20 Days To Fall In Love

#14 - Moss

Chapter 14 - Moss
published: Thursday, 7 May 2020

When he woke up, the first thing Matthew realised was that he didn't have a headache. It was the first time in, well, a very long time that he'd woken up without some sort of pounding in his head or an ache somewhere.

It was almost disconcerting to be pain-free. In addition, he didn't feel as shitty as he had the day before. When he realised that the drugs were probably almost completely out of his system, Matthew closed his eyes again with a smile.

The second thing Matthew realised was that he was on the floor, a blanket thrown carelessly over him. He opened his eyes again, peering warily at the dorm room. It was probably around 9, judging from the sun outside.

He glanced at the clock. 9.47am. Not bad.

Uno cards were scattered across the wooden boards on his left, along with an open Monopoly board.

That was when Matthew had his third realisation; someone was currently curled up in his side.

A momentary panic that he'd slept with another random girl sent Matthew into alarm. Brown curls, dark skin. Matthew relaxed when he realised it was just Elizabeth.

He jolted up in astonishment - it was Elizabeth!

She let out a groan at the sudden movement, stretching out onto the floor and rubbing her eyes.

Matthew stared down at her in a frozen state as she yawned and her eyelashes fluttered weakly.

"Oh," she murmured. "We fell asleep." The dazed look in her eyes evaporated as she sat up straighter, flushing red. "Oh."

Matthew rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous laugh. "Sorry. I guess we were tired." The last thing he remembered was setting down his Uno cards and falling asleep. They must've shifted together while sleeping.

Both scrambled to their feet with red faces. Matthew averted his gaze, focusing on anything other than what was happening right now.

Ethan was snoring away on his own bed - he must've draped the blanket over them when he got back from the party.

"Do you want something to eat?" Matthew tried to ease the tension, opening the cabinet.

Elizabeth peered over his shoulder disdainfully. "You don't have any food other than cookies."

Matthew winced. "Yeah, um, Ethan and I aren't very nutritious. That's why we order in." His eyes lit up as his gaze caught on the yellow packet in the bottom drawer. "Oh, wait! Pancake mix!"

"It's covered in dust!" Matthew ignored Elizabeth's protests as he pulled it out and checked the label.

He flashed the numbers at her triumphantly. "Expires next week."

Elizabeth sat down on one of the two chairs, eyeing the packet like it was about to jump up and attack her.

Matthew turned back to look at her. "Don't tell me you don't know how to make pancakes," he said incredulously.

Elizabeth crossed her arms. "The last time I tried to cook, the fire alarm went off." He was sure she was joking, but the glint in her stormy eyes told him otherwise.

Matthew sniggered as he pulled out a bowl to mix the readymade powder with warm water. "Does Maya do the cooking then?" He recalled Maya mentioning that Elizabeth wasn't a fan of it.

"Sometimes," Elizabeth acknowledged. "Usually, I buy microwaveable pastas from the store." She brushed a few strands of her hair out of her face and tied it all into a ponytail at the back of her head. Small pieces hung out, rippling with the air-conditioning.