Never Say Goodbye or A Love Story in Hellos

Four.

Nia opens the door after Sasha´s first knock. Her hair is tousled and her eyes are swollen. “Hi,” she greets. Her voice sounds rough and deeper than normal. The flu has forced her to stay in bed for a couple of days and she probably should still be in there but this project cannot wait any longer.

Nia looks tired, drained. Sasha frowns. She does not think this is a particularly good idea. “Are you sure you are well enough to do this today? I really can do the beginning on my own.” Sasha is reluctant to enter. She does not want to bother Nia when she is so clearly unwell. Nia does not take that happily. “Don´t be ridiculous,” she counters. “Come in and let´s get this over with. I´ll let you cook me soup later if it makes you feel better.”

Her smile is weak but she drags Sasha into her flat with a surprisingly strong grip. Sasha chuckles lightly and proceeds to take off her shoes. She places them next to Nia´s green chucks that stand in the doorway and hangs up her coat.

Nia tells her to take a seat in the living room while she disappears in the kitchen. Sasha does as told and drops on Nia´s couch. It is old and worn and endlessly comfortable.

Seconds later Nia appears in the room with a steaming cup of tea in one hand and a pack of tissues in the other. She sits down next to Sasha and shoves her roommate´s magazines out of the way before she places her tea on the couch table.

“All right” she starts with a sigh “So the due date is in three weeks, right?” She waits until Sasha nods. “That should give us enough time. It´s just the paper and the power point anyway. So. What did you do in class on Monday? Besides mourn my absence of course.”

Her cheeky grin is back.

Sasha falls into the teasing easily. “Well- the prof explained the guidelines again. That´s the sheet I sent you.” She gestures to her phone on the table. “And then he proceeded to talk about how our generation will never amount to anything. As if we didn’t know that. Really motivating.” She rolls her eyes. Nia starts laughing but soon her laughter breaks into a wet cough.

It takes minutes before she can talk again and her voice is even rougher after. “No laughing today. Only science talk,” but she is grinning as she says it. Sasha nods dutifully and opens her notebook.

“Alright.” She reads their assigned topic again. It is very confusing. “So – maybe google can help?” With a weak groan, Nia drops her head onto Sasha´s shoulder. “Why are we like this?” she complains.

And then she starts giggling.

“Excuse you,” Sasha counters in mock offence “we´re perfectly knowledgeable and capable people. Just maybe less when it´s about – goddamn Lichtenstein´s economic growth in the 1920s.”

She places an arm around Nia´s shoulders in comfort and rubs her neck. The curls on the nape of her neck are sweaty from her fever. She smells of sweat and the cough medicine she has been taking. It is a weirdly comforting smell.

Nia coughs again, weakly. Her skin is searing.

Sasha decides to intervene. “No. No working on that stupid project today. You´re sick. And you said it yourself, we have enough time. I´m making soup now and you´re going to sleep.” With those words she gently lifts Nia´s head from her shoulder and leans her carefully back against the cushions.

Nia half-heartedly mumbles something in protest but shuts up immediately when Sasha drapes her comforter over her and tucks her in.  By the time Sasha gets up from the couch she is already asleep.

In the tiny kitchen, she takes out the groceries, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Luckily they have cooked enough times together in here for Sasha to know which drawers jam. Once she has checked that Nia is still fast asleep and not too hot, she proceeds to make the best soup she has ever made. It has to serve a purpose after all.