✓ Forget Me Not (Short Story)

Chapter Four

The next day I feel as if I've been hit by a truck. Or a really bad hangover.

I laugh when I see Felix, though.

"Shut up, you twit. I'm a bloody lobster."

She isn't wrong. Head to toe she is a deep red that will no doubt peel badly in a few days.

"Did you wear sunblock?"

She avoids my gaze, staring down at her bare feet. "No, not really. We had tents and stuff. I thought I'd be okay."

I shake my head at her. She's so pale. How did she think that it would be okay?

"Do you want to go run to Doc's?" she asks me.

"Doc's?"

"Yeah. It's a cute little doughnut shop that is only open on Saturdays before noon. It's ran by the cutest little old guy." She's already halfway out the front door by the time she finishes the sentence. I sigh, following her reluctantly in my plaid pajama bottoms and grey tee. At least she was dressed.

She orders a dozen, handing me the large box for the walk back.

"My aunt is going to act like I came back pregnant. Ignore her."

"Okay?" I question.

"Any unsupervised interaction between a male and a female equals baby, according to her. It's quite hilarious, actually. Like I said, I'm a little nun."

"So you haven't done anything?" I ask.

"No, of course not."

I scratch the back of my neck awkwardly. "Sorry, none of my business, I guess."

"Yeah, it's really not," she huffs, walking ahead of me in anger.

You always blow things, Caleb, my brain tells me.

Then I laugh outwardly because it sounds perverted.

I now see why Felicity gets annoyed by me.

·

"So I got a romantic comedy and a comedy comedy movie," her cousin says, holding up two redbox movies.

"Oh joy," Felix says. "A rom-com."

"Oh shut up. I like them," Rachelle shushes her.

Felix grumbles, sitting next to me on the sectional couch. She sits atop her legs, so that she's almost sitting Indian style. The movie begins to play, but I can't pay attention with her so close. After the conversation earlier, I couldn't help but be even more attracted to her.

Then it's all over once she leans her head against my shoulder. I slowly put an arm around her back in a comforting gesture. Soon, she's snoring.

By the time the first movie is over, nobody is awake enough to view the second. I carry Felix into the spare bedroom, tucking her into the green comforter. My wrist is caught by her hand when I attempt to leave.

"Please don't leave me, Caleb."

"But your aunt-"

She presses a finger to her lip and lets out a dramatic shushing sound. Then she pulls back the comforter, inviting me in. Since I'm a fairly weak male, I climb in.

"You smell good."

"Yeah, well I shower everyday."

"You didn't shower yesterday."

I cough on my own laughter. "Okay then, Patricia. Go to sleep."

I feel a sharp jab to my nose, pressing the cartilage right into my brain it feels like.

"Hey, you need to go and pee or something. There are some unnatural things happening down there."

Embarrassed, I jump up from the bed. "I'll be right back."

I relieve myself and come back to find her gone. Well, I guess that's over.

She's in the kitchen when I come in, her back to me. Then I hear the retching.

I run to her, holding back her hair. I look away every time her stomach empties into the trashcan.

Finally, she seems finished.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

"Never better," she replies, smiling at me, chipper as ever.

"You're not pregnant are you?"

She makes a face. "Of course not. That would be biologically impossible. Biblical possible, though." She heads to the couch, stretching out on it. "I'm going to rest a bit, at least until my stomach settles. It was probably just something that I ate."

I don't believe her. "Okay." I don't argue with her; instead, I go into the kitchen and make myself a bowl of cereal. I can't help but glance at her every now and then. What is wrong with her truly? Why did she invite me on this trip? What is she hiding?