Dancing with the Boys (Harry Styles Love Story)

Chapter 16: Worse and Worst

A week passed, and I still felt weak. No pun intended. I didn’t even think I was getting better, only worse.

The next morning, I woke up feeling light-headed. I groaned and rubbed my eyes, then went towards the bathroom. I quickly took a cold shower, hoping it would clear my head. When I was finished, I felt somewhat better. I sat at my dressing table and sighed at my reflection. My phone began ringing and I picked it up. I didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello?”

“Lilah! It’s Madison, I’ve been trying to call you for ages,” she cried into the phone breathlessly.

I picked up my wristwatch from the table and glanced at it. “It’s nine in the morning.”

“Still, it’s important.”

“What? And you’re in the Bahamas and you’re calling me…?”

“Overseas call. But that’s not the point! See, I was up all night researching what was happening to you. And I think I may have found some solutions,” she said excitedly.

“Yeah? Like what?” I asked, interested. I put my phone on speaker and set it down on my dresser. I took up my brush and began to untangle the mess that was my hair.

“Well, the sites I checked said something about drinking fruit smoothies or any fruit juices which contained fruits that were not good. You know, like they were spoilt or rotting or something.”

I gave my phone a wry look. “Yeah, I would get sick from drinking a fruit juice, right?” I asked.

“I know. I doubted you even knew they existed, but I had to try.”

“What else?”

“There was something about eating anything that you may have had an allergic reaction to. I looked up allergic reactions, and they’re pretty weird. The usual is hives or swelling, but there could be all kinds of reactions! So, are you allergic to anything?” she asked.

“Nope, nothing,” I said, shaking my head even though she couldn’t see me.

Madison gave a defeated sigh. “Well, I’ll keep checking,” she said determinedly.

I smiled to myself. “No, you have fun. Don’t worry about me, and don’t let the other girls either. The doctors can handle the research. But thanks Madison, it’s really nice of you,” I said, grateful.

“No prob. Well, I think I probably owe those telephone people thousands now. Talk to you later.” She hung up.

I finished brushing out my hair and left it down. I got up slowly, clutching the side of my desk. I walked towards the door in short, careful steps and opened it. I made my way down to the kitchen and heard noises coming from it, meaning that Harry was there. I took a deep breath, let go of the side of the wall and walked in confidently. I didn’t want anyone to know I was having trouble staying vertical.

It was bad enough with the vegetables.

Harry stood with his back to me, stirring something in a pan. I shuffled in the kitchen and sat, placing my hands on the counter, breathing deeply. Harry left the pan, poured a glass of orange juice and set it down in front of me. “Drink that,” he instructed. I sighed and began sipping the liquid.

I began thinking that having someone take care of me wasn’t that bad. Having someone who cooked for you, made sure you ate healthy, made sure you went to sleep on time…

I drank my juice thoughtfully, wondering if this is what having a mother was like.

“Lilah!” Harry cried.