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An ache had settled just below your spine.
It was all encompassing, as if it were trying to reach around you. The iPod you once clutched onto as a form of distraction now lay on the floor, along with your cheap tangled earbuds you had replaced about four times now. You had knocked it down earlier, probably when you had managed to drift off for more than a few seconds. Pain rippled through your lower back, its suddenness causing you to whimper.
It was Friday night, yet you were anchored to your bed like a frail, Victorian child. You glanced over at your bedside table, to find your movie ticket still patiently sitting there. It was for a special throwback screening of Evil Dead II, which premiered at the local theater downtown over an hour ago. By lunch tomorrow, your friends will be itching to talk about it, and you’ll have to sit there, and hear them drone on and on, and act like it didn’t sting just a little bit.
“Fuck this,” you muttered, cringing as another surge of pain coursed through your abdomen. You clenched onto the sheet, as a slight tremor ran down your body. A faint sob broke through your lips, as the heavy ache seemed to sink deeper the longer it carried on. You curled forward, hoping it would stall the pain enough for you to take a breath.
After a long, tormenting minute, the cramps eventually subsided to a dull throb. You sniffled, and drew a shaky breath, pushing down the queasy feeling of your stomach threatening to crawl up your throat.
A gentle knock came from your window, startling you out of the position you had been in for the past half hour. You groaned, propping yourself up on your elbow as you peered out the window. Through the dark, invasive shadows of the night, you could make out a bright, familiar face grinning at you.
Illi shook a plastic bag in her hand and hurriedly motioned for you to unlock the window. You sluggishly crawled out of bed and dragged your body over to her. As soon as your finger lazily flipped the hatch, she dug her fingers beneath the window and pushed it up. You stepped back, watching as you clumsily climbed over the windowsill, nearly stumbling into your room.
“You think after a dozen times you would be a natural at this,” you teased, reaching out to steady her.
“You’re not the one who has to crawl up a drainpipe every time,” she said, turning to shut the window. She whipped around to face you, her infectious, gummy smile warming the pit of your stomach. A few loose, black strands of hair framed her soft face. You reached forward, your fingertips brushing against her cold cheek as you pushed the strands of hair behind her ear.
“What brings you here so late, anyway?” you asked, letting your hand travel down her arm. Illi cleared her throat, struggling to fight against the crimson heat rising to her face.
“Well…uh,” she stammered, before lifting the bag. “You mentioned you weren’t feeling great earlier.”
You softly smiled. “You didn’t have to do all that.”
“You’re my girlfriend,” she stated. “Am I supposed to let you suffer in peace, or something?”
“No, but you should have given me some time to prepare.” You glanced down at your current outfit, which was a baggy pair of shorts, and a wrinkled T-shirt with a tea stain on the front. You felt your face heat up, as you immediately began to fiddle with the edges of your shirt.
“I look like a mess.”
Illi’s gaze was affectionate, as she scanned you up and down. “I’ll admit, it’s a cute look.”
You rolled your eyes, prepared to reply when a sharp pain as sudden as lightning shot through you. Illi immediately reached for your arm, as you gritted your teeth and hunched forward.
“Shit,” you hissed, gathering in a sharp breath. “I’m sorry, I was hoping the Tylenol would have kicked in already.”
“Don’t apologize,” she said, frowning at you. “It’s not like you can help it. Come on.”
Her hand found yours, as she interlaced your fingers and carefully brought you back over to your bed. You crawled back onto the mattress, finding the familiar spot you were in before Illi had arrived. Within a few seconds the pain quelled, leaving your body exhausted and limp.
“Fuck god,” you muttered, staring up at the ceiling. Illi chuckled, her palm coming to rest on your upper thigh. Her fingertips tickled, as she absentmindedly drew shapes against your skin. The sensation lulled your body, allowing you to sink further into the mattress. You blinked, fighting against the urge to doze off and instead glanced over at the bag now resting her hip.
“Are you going to show me what you brought, or leave it a mystery?” you asked, gesturing over to it.
Illi smiled and dumped the confines of the bag onto your bed. Revealing various candy bars, and convenience store brand snacks. A VHS fell on top of it all, no doubt crushing the rolls of smarties randomly littered throughout.
Illi plucked it from the pile, presenting it to you. “I know you were looking forward to see that movie today, so I figured we could watch it here instead.” She blushed as she spoke, glancing away from you as you took the tape from her.
On the front cover was a skull, with warm brown eyes looking at the viewer. Below the image, in red lettering, was the title Evil Dead II. You looked up at Illi, to find her eyes still avoiding yours. An overwhelming surge of affection swelled inside you, squeezing at your tender heart. You sat up abruptly, tossing the tape onto the bed as you hooked your fingers onto Illi’s jacket. Her eyes widened as you drew her closer.
“Come here,” you barely muttered out, before your lips collided. Illi sighed into the kiss, her shaky hands grasping at the back of your shirt. You could faintly taste the bitter pallet of her last cigarette on her warm tongue, mingling with the sickly-sweet coating of her sheer cherry ChapStick. Her hands slowly wandered, as she took her time carefully dragging her fingertips to rest on your hips. She lovingly squeezed your hips, coaxing you closer. Your heart thudded rapidly in your chest, as the taste of her clouded your mind.
You reluctantly detached yourself from her, your eyes sweeping over the sheen of ChapStick now coating the outer edges of her mouth. Her wide eyes drank in the sight of your panting form. You softly smiled and pulled her down to rest on the bed with you, leaning into her side as she draped her arm over you.
Your lips grazed the surface of her cheek, before pressing a chaste kiss.
“Thank you,” you whispered, moving to rest your head in the crook of her neck. You could feel the imprint of her gummy smile pressing against your forehead.
Perhaps spending your Friday night at home wasn’t such a waste after all.