Limerence • Auli'i Cravalho (gxg)

you have a migraine

You were sitting in class when you felt this familiar ache between your brows. You knew it all too well and dreaded it- the migraines you got were debilitating and you weren't looking forward to an episode starting mid-day. You took a few sips of water then focused on the lecture once again, hoping the headache was simply caused by dehydration. But as time ticked by, you learnt that you were simply wrong. You weren't done with your lectures for another four hours and your discomfort was growing, especially with the bright lights and chatter of the students around you. Two hours later you were sitting in your film production lecture, pinching your temple and shutting your eyes for a brief moment, you were utterly startled by the sound of the lecture theatre doors bursting open as a piercing pain shot through the left side of your head. "Miss Elsher. You are 45 minutes late- again." The lecture notices, undoubtedly because of her loud entrance. "I'm sorry, Mrs. West." The student sighs, so did the lecturer. "As I was saying, class, if you ever need to film something but do not have a tripod. Make use of your body- hold your camera close to your body and don't move it with your hands. Turn your body- the footage comes out steadier that way. Moving on, for your final assignment, you need at least 15 to 20 different shots in your video..."

Mrs West's voice begins to fade out as your vision momentarily becomes blurred for a second. The lights become too bright for you to bear, the students' chatter grew louder, as did the lecturer's voice. You took this as a cue to step out, so you did- unsteadily. The lights in the halls were dimmer, so you were somewhat relieved. You made your way to the restroom and just sat in the stall. Feeling you phone in the pocket of your hoodie, you fished it out.  You thought of telling Auli'i to pick you up, but decided against it and just try your best to tough it out for the last hours of your classes. The rest of your film production lecture wasn't too bad, but your final class? Academic writing. It was dry and theory-heavy- the students never paid attention and would always be talking. 20 minutes in, and you already wanted to cry. The ache was worsening, no matter how much water you'd been sipping on for the past several hours. You quietly pack up your things, finally giving in to the pain. Slipping out of the lecture theatre rather smoothly, thanks to seat you picked being way closer to the door, you called Auli'i while walking out of campus.

~~ • ~~

"Stay put, okay? I'll be there soon."

"Okay." You answer, swallowing thickly as she hung up. You put your phone away and sat down on one of the benches in the lobby to wait.

Auli'i had class online this day that was already done, so she was free. But, you still felt a little bad that she had to drive here to pick you up. You simply sat there with your hood up, eyes closed for a few minutes because even staring into space hurt your eyes. You spotted the vending machine from the corner of your eyes, decidedly going to purchase a bottle of ice cold Coke. Eagerly taking a sip, you were hoping the caffeine from this drink would alleviate even just a little bit of the pain. You sit back down, closed the bottle cap and carried on waiting. 

'20 minutes.' You read text Auli'i had just sent you.

'Okay.' You quickly replied. 

As promised, she pulled up in 20 minutes. Relieved, you got into the car and carefully shut the door. You drew the curtains she had up in the backseat and laid down with your head on your backpack. "Babe, do you need to grab anything from the store?"

"No." You shook your head, casting a glance at her, "I just wanna lay in bed in the dark until it passes."

"As you wish." Auli'i agrees, "I'm sorry, baby."

"It's okay, we all have our own problems to deal with." You sniffled- the car was a little cold for you after being on an air-conditioned campus for several hours.

However, when you two got back to her house, it was nice and warm- and dark. Perfect for you to ride this migraine episode out. "I'll go take a quick shower, then i'll just take a nap. You can get back to whatever you were working on." You told Auli'i as you got undressed and into the shower.

"Okay." She smooches your cheek, "I'll be in the study."

While you were in the shower, she got you your painkillers and a glass of water then put them on the nightstand along with your bottle of Coke from earlier. You spent a good 20 minutes in the shower, making use of the warm water for the pain. It worked, somewhat, so you were glad. When you saw the little set up she had for you, you smiled to yourself, touched that she got those things ready for you.

While you were getting into bed, she came in to use the restroom since it was the nearest one. "Hi, love." She whispers, smiling at you warmly. 

"Hey." After swallowing the painkiller with a gulp of water, you snuggled into the blanket and closed your eyes.

"Get some rest." She tells you while shutting the bathroom door behind herself.

And so...you did. You fell asleep for nearly four hours, and when you woke up it was dinnertime. Your migraine was still there...much to your disappointment. "Hey, you." You walk up to Auli'i who was cooking by the stove.

"I know strong smells make you nauseous when you have migraines, so I kept it light on the seasoning." Auli'i glances over her shoulder, "Fried noodles, veggies, and a bit of chicken."

"Oh, looks good. Smells great, too." You reply, "I'm not nauseous, but the migraine's still there- even though luckily, the pain's gotten a tiny bit better. God, I'd stick a heating pad on my forehead if I could." 

She asks with a chuckle, "Are the lights okay?" 

"It's dim, I'm alright with that. What were you gonna do? Turn the lights off completely and eat in the dark?" You laughed, taking a seat at the dining table.

"No, we have candles."  She turns the stove off, a grin was on her face.

"Ooh, romantic." You giggled.

"I'm glad you're feeling a little better." 

"Thanks, for picking me up and everything today."

"Don't worry about that, baby. Anytime." She assured, "Let's eat."

~~ • ~~

Unedited. Published: Saturday, 27 May 2023