Because of Him

A Familiar Stranger

Adriana

My eyelids felt heavy as I tried to open them. My memory was foggy, and my vision was a bit blurred. The last thing I remembered was Chris. My eyes felt heavy again, and my head began to throb.

"Chris... Christian," I whimpered.

"Hey... Hey, it's alright. You're alright," I felt warm, shaky hands grasp mine for dear life as if I were about to disappear.

"Chris," I whispered, the name tasting bitter as if I didn't have the right for his name to roll off my tongue. I tried to open my eyes once more, but it made me wince, squeezing my eyes back shut.

I found myself holding my head because of the pain. The memory of Chris weighed heavy on my mind so much that I felt it made the headache that I had worse. It felt so vivid, as if he were there. I tried my hardest to reach out to him and tell him to run with me. As I hear the gunshot, my ear starts ringing again, and the harsh shakes of reality start to set in. I could never change the past, no matter how much I wanted to. 

With a shuddering breath, I forced myself to open my eyes, pushing aside the remnants of the past that threatened to overwhelm me. Giana's voice cut through the haze like a lifeline, her reassuring words pulling me back to reality.

"You're safe," she murmured, her hand warm against mine. "Everything's going to be okay."

But even as she spoke, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at the pit of my stomach. The memory of Chris' face, so vivid and so real, lingered in the back of my mind, refusing to be forgotten. And as I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, I knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

"Adri, what happened back there. One minute we were good, and then the next you were sprawled out on the ground. You scared the shit out of me," she murmured.

"I... I don't know," I sighed.

"Was it because of the new guy. The one you said looked like Chris."

"Maybe. I don't know," I said as I tried to avoid her gaze. This is just so embarrassing. Fainting in front of the class. My mind must be playing tricks on me. It has to be that, right?

I started too look around the room in search of him, but I had no luck.

She squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out, "The guy... He brought you here. I freaked out badly and didn't know what to do," she said as she squeezed my hand.

"He rushed to help you and carried you all the way here. He stayed until they said you were okay and just needed to be assessed for a concussion."

I squeezed her hand back in reassurance and said, "Hey. I'm okay, look!" I started to wiggle my fingers and toes. "I am all good. I just fainted, that's all."

She giggled. "You know, the way he looked when he picked you up was kind of sexy," she said as she wiggled her eyebrows.

I glared, "Now is not the time for your matchmaking shenanigans."

"My bad, my bad. I'm just trying to lighten up the mood, you know," she smiled.

I chuckled. Giana has been trying to set me up with people but she has never been successful. One because they just weren't my type, and two because I don't think I could trust myself or anyone again after that night.

The thought of letting someone get close to me and make a fool of me terrifies me. If I had never gone out on that stupid date and just listened to Chris, he would still be here. 

I feel like I would end up destroying someone's life again. And the thought of that makes me not even dare to try "dating" again.

I mean, Chris tried to warn me. And I wanted to be right so much, I failed to listen to the clues, and I failed him.

"Hey, you alright?" Giana ask.

I shake my head slightly."Yes, I was just thinking."

"About?" She arched her eyebrow.

"I don't know why. But I feel like my mind is playing tricks on me. Because there is absolutely no way, right? I mean, he looked so much like Chris but how and why?" My voice was hoarse as I stared into her eyes.

"Maybe he has a doppelgänger?" She questions as she scoots up a chair to sit by my side.

My stomach clenched as I bellowed with laughter, "Yeah, right."

"Okay, how about a long lost twin?"

"A twin, I mean, that's more believable, but I don't think so."

"I mean, you never know what if-"

A knock interrupts, "Hello, Ms. Stone. I'm Nurse Val. I just wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Uhh. Yes." I start to prop myself up in bed against the pillows.

"How are you feeling?" The nurse questions

"I am okay, Just first day of class jitters."

I could feel Giana's gaze burning into the side of my head.  She knows that my fainting was due to Chris' doppelgänger and surely not about Quantitative Methods and Business Decisions.

"I get it, and its totally normal to be nervous. People respond to those nerves in various ways. Are you having any pain or discomfort right now?" 

The only discomfort I have right now, is feeling like my mind is playing tricks on me.

"No discomfort here," I chuckle.

"Well, since you fainted and hit your head, we just want to assess you for a concussion and everything is all good You will be discharged," she flashes me a wide smile.

"Okay."

"Alright, let's begin. Do you want your friend present during the assessment?"

"Yes, thank you."

As Nurse Val finishes the assessment, Giana gets an urgent call informing me that she has to leave without me and that she's sorry. I give her a reassuring smile as she leaves the room in a hurry.

Several minutes after Giana's departure, Nurse Val notifies me that I do not have a concussion before leaving the room and that I was free to go if I did not have any other concerns.

As the door finally clicks shut, I let out a breath that, unbeknownst to me, I was holding in.
The sense of relief washed over me. I began to gather my belongings and made my way out of the room.

As I walked down the cold hallway. I only had the energy to think about laying in my fucking bed.

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