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I reply in the affirmative, and a moment later I’m swiping open her call.
“What’s up?” I answer.
“Do you mind checking in on Olivia?” she asks.
Concern nips at me. “What’s wrong with her?”
“She started coming down with a cold last night. She woke up sick this morning. I wanted to stay home to take care of her, but she wouldn’t hear of me missing the concert. I told her to take a sick day and text me throughout the day so I know she’s alright, but she hasn’t responded to my last couple messages.”
I’m already pushing my feet into the shoes that I just toed off. “I’ll head over now. Is your door locked?”
“Yeah, but if Olivia doesn’t answer, there’s a lock box with a spare key on the door.” She gives me the code, and I promise to call her back in a couple minutes with an update.
My shoulders are tight and heavy as I drive the couple blocks to her house. My hands grip impatiently around the steering wheel at the two red lights I have to sit at on the way, as I fight the urge to just roll through.
I run up her walkway when I finally get there. I press the doorbell firmly and wait for an answer.
Nothing.
I press it again. After again getting no answer, I knock hard on the door and call out to Olivia.
When I still don’t hear any footsteps padding to the door from inside, I use the code Summer texted me to open their key box and let myself in.
Olivia’s lying on the couch. One arm straight by her side, the other bent over her stomach. Hair feathered across her face. Chest slowly rising and falling.
My heart clenches at how damn beautiful she looks, but it clenches even harder with worry. She must be out cold to be this close to the door and still sleep through my rings and knocks.
I press the back of my hand to her forehead. She’s burning up.
Worry streaks through me. Rationally, I know it’s probably just a bad cold. But I need to hear her voice, just for a moment, before I’ll be able to slow down my racing heartbeat.
I shake her shoulder gently, calling her name in a firm whisper. It takes a little while, but she stirs.
“Hm?” she makes a weak sound in her throat. “Summer?”
“No, it’s Tuck.”
“Tuck?” there’s a thin surprise in her tone, but she’s too weak to react much.
“Mhm,” I hum. “Summer asked me to come over and check on you. I’ll stay here for today, alright?”
“Oh.” She turns her head towards the couch cushion. “Okay.” She groans as a shiver races over her. “I’m cold.”
“I’ll get you a blanket. And a real pillow.” I’m so focused on my mission when I go into Olivia’s room to grab those things that I don’t even take a second to look at her bed, letting my cock twitch thinking about the things I would do to her on it.
Okay, that’s a lie. I’m not a saint, am I?
But I don’t linger too long thinking about it, eager to get Olivia’s head propped with a proper pillow and her shivery body covered.
Back downstairs, I gently lift her head to switch out the throw pillow for one from her bed, then drape the blanket over her.
I go to the kitchen, remembering how important hydration is when you’re sick. I pour her a big glass of water from their filtered pitcher in the refrigerator. I gently shake her awake again and hold the glass up to her lips, lightly tilting it so she can take tiny sips.
“You should go, Tuck,” she says as I pull the glass away from her and set it on the coffee table. “I’ll make you sick. You might miss a game.”
“Don’t you worry about that. I’m not going anywhere.”
She makes another weak, humming noise in her throat. Maybe it’s in my head, but it seems like a pleased sound.
