Time To Waste

Chapter 17: Mindfuck

A/N: This chapter will revisit some earlier themes that caused this story to be rated MATURE. It might be upsetting or triggering for some, so please take this as a fair warning.

It was hardly unheard of for Chris' bandmates to drop by the apartment, especially when the band was prepping for a tour and making myriad plans surrounding such. So, when Jenna answered the door and found Ryan standing on their doorstep, she stepped back to allow him inside and smiled sweetly. "Chris isn't here right now." She shut the door behind him and shrugged. "He said he had to get some shit done and that he'd be home later. You can hang out or I can have him call you when he gets back in?"

Ryan followed her toward the small kitchen, taking an empty bar stool at the counter and shrugging. "It's cool, I can wait around. That is, if you don't mind?" Because the truth was that he didn't really want or need to see the vocalist, instead, he wanted to spend some time with this woman right here. Now that he no longer gave a fuck about showing loyalty to his buddy, he had a few things to tell her; a few things that he thought she'd want to hear.

Jenna sweetly served him a glass of home-brewed iced tea, and then gestured toward their living room. "I'm really sorry, Ryan, but I'm not feeling a hundred percent today," she frowned. Admittedly, she looked a little green right now. "I hope you won't be offended if I go up to my room for a while. Please, make yourself at home!"

"Are you alright?" he asked her sincerely.

She nodded her head slowly. "I've just been a little under the weather for the past few days. I was lying in bed reading when you rang the doorbell, and I think it'd be best if I went back to bed now. Please don't be offended, okay? I just feel a little puke-y, is all."

He chuckled at this. "No, totally. Go rest and feel better. It's still cool if I hang out?"

She waved toward the living room again. "Totally. You know how to work the TV. Don't steal the silverware," she joked lamely and shuddered at her own stupidity.

He had the grace to laugh at this. "Your valuables are safe with me!"

At this, she disappeared up the stairs to the second floor, heading quickly toward the bedroom and tossing herself onto the bed. She had been feeling a little gross lately, yes, and right now she just wanted to lie on her back with a pillow over her face, trying to drown out the world. Or, well, no, in truth she wanted to do anything but, however, her body was demanding a break. 

Quickly, she tugged her favorite fluffy pillow over her face and inhaled deeply of its scent. It was a mix of her vanilla-scented shampoo and Chris' natural, fully masculine and woodsy scent. She inhaled deeply a second time and let out a slow, quiet little moan. Fuck. It smelled like home to her, and just the familiarity of the blended smells comforted her and her nausea somehow.

As she pondered the warmth of all things familiar, all things Christopher, she must have fallen asleep. When she awoke, she heard the TV downstairs and turned toward the alarm clock at her bedside. It was now 2 o'clock and that meant that either her man was home from his errands or Ryan was still waiting. She rolled back toward her side of their bed and inhaled deeply, realizing that her headache was gone and so was her funky stomachache. To this, she sighed in delight.