He hadn’t been in a dorm building since his freshmen year. He forgot how busy and loud it was. Heavy metal music pumped from a bedroom as an RA banged on the door. Posters about a movie night and other events upcoming littered the walls. As he emerged on Cami’s floor, a flock of girls left the communal bathroom and froze in their towels and robes. They squealed, fleeing in different directions as he shook his head. He found Cami’s door with her name tag on it. He knocked. No response.
Exhaling, he knocked again, harder. “Cami?”
Putting more force into his knocks, he didn’t let up, banging and calling her name. The door finally opened, and Cami peeked out wrapped in a blanket.
“Why are you banging on my door like the police?”
Her voice was deep and raspy and half her braids were up, and the other half was unraveled She touched her hair when she saw him staring. “I was taking down my braids and fell asleep.”
He quelled the pounding of his heart; she was standing in front of him. “Really?”
“Maya, my brother’s fiancée, is going to redo them for me this weekend.”
Her nose was red, and her eyes were low. She looked like hell. The thick, woolen cow-print pajamas she wore made him smile until she shivered and sneezed.
“I didn’t hear from you today.”
Cami’s eyes widened. “So, you came to find me?”
He bit his bottom lip and nodded. Though he knew it was better to keep his distance, he kept coming back. It was maddening for him.
“You need some help? I don’t mind staying.” He started forward, and she placed a hand on his chest.
“No. I’m gross and I don’t wanna get you sick.”
Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her to him. She squealed, and he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Wrapping his arms around her, she indeed felt warm. He felt his anxiousness dissipate.
“I don’t care if you’re gross. I can and want to help you with your hair. Remember, I have sisters. I’ve taken braids down hundreds of times.”
With that, he stepped inside. He should have known. The place was girlie and feminine. Stuffed animals filled up most of the bed. Posters were on the wall of anime characters, photos of her family and friends, and string lights hanging like a waterfall. There was a pile of used tissues on the floor, spilling out of the garbage can near the bed, and she grumbled as she staggered past him.
“I feel awful.”
He sat his backpack by her desk. She eased slowly onto her bed, wincing before wrapping herself in the blankets in a tight ball. He placed a hand on her forehead, then neck, his fingers brushing over the hickey he left.
“You’re burnin’ up.”
Cami hummed and closed her eyes. He urged her onto her back as he sat on the edge of the bed. Cupping her chin, she stared back at him through low lids and smiled.
“Did you take some medicine?”
“Ran out.”
“You eat somethin’?”
“Dry Cheerios.”
He sighed. If his mama knew she was living like this, she would have fallen out.
“Probably got sick from the temperature drop.”
He stood and shrugged off his jacket. He wasn’t going to leave her here with dry Cheerios and no medicine. “Uh uh, I can’t have you livin’ like this.”
On top of the dirty tissues, her room was messy, and the clean freak in him was spazzing out. He picked up her discarded tissues and placed them into the trash before taking it out. He cleaned off her desk, stacking her books and notebooks in a pile, lined up her shoes, and hung up her jacket. The beach bag was still packed by the door and filled with sand. He found a stack of clean hand towels. Taking one, he went to the bathroom with the beach bag. Dumping out the sand, he placed the towel in the sink and ran cold water over it.
Back in her room, he placed it on her forehead, propping her up on the pillows.
“This should cool you off.”
She let out a sigh of relief at the feel of the cold rag before closing her eyes. Making sure she was comfortable, he spotted her ID card on the desk. He took it to get back inside the building, and not wanting to leave her alone for too long, he ran to the local drugstore. Taking care of her wasn’t in the fake dating job description, but that didn’t matter. He was simply helping a friend in need. Right?
