All of Me

14

Liz's pov

It's been two days since Jake and I talked on my balcony, and as much as I hate to admit it, his words have stuck with me.

They kept me up, sitting on the balcony for about an hour after he left that night.

I woke up the next morning feeling like I needed to puke, but I never did.

My head pounded, and my throat was sore.

Getting up hurt, and I felt like my legs were made of jello.

I couldn't find my phone, but even if I did find it, then who would I call?

Would I call Jake, who would be willing to help me function for the day?

Or would I call Colby, who's reaction to me being suddenly sick would be rather unpredictable?

So, I called no one.

I didn't know where my phone was, but it must have been somewhere in the room with me because I could hear it ringing.

I hugged my pillow, my eyes stinging and watering.

It felt better to leave them closed than to have them open, and I think I might have fallen asleep for a little while before footsteps woke me up.

"Liz?" Colby called, "Are you up here?"

I took in a deep breath, trying to swallow just to get my mouth muscles moving. But my throat was just too dry.

I scrubbed my eyes open, opening them to see Colby walking into the bedroom with a couple of shopping bags.

"Have you been here all day?" He asked, setting the shopping bags at the foot of my bed.

"Yeah," I mumbled as he kissed my cheek.

"You should have called. I would have come over sooner," He said, digging through the bags.

"What time is it?" I asked, stretching underneath the blankets.

"Almost one," He answered, pulling out a container. "I brought you a salad,"

"Thanks Colby," I grinned, pushing myself up to lean against the headboard.

"You look rough, babe," He noted, staring up at me for a moment before continuing to shuffle through the bags.

"I feel like shit," I nodded, stifling a yawn, "Everything hurts,"

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, setting the bags on the floor.

"I couldn't find my phone," I said, looking around the room once more for it.

"Are you going to get ready? Your dad is coming today," He asked, crawling onto the other side of the bed and plopping down on his stomach.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, scrubbing my face, "They're coming tomorrow,"

"No, Stas texted me that she was bringing your dad from the airport," Colby groaned, reaching out and putting his hand on my leg.

"But it's Thursday," I said, leaning over to check his phone.

I was wrong, it was Friday. I stayed in my bed for an entire day.

Which meant I haven't eaten, drank, showered, or taken a shit in about two days.

"Colby, help me up," I said in a panic, patting his shoulder after I pulled the blankets off of my body.

"But I just got comfy," He muttered, and I glanced over to see him with his eyes closed.

"You know what, nevermind," I huffed, pushing myself off of the bed.

Luckily, I was able to catch my balance before I fell on the ground.

I grabbed the salad that Colby bought for me, snapping open the lid and plucking out a few of the leaves and a crouton.

Hopefully, that would hold me off of starvation long enough to take a shower.

"Pick me out something to wear," I said as I grabbed myself a towel and scurried into the bathroom.

"Nothing. Just be naked," He said, picking his head up so I could hear him.

"Not in front of my dad," I said, turning on the water.

I peeled off my clothes, wrapping the towel around my body so I could get another bite of salad before the water heated up.

"It would be really nice if you could help me," I scoffed, my mouth half full.

"What do you need, babe?" Colby said, sitting up, "I was just messing with you,"

"Can I have water, and those clothes that I asked about?" I asked, taking off for the shower.

I didn't wait for his response, just shutting the bathroom door and dropping my towel.

I did my best to be quick in the shower, not even bothering to acknowledge Colby when he brought my clothes in.

I tried not to be anxious about my father meeting Colby, but I knew that he wouldn't like him.

They were polar opposites, and my father would find every opportunity possible to tear him apart.

"Where's my phone?" I asked after I came out of the bathroom, fully dressed in a light sweater and jeans.

"I found it and plugged it in," Colby said, pointing at it, "You left it on the balcony,"

"Thank you," I smiled at him, sending Sam a text to come over to the house.

"Be on your best behavior when they get here," I pleaded, grabbing my makeup bag. 

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" He asked, shooting me one of his charming smiles.

"I mean it," I said, quickly going into the bathroom to put on enough makeup to make me look presentable, "No swearing, no Lord's name in vain, no sarcastic comments. No matter what he says to you,"

"That's a lot, I don't know if I can manage," He said, walking up to the bathroom door.

"Well you're gonna have to figure it out. And make sure you tell Sam," I said, falling into silence as I focused on getting my makeup done.

I heard the front door open, shooting Colby a confused look through the mirror.

"It's probably Sam," He said, "I'll go get him,"

"Thanks," I said, taking these last couple of minutes to put on a nude tinted lip gloss.

I came downstairs, remembering to grab my salad and shut all of the lights off as I went.

"Hey Sam," I greeted, and he waved back at me.

The three of us managed to hold a good conversation while I finished the food that Colby had brought me.

It wasn't until I had thrown out the container that the doorbell rang.

I froze, whispering to Sam and Colby, "That's them."