Between The Lines [Janet & Aja]

35

Janet
October 7th

As we got in the car, I noticed that Aja was paler than I first thought. She was a shade lighter and cold to the touch. She never spoke above a mumble and was so irritated it was ridiculous. She had been sitting in that cave for days in nothing but a t-shirt and tights. It was obvious she had hypothermia.

I started my car and turned the heat all the way up for her. She curled up into the seat and laid her head on the door as her eyes closed. She shivered some and I reached in my backseat, grabbed another coat and draped it over her body. "Thanks."

"It's not a problem." I replied just as softly as she had spoken.

Putting the car in gear, I drove towards my house as I went deep into thought. Amirah's passing had shocked the world, including me. She had told me months, not days. For the time that I couldn't find Aja, I had expected the worst. I just knew that I had failed on the promise I had given Amirah. That alone had me in haywire, but I wasn't alone. Everyone had swept New York and LA looking for Aja.

The cave was the last place we had on the list and it was nothing but God that she was there. Still, she was in bad shape. Three days included three days without food or water. Three days without heat or proper rest.

I knew that the last thing she needed to do was get on social media or watch a television because it was on every source of news there was. That and the fact that she hadn't made a comment. Some people were cruel and thought that Aja should have made a statement right when it happened but nobody equated the fact that Aja was broken into pieces.

When I pulled into my driveway, Aja was fast asleep. I shook her slightly and she lifted her head. When she saw where we were, she asked softly. "Why'd you bring me here?"

"I had a feeling you didn't want to be around people right now. Come on, you can crash here for as long as you want to. Hide out for as long as you need to. As long as you don't want to face the world, you can stay here. Cool?"

She nodded softly. "Cool."

We got out the car and I entered my house after typing in the code on the lock. She followed behind me slowly. It seemed as if she wasn't even walking in a way. When she got inside, I closed the door behind her and spoke. "So, I'll go start the water so you can bath and then make you some soup."

"I'm not hungry." She mumbled.

"Well, you need to eat Aja."

Aja sighed as she nodded. "Ok."

"Your clothes should still be in the dressers."

Even though I said should be, I knew that they were. The clothes that she did leave here, I never had to heart to take out or give back to her.

"Ok. I can run my own water. Thanks." She mumbled as she started up the steps slowly. I watched her until she had made it past my line of sight. Soon I heard the shower water turn on.

Walking into the kitchen, I went into my pantry and grabbed the can of soup. I reached up and pulled a pot off the rack as I turned on my stove and sat it on the burner. Next, I poured the soup inside of the pot before turning away from the stove and towards my island. I leaned on it and grabbed my phone to text.

Making a groupchat, I made sure to let everyone know that I had Aja and that she was a little shook up but was going to be okay. I sat my phone back down as I turned to see if the soup was done. My burners heated way too quickly. The soup was cooked completely and I poured it in a bowl after turning my burner off.

I pulled a tray out, placed the bowl on it accompanied by a spoon and some napkins. Going up the stairs with it, I went to the guest room and frowned when I didn't see any sight of Aja. I traveled to my other bedrooms and came up empty. Finally, I opened my bedroom door and saw that she was in my bed curled up, asleep. I felt bad for waking her, but I had to.

Sitting the soup on my night stand, I crawled in the bed and shook Aja slightly. She stirred easily and sat up as she rubbed her eyes. I noticed that she didn't put on her night clothes but instead on of my baggy shirts. "I- Sorry I'm in your bed, I just didn't want to sleep alone tonight."

Nodding, I shook it off. "You're fine Aja, here."

When I picked up the soup she groaned. "Janet, you seriously made me soup?"

"Yes and you need to eat it. You haven't eaten nor slept nor been warm in days. Eat a little bit for me and then I'll leave you be."

She made a face and didn't make a effort to eat any. I picked up the spoon with some soup on it and moved it towards her mouth. Aja sent me a look and I sent her one right back. She broke first. "Can I get some real food tomorrow?"

"Sure, if you eat this now."

"Uh, fine. Only a little bit though."

"Thank you."

Finally, she opened her mouth and allowed me to feed her. Her face turned up, probably at its blandness. She allowed me to feed her some a few more times and when three fourths of it was gone, she laid back down. "I'm not eating anymore, Janet. You said only a little bit."

"Okay. Okay. That's fair." I stuck to my word and took the soup downstairs. When I came back up, I saw that Aja was simply staring at the ceiling.

I grabbed clothes and got into the shower, getting out rather quickly because I wanted to make sure Aja was okay. I threw on my clothes and made my way back into my bedroom just to see that she was looking at me. "Mind playing in my hair so I can go back to sleep?"

Shaking my head, I turned the lamp off before getting into the bed on my side and pulling her into me as I began to play in her hair. She nuzzled closer into me and soon I felt one of her arms drape across my side. I allowed my eyes to close and as I drifted off to sleep, but right before I could go to sleep I could have sworn I heard a voice whisper.

"Thank you."