meet up with Brad. Narrowly avoiding running into customers, I stopped beside him finally. As he talks to my mom, he wraps an arm around my waist.

"I'll come back and pick up her car." I hear him reply. Sighing, I leaned into his side. "Make sure she gets some rest. When she doesn't feel good she gets grumpy." My mom teases.

"Will do." Bradley nods, gently pulling me closer to him. After quick goodbyes, he leads me outside to his truck. Helping me in, he hurries over to his side before starting the truck up.

"Thank you, I really appreciate you taking me home." I weakly smile, looking over at him as I buckle up. "It's no problem. I came to drop off your food so it worked out." He smiles, reaching over and gingerly lacing our fingers together over the console. Sighing, I leaned back against the seat.

•••

Not even 20 minutes later, we were in my bedroom. "Do you need anything? Some tea?" His voice softens as he helps me into bed after I changed. Like the gentleman he is, he waited outside my bedroom for me.

"No, I think I'm okay. Thank you." A weak smile etched onto my face as I cuddled into my blankets. Outside my door leading onto the porch, I saw the sky was now a pretty orange-ish color.

"Alright, I'm going to pick up your car. Text me if you need anything." He sweetly smiles, crouching down next to me before pressing his warm hand against my forehead.

"Honey, you're burning up." He mumbles, his eyes softening impossibly more as he looks at me. "I'll be okay, I swear." I nod, an uneasy feeling in my stomach settling. A low groan escapes my lips as I curled into myself.

"I don't want to get you sick." I mumble, my stomach churning. "I don't care if I get sick. I'm taking care of you wether you like it or not." Rooster sends me a comforting smile before standing up. After a gentle kiss on my cheek, he begins walking out of my room.