Silent Strangers

FIVE

Chapter FIVE:
Grace

My head felt like a bowling ball that had been repeatedly dropped on a concrete floor. Sunlight pried its way through the blinds, a thousand tiny daggers stabbing my eyeballs. I groaned, yanking the covers over my head, wishing I could hibernate until next year.

I had a premonition that last night's move to accept the drink from Tobias was a monumentally bad idea. My stomach protested and turned with thoughts of strawberry gin and tonic presently gnarled into a bitter, acidic nightmare.

I groaned and swung my legs over the side of the bed, stumbling to the bathroom. One glance in the mirror, and I wanted to crawl right back under the covers. My eyes were puffy and red, and my skin had this really odd unhealthy pallor to it.

I splashed cold water on my face in the hope that it would revive me.

A quick shower later, I was dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie feeling pretty zombielike. My phone buzzed on the counter, so I grabbed it, winced at the brightness of the screen, and saw it was a text from Ashley. 'Are you coming in today?' I groaned and pecked in with a quick "Sick."

I really felt like calling Ashley. If I talked with her, it maybe would make the pulsating in my head go away. She answered on the third ring, sounding alarmed."Grace, is everything all right? You sound like hell. You sure you weren't hit by a truck?""I think I was," I told her, and I could manage a weak chuckle."Not that good today. I don't know what I did last night, but I'm sure paying for it today.""Oh, honey, you don't remember?" she continued. "You were having the time of your life with Mr. Handsome."

My heart almost stood still. Mr. Handsome? Tobias? I tried to recall what happened that night, but all was a little blurry in my mind."Tobias," I again murmured, my voice barely audible. "Yeah, the two of you were just inseparable. You kept laughing and talking all night. He seemed pretty interested in you."I flushed warm.

Tobias had seemed nice enough, but I hadn't expected to connect with him that fast. Possibly it was his over-solicitation toward me that was flattering, to say the least."Really?" I asked, trying to make it sound casual."Yeah, really. You two had amazing chemistry. I've never seen you like that before."I smiled, though my head felt like a pinball machine. Maybe Tobias did have some good in him after all. "Well, I guess I owe him a thank you for a great night then," I said airily.

"Definitely," confirmed Ashley. "But for now, try and feel a bit better. I'm going to bring you some soup and a movie later."

"You're the best, Ash," I said gratefully. We chatted for a few more minutes before I hung up. I lay back on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something special had happened last night. And I was determined to find out what it was.