Tolkien University (Modern LOTR AU)

 Chapter 7 ~ Headaches That Come and Go

~Samuel's Point of View~

Song: "Waiting for Love" by Avicii

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I woke up with a raging headache. My eyesight was blurry for a moment and I groaned at the pounding in my right temple. When my vision cleared enough, I turned to find Callie gone.

I sat up, wincing and holding my head as the headache came on even worse.

"Samuel? What are you doing sitting up?" Her voice came into my hearing range, but I couldn't see her clearly.

Hands rested on my shoulders and I was guided back down to where my head now lay on something soft. I moved my hands from my eyes and saw my head was in her lap.

I felt my cheeks begin to go hot and I croaked, "Please tell me you did not sleep there last night."

She rolled her eyes. "No. I slept in the arm chair. You had your head on my sweatshirt." True to her words, I saw it now lay across the back of the couch. 

I rubbed at my eyes, wincing.

"Let me check it out, ok?" She said gently and I moved my hands and her fingers gently undid the strap that held the makeshift pad to my head and pulled it away and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"It looks better than it did last night."

"Yeah, but I feel worse." I muttered.

"The second day with a concussion is always the worst." She replied. "You'll have a scar, unfortunately." She added with a pout.

"Yippee." I muttered sarcastically.

"At least you'll look more intimidating." She said with a wink.

I felt my heart beat a little faster and I said, "Sure. You don't seem to think I'm intimidating at all."

She went quiet, then said, "I've run into quite a few intimidating men before. You aren't one of them." The way she said it made my chest feel too tight. She had been hurt before. I could see it in her eyes. Concern flooded through me, but I pushed it down.

"You haven't seen my intimidating part." I say seriously.

"I saw you last night." She said seriously. "When you faced that creature. It looked scared of you almost."

"Yeah, until it tossed a rock at my head." I say blandly.

"Still. Just accept the compliment." She carefully wrapped my head back up and said, "You should see the nurse. Get you some medicine and ice, then you should rest for the rest of the weekend or it'll get worse."

I stared at her with eyebrows furrowed and just said, "I'm still trying to figure out why you're still here, or why you came to me in the first place. I'm not a good person."

She shrugged and said, "I think I can be the judge of what I think of you myself. I don't need other people to tell me what you are. Because I don't see a monster."

I scoffed. "A valiant effort. But I am slightly incapacitated at the moment with a lovely concussion so I'm tame right now."

"Hm. How about you answer a few questions, then? Then I'll decide if I should walk away or not."

I swallowed hard, heart racing, and merely said, "Ok."

"Why have you been watching me?"

"You're the heir to Tolkien. And you interest me." I replied.