University Roommates (Restart)

Ashton:

"What things? You were delirious with a concussion," I answered nonchalantly. "You want a PB&J sandwich?" I offered, heading to the kitchen to pull out the ingredients.

Emily:
I sighed and followed him wit my eyes. "You know, pain I can remember. Dizziness I do recall. But delirious? That, I don't remember." I said, putting my hands on my hips.

Ashton:

I made her a sandwich without her reply, slowly slathering on the Jelly then the peanut butter to each side. I stuck the pieces together then slid the plate across the bar to her. I took a bite of my own then looked her in the face.

"I had a group of friends that weren't really good friends. I got into trouble a lot because of them." I shrugged. "Got into a fight, someone pulled a knife. Not much more to say."

Emily:
I picked at the crust on the sandwich he made me and listening. "When did this happen?" I asked quietly.

Ashton:

I turned to lean against the counter. "About five years ago, I guess. I was seventeen or eighteen. It's such a faint line now. You could hardly tell it happened." I shrugged. I didn't know why I was telling her, she would probably only think poorly of me because of it.

Emily:
I frowned. He seemed to be talking about it so casually but I knew it had hurt him still. I wonder if his sister even knew. I walked closer and without saying anything else, I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him tight. "I'm sorry that happened to you," I said, softly.

Ashton:

I was surprised by her reaction and didn't know how to take it at first. I kept one hand gripping the counter but the other pressed lightly against her back. "Nah, don't be sorry. It was just one stupid thing in a long line of stupid shit. I got myself into it, so I guess I deserved it." Her body was warm and soft against mine... I dropped my hand and shifted like I was uncomfortable.

Emily:
I hugged him for a second more and then let go. "Okay sorry, I know you don't like it when I touch you," I said, moving back to my side of the kitchen. It wasn't anything he ever said to me, but it was hard to not notice that he basically cringed every time I got slightly too close. "But no one deserves that." I continued once i was a safe enough distance that I felt he could calm down.

Ashton:

I looked away from her, then to the ground. My brain was telling me that I should go back to my room, that I shouldn't be around her anymore. But that wasn't what I wanted and I had promised her I wouldn't act that way again. It was best to let her believe I didn't want her close.

"It doesn't matter," I said again with another shrug.

Emily:
"We dont have to talk about it anymore...but it does matter," I told him. I put my unfinished sandwich in the fridge and turned around. "So the doctor said i shouldn't watch TV for a few days with my concussion but I'm thinking thats just a precaution, right?" I said, inching toward the living room. Harry Potter was calling my name.

Ashton:

I frowned at her disapprovingly. "If that's what they said then that's what's going to happen," I said firmly. "But go ahead and lay down, I'll get the next best thing, some would even argue it's better." I went to my sister's room and swiped a book off her shelve.

"Ready?" I asked, joining her on the couch. "Chapter one, the boy who lived..."

Emily:
I settled myself next to him on the couch and smiled when he started reading. it was much harder to tslk through someone reading a book than it was to talk through a movie but I managed a few comments here and there. "Do an English accent for the characters," I said, bouncing on the cushion.

Ashton:

"Ahh,uh," I fumbled over the accents, and I fumbled over a few words, but I wasn't discouraged. She seemed to be enjoying it, and I got some kind of deep pleasure from that.

Emily:
I giggled at his voices, weirdly more entertained by this than I ever was by the movies. I moved a little closer so I could read with him over his shoulder, even though reading probably wasn't much better than watching TV when it came to head injuries.

Ashton:

"Hey, no," I said when I realized that she was reading over my shoulder. I gave her a gentle nudge to lay back down and turned by look away so she couldn't read the pages. "You need to rest, that's why I'm reading to you and not just handing you the book."

Emily:
"Fine Dr. Ash," I muttered, settling back down. "Keep going please," I said, nudging him with my foot.

Ashton:

I continued and my reading and accents improved the more I read. In an unconscious move, I placed my hand on her ankle. I hadn't realized I did it until I had to turn the page. My eyes flicked to her briefly.

Emily:
I was hyper aware that he was touching me but I was fairly sure he didn't even realize he was doing it. In fact, I pretty much saw the exact moment that he realized where his hand was. "What?" I asked, when my eyes met his, "Don't leave me hanging, this is the best part," I said, pointing back to the book. I would give him about three seconds before he remembered that he hated touching me and would remove his hand. I just hoped it was a long three seconds.

Ashton:

My hand lingered longer than it should have before I turned the page and continued. I leaned on the armrest and switched hands with the book so it wouldn't happen again. I leaned slightly away from her, focusing on the story and trying not to think about her.

Emily:
I bit my lip, trying not to let it hurt my feelings. I had known he was gonna move. I didn't realize he would noticeably lean away from me, but I should have. I picked at a stray thread in one of the pillows and kept listening.

Ashton:

I read three chapters before my voice started to crack. I set the book down on the coffee table. “Gotta get something for my throat,” I mumbled as I got to my feet. “You want anything? You hardly touched your sandwich.”

Emily:
"No, I'm not hungry," I said, sitting up a little. Although my head was starting to hurt a little bit. I felt around my forehead, wincing at the lump that was there. "Maybe tomorrow I can go fill the prescription that the doctor gave me," I said.

Ashton:

I filled a glass with milk and sipped it to soothe my dry throat. “I can go out now and do it if you call it in and authorize me picking it up,” I said. I was eager to do anything that would make up for the situations I had put her in.

Emily:
I shook my head. "Nah, don't worry about it. It's getting late and I'm not allowed to watch TV, so without you, I'll probably die of boredom." I told him. I pulled my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. "You should eat a lollipop. That might help your throat." I suggested.

Ashton:

I watched her from the kitchen as I finished my milk. "I don't know about you, but I don't usually keep lollipops laying around," I said with mild amusement at her comment.