Page 132 of Twisted Truth

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. Just still very sleepy.”

I feel myself being lowered onto a bed, and I curl up on my side.

“Ella?” Asher’s voice says, near me. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” I say, the words still sort of garbled.

My body is rolled, and I hear the swoosh of blankets being undone. Then I’m rolled back over and tucked under the sheets and comforter.

“Alright, you sleep it off for a bit. But we have a meeting in two hours.”

Asher’s voice turns away from me, speaking to someone else. “Is one hour enough to get her ready?”

“That will be tight, but I’ll let the hair and makeup team know they have to work quickly.”

I let my sleepy mind fade back into oblivion.

“Ella?”Asher’s voice says, soft and calm.

I feel a brush of fingers down my arm. The bed sinks under someone’s weight.

“Ella, you’re starting to worry me now. You need to wake up.”

I think very hard, and I’m able to blink my eyes open. But they still feel heavy and dry, and they don’t like the open, outside world.

“Should we postpone the meeting?” Matthew asks.

“We may need to; she can’t go like this,” Asher answers.

My brain is still foggy, but it’s slowly clicking things into place.

“Can I have a drink?” I ask through a raspy voice. “Water will help.”

A second later, Asher’s arms wrap around me, lifting me up so that I’m sitting propped against pillows and the headboard.

“Do you need me to help?” Asher asks.

“No, I can do it. Just help me stay sitting up. My whole body feels like rubber.”

He hands me a water bottle, and I take a small sip. It immediately helps my brain to kick in a little bit. I take another sip. The room slowly forms around me, and I’m able to fully pull myself into the present.

“Shower and coffee. Those are the next two steps,” I say.

“Coffee first,” Asher says, adamantly. “I don’t trust you in the shower yet.”

He helps me sit up farther and swing my legs over the side of the bed. He sits next to me and wraps his arm around my waist. Matthew enters the room right at that moment, coffees in hand.

Bless him and his perfection.

“Yours is iced so that you can drink it faster,” he says, handing it to me.

I take a sip, and it’s suddenly like all will be right in the world. As soon as I have a few more sips, of course.

“Here, take a bite of this.”

Matthew shoves a breakfast sandwich at me. “I found a place that has American breakfast options. I didn’t think you could stomach beans on toast on a morning like this.”