Frightful Reunion

Ch5

A soft finger trails along your cheek, tucking the stray hairs behind your ear and bringing you out of your deep sleep.

It takes a moment for you to come to your senses. The room is dark, the windows blocked with blackout curtains, and the only light source coming from the open door to the hallway. Blinking your eyes a few times in attempts to adjust, you begin to shift slightly.

Jerry sits beside you, smiling softly. "Hey sleepy head."

You move to sit up but feel an immediate surge of pain through your entire head and the crook of your neck, causing you to double over.

Jerry pulls the hair back away from your face, but you can't understand what he's saying. The ringing in your ears drowns out his words and blurs your vision where you can barely make out when he rushes out of the room.

He comes back seconds later, pressing a glass into your hand and sitting beside you, cradling you gently to ensure you are able to bring the glass to your lips. The liquid is thick, reminding you of v8 juice, but with a strange aftertaste. After a few sips, the pain slowly begins to subside, and your senses return.

Able to sit up on your own, you shift out from under the blankets, hanging your legs off the edge of the bed. Seeming to still be concerned, Jerry silently massages the back of your neck with one of his hands, then taps the bottom of the glass with the other, indicating for you to finish drinking.

After emptying the glass, you feel much better. Amazing actually... maybe even the best you've ever felt. A surge of strange energy passes through you, making you take deep breaths in a conscious effort just to stay sitting still.

The feeling passes, and you glance up into Jerry's eyes, his brows knitted in patient waiting. "What was in that?"

His expression breaks into immediate relief. "Just something I mixed up. Are you alright?"

Taking another deep breath, you manage a small smile and nod. "I'm not sure why this keeps happening." Finally able to glance around the room, you realize you don't recognize anything. "Did I fall asleep at your house?"

Tilting his head again, he wraps an arm around your waist, ensuring you're steady enough to stand before letting you go. "Losing time again?"

With a sigh, you follow him out into the hallway. "Yeah, I'm not sure what's going on."

"Well." He drags a finger gently along your jaw, tilting your head to the side. "At least your neck is getting better."

Apparently noticing the blush in your cheeks, he smirks, and gives you a quick wink before leading you downstairs to the kitchen. He grabs the glass from you, refilling it from a pitcher out of the fridge, and then hands it back to you.

Without question, you begin sipping it. Cocking your head to the side, you take another sip, slower, curiously trying to identify the strange extra flavor. Although, you do have to admit that it was growing on you. Whatever the strange, twangy, extra ingredient was, it made you feel great.

"You know..." You throw a coy grin his direction. "I feel a bit at a disadvantage."

Chuckling, he quirks a brow and moves to stand before you, seeming to tentatively watch every sip you take. "And why is that?"

"Well," You take another sip, and then offer him the glass, which he obliges in taking a sip from before returning it to you; his immediate acceptance making you feel oddly comforted, especially with your lack of knowledge on the mystery v8 concoction. "You seem to remember our little make out sessions, but I can't."