Perception

VI

She must have fallen back to sleep, but the second she opened her eyes again she wished she hadn't.
She really, really wished she hadn't.
¨Paracetamol.¨ she groaned, raising her hands to her temples, trying to alleviate some of the splitting headache.
She heard Sarah stirring in her bed, and then she heard her feet padding over the floor.
¨That bad, huh? You didn't drink that much, did you?¨
Anna groaned again. ¨No. It's not the alcohol, it's that stupid dream I had.¨
Thirty seconds later Sarah appeared with tablets and a glass of water.
¨Here, drink this. Are you going to college today?¨
¨Yeah, I've got to. Can't miss the second day, can I?¨

Nah. She didn't want to miss the second day of classes, and that was all there was to that.
The small thought of messy dark curls and deep eyes that pushed itself languidly into the back of her head was therefore not welcome either, thank you very much.
She allowed herself a few minutes to lie back with her eyes closed, waiting for the pain killers to kick in, and then she dragged herself off the couch and into her clothes.
¨So, what the hell was all that about, do you reckon?¨ Sarah asked her in usual elegant way, setting down a mug of green tea in front of Anna, placing the pot of honey and a teaspoon next to it.
Anna shook her head slightly. ¨Thanks. I wish I knew. Strangest dream ever.¨
It felt off, calling it a dream, but what else was she going to do? There was nothing about this she could put into words. So she stayed quiet, spooning some honey into her tea and picking up the cup with both hands. She got up and walked to the window while Sarah went to shower, absentmindedly staring out at the pedestrians already milling about down in the street, even if it was still early.
It may not have been New York, here, but it was the closest thing to it that the Netherlands had in terms of never sleeping. 

By the time Sarah had come out of the shower she'd collected herself enough to put on her shoes and follow her friend out to the tram.
¨You okay?¨ Sarah asked her as they installed themselves on the last two available green plastic seats, her eyes kind and concerned.
She nodded. ¨Yeah, I'll be okay. Painkillers have helped some. Oh, by the way, can I look at your notes from yesterday?¨
Sarah's eyes widened and her eyebrows took off for the ceiling.
¨Anything you want to share about why your own notes aren't enough?¨
Anna had to stop herself from childishly sticking out her tongue at her companion.
¨No. Thank you.¨ she said in a clipped tone, earning her one of Sarah's generous, hearty laughs that bounced happily off the tram walls.
¨I'll send them to you as soon as I have internet.¨ Sarah said then, a wink in her voice.

They walked into the building together, and Anna's headache seemed to get worse again the second she was out of the fresh air. She breathed deeply once and rubbed her temple with her cool fingers.
Come on, girl. You've got this.
She'd had headaches before, of course, but somehow this one felt different to them all. Somehow everything felt different, and she wished once again that she could put her finger on why.
They sat down in the third row - their favourite row - again and took out their laptops. Anna tried to keep her eyes forward and her thoughts on the notes that Sarah had just sent her, but somehow she couldn't help herself; she kept glancing to the entrance.
Would he be there?
But all the students had filed in by now and there was very definitely no Eli anywhere. His friend was there, though, the one he'd been talking to the day before. Was... was his name James? She couldn't remember.
She was still wondering whether she'd ask him about Eli when she heard Sarah's voice, calling his name.
¨Hey James, Eli not here today?¨ she asked, her tone so inconspicuous you'd have thought she was the most innocent being in the history of the world.
James looked up and smiled at her.
¨Nah, he texted me this morning. He's got a splitting headache.¨