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Believe it or not, today was supposed to be a good day.
The first thing to hit you when you woke up was a wave of nausea; then came the pounding headache, the aching of your muscles, and the urge to throw yourself off a cliff. Your stomach twisted and knotted in ungodly ways, which immediately pulled your aching limbs back into bed. You groaned, seeking comfort in curling against the havoc of blankets.
You took a moment to recover from the nausea, pinching the bridge of your nose. When you tried moving again, your limbs felt like they were on fire and your head felt like it might fall off your shoulders. Fine; you really were sick.
To be fair, you hadn’t felt this way in a while; you barely got sick, so it felt unfair to complain. And as much as you tried to peel yourself out of bed, your body ached when you tried to move. The thought of pushing through a day of classes or potentially getting others sick didn't help, either. You ran out of medicine from the last time you got sick, and you would've asked your dormmate and best friend, Reneé, to go get some for you, but just your luck; she left for class early this morning.
You stayed curled up in bed for a while. You knew you needed to check your temperature, take medicine, all of that good shit—but it was hard not to get demotivated by the cruelty of having to activate over 200 muscles just to get out of bed. Eventually, you managed to grab your phone and clamber out of bed, despite tripping over god knows what, and stumbled to the kitchen.
You fumbled with the thermometer for a good six seconds, then your eyes widened when your temperature read 102.7°. Where the fuck did the fever come from? Did it literally pop up overnight? Whatever, you’d just have to do what you could to break it.
Shuffling through the cabinet, you realized that it hadn’t been restocked since the last time you were sick; this had to be the devil’s timing. To no one's surprise, it wasn't long before Reneé started blowing up your phone.
nae
baby, where are you? you haven't shown up to class. is everything okay?
n/n
i'm fine, i think i'm js sick is all
nae
did u take any meds?
n/n
we’re out lmao
nae
omw.
You threw your phone on the counter and put your face in your hands. You would’ve told Reneé that it was fine, especially since you didn’t know if you were contagious, but your head throbbed like it was going to burst, and your stomach felt like it was being clawed from the inside—not to mention that Reneé was the most stubborn and determined person on Earth. Plus, the comfort of your best friend would help. It always did.
Begrudgingly, you gathered the motivation to walk back to your room and flop down on the mattress, burying your face in your pillow.
It didn’t take long for Reneé to get back to the dorm; she snagged some Tylenol and Ibuprofen from the CVS down the street and quickly let herself in. She refused to take any chances when it came to you.
“N/N?” She called out, walking around the suite. When she didn’t hear a response, she went to your room, which explained everything pretty well. You’d fallen asleep in a span of five minutes. She swore you could fall asleep within seconds.
Reneé sat on the edge of your bed and gently shook you awake. You lifted your head and sighed, cracking a smile when you realized she was there. “Hey, baby,” Reneé hummed as she looked down at you. “How are you feeling?”
“Hey, Nae. I feel shitty,” You giggled. You sat up and rubbed your eyes, clutching your stomach as it twisted. “I feel like the devil is tossing a salad in my stomach, and my brain feels like it’s literally on fire. That’s so cute, right?” You scoffed playfully. Reneé chuckled and rolled her eyes as she brought a hand to your forehead. You felt your heart flutter but pushed the feeling down and focused on getting better. She was just checking on you, that was it—and from the look on Reneé’s face, you didn’t need a thermometer to know you were burning up.
The blonde opened the Ibuprofen and handed you a few pills, along with the bottle of water on your dresser.
“What was your temp?” Reneé asked, concern etched on her face. You downed the pills before answering. “102.7 or some shit,” You sighed. Her brows raised in alarm. “Okay … did you eat?” You shook your head. “No, I don’t want to get sick.”
Reneé asked a few more questions, most of your answers being no because, well, you were sick. She went to the kitchen shuffled through the pantry to make chicken noodle soup for you. At first, you dreaded the idea of eating in fear of throwing up, but you did it anyway; it was amazing, to say the least.
“That’s why we listen to me,” Reneé teased.
You weren’t surprised when Reneé told you she was staying. Honestly, you appreciated it. You loved how caring and protective she was toward you, how she’d give up everything to be by your side. Just being with Reneé made you feel better, even if you physically felt like you’d been hit by a bus twelve times over.
The two of you curled up in bed and picked a random movie to watch together—Jennifer’s Body, to be exact.
Her warmth was the most comforting thing. You snuggled against her, resting your head on her shoulder and tangling your legs together. The contact made your brain feel fuzzy, but in a good way … in a soft, relieving way. You weren’t sure you’d ever loved anyone like you loved Reneé.
“Jennifer is so hot,” You murmured with a giggle, plenty loud enough for Reneé to hear. She quirked her brow gripped your chin, tilting her head down at you. “Oh, is she?” She hummed teasingly. You held eye contact for a few seconds that felt like centuries; her emerald green eyes, filled with flecks of olive and gray, were beyond mesmerizing. Like a dozen galaxies packed into one beautiful universe.
Your heart thudded at an ungodly speed before you responded. “Fine, I’m sorry,” You scoffed, leaning against her. Reneé smirked and chuckled smugly, releasing your chin to pat your head. “That's what I thought, baby,” She teased, biting her lip as she turned back to the screen.
It took everything in you to pretend like that didn’t make your stomach flutter. It was all friendly, and you knew that. You just loved and appreciated Reneé, really; that was all.
It didn’t take long for you to fall asleep—though Reneé was surprised you lasted as long as you did. She looked down at you, a soft smile curling her lips. You looked so peaceful, so content; she’d kiss you if you weren’t sick.
The feel of your warmth against hers and the way you buried your head in her neck made her own eyes heavy. Reneé tightened her grip around your waist, rested her chin on your head, and let the movie blur into the background. She'd never been happier to have you in her life, and she was glad she could help. She hated when you weren't happy and felt like this.
In a few minutes, she was asleep against you, breathing soft as snow while her chest rose and fell. You both wished you could stay like this forever, tangled in each other's limbs and warmth.
You were convinced being sick had never felt so good.