Home Hunting

Chapter 11: Sick Day

Evelyn's POV:

Despite my best attempts to sleep in, I woke up at 7:30 a.m to light streaming in lightly from under the window. Despite not sleeping for as long as I wanted, it was certainly the best sleep I've had in a very long time.

I rubbed my eyes gently, as the skin around them was irritated from the tear tracks that lingered. I picked up my phone and noticed that I had a missed call from Mika and two unread texts from Jules. I opened the text messages first.

Jules: >> Hey, I heard from Bailey that you're not coming in today. She says you're sick. I also just realized I never got your address. If you want, I can drop off some soup or some chocolate on my way home this afternoon.

>> I might miss you just a little bit (; Feel better.

As much as I wanted to see Jules, I had to find a way to turn her down. I wasn't ready for her to know all ten laundry loads worth of baggage just yet. Because I might miss her just a little bit, too. And I am not about to ruin that before it even starts.

In the meantime, I decided to open up Mika's voicemail.

"Hey Ev, It's Mika. I wanted to call and check how you're doing. Also, I know you're not sick. I saw you walking out with Dr. Montgomery last night. You don't have to tell me what's going on, but just let me know you're okay. Your secret's safe with me. Love you, bye."

...Well, I guess the back hallways have people in them after all.

Honestly, I do feel guilty keeping this from the rest of them: Mika especially. I just know Mika has a bleeding heart and will want to fix it, and so will Jules. Mika lives out of her van, and Jules shares an apartment with Maxine. Neither of them can afford to help me. But I know I can't keep this from Mika much longer, if at all.

I decided to quickly reply to Jules before getting up and heading downstairs.

<< Thanks for checking in (: I think it's just a 24 hour bug, so I don't want to get you sick too. I'll see you soon.

<< I might miss you just a little bit, too <3

I descended downstairs to the smell of fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen. Her house was beautifully decorated with soft, golden lighting. It was so... calm.

"How'd you sleep?" Addison asked as I entered the kitchen.

"Well, thank you," I smiled softly. Addison pushed a cup of coffee towards me as I sat down at the kitchen table. "Thank you."

"It's surprisingly sunny out today. I might go for a walk soon if you'd like to join me."

"That sounds nice," I replied while sipping the warm cup of coffee.

"What's on your mind?" She asked.

"Nothing."

"You're a bad liar," she pressed.

"Fine," I sighed. "Mika saw us walk out last night. She knows I'm not sick."

"I'll go grab you a change of clothes," she said after a pause. "We'll talk about it with some fresh air."

***

I ended up changing back into my clothes from last night, and Addison got me a jacket top put over top. All of her pants were much too long for me.

On our way out of the house, I sent Mika a quick text to let her know I was okay so she wouldn't be worried.

"You were right. It is a nice day," I smiled, relishing in the rare sunshine.