What The Heart Craves (Complete)

Chapter 3 - Part 1

Lacey

By the time I made it into my bed, exhaustion was an understatement. My mom hurried in with my medication, and Adonis watched anxiously from my doorway. I drank the tablets and sank back into my bed, closing my eyes because my head was hurting so badly.

"She'll be okay." I heard my mom say to Adonis as she left my room.

"What is it?" he asked in a whisper, his voice concerned.

"A migraine," my mom answered in a whisper. I groaned as I turned onto my side, hugging my pillow close for comfort in the darkness.

"Will she be okay?" he asked softly.

"She'll be good by the morning."

No, I wouldn't be good in the morning. I would have to face him after I'd puked in front of him. There was no way I was ever going to live it down. The tablets helped ease the pain, and I fell asleep.

The next morning I slept in. I roused once when my mom checked up on me when I'd didn't get up at my usual time.

"How are you feeling?" My mom asked me gently.

"Tired." I yawned, still tired enough not to want to get up.

"Sleep."

I turned over and drifted off to sleep again. The next time I woke up again, it was afternoon already. Having wasted most of the day already, I got up and had a shower. The only thing that replayed in my mind repeatedly was throwing up in front of Adonis.

I felt so embarrassed. I leaned my head against the tiles as I tried to deal with the fact that he'd seen me at my worst. Letting out a sigh, I decided there was no point in letting it dominate my thoughts.

I pulled on some comfy clothes. It was a Sunday, and I didn't have any plans other than watching some TV. The house was quiet. I was alone. I found a note from my mom saying that they went out for lunch and they would bring me food home. My tummy grumbled at the thought. I just sat down on the sofa and started watching TV when there was a knock at the door. I got up and went to open the front door.

"Hey," Adonis said. At the sight of him made my stomach flip and my embarrassment at what happened the previous day crept into my cheeks.

"Hi." I let him in and he followed me into the living room.

"How are you feeling?" He studied me as I plopped down onto the sofa.

"Fine," I told him. "I'm sorry about last night."

The TV was still on, so the noise filled the awkward silence that followed. He stood beside the sofa and studied me for a moment.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I was glad I could help."

"Thanks," I said. I just wanted to forget it had ever happened. He sat down beside me in the empty seat beside me.

"Does that happen often?" he asked, curiously.

"Sometimes." I didn't want to reveal they were getting worse. It was something I hadn't told anyone.

"I never knew you suffered from migraines."

I clasped my hands together nervously, not really wanting to talk about it.

"I got my first one about a year ago," I said with a shrug, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. Many people suffered from migraines. Initially, I'd only got them once a month, but as time had passed, I'd started getting them more regularly. The reason he'd never seen me have one is because he was hardly ever around.

"What did the doctor say?" he asked, and I was a little surprised by his interest.

"He said stress could cause them." I focused my eyes on the TV instead of him.

"Why are you stressed?" I felt the warmth of his gaze on me.

I pressed my lips together for a moment before I turned to face him. Our eyes met, and I felt a shiver of excitement.

"You know the usual stuff... high school and trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life." I tried to explain.

He nodded his head like he understood, but he already had his life on track. He was doing exactly what he'd always wanted to, and I couldn't imagine him doing anything else. I didn't have that type of passion for anything and it scared me I might never.

"I hope I didn't ruin your night," I said. Some part of me wanted to know what he'd been doing when Reece had called.

"We were at a party," He gave a dismissive shrug and focused his eyes on the TV. It wasn't a surprise. Even though he couldn't go to clubs like most guys their age, they went to a lot of parties in the neighborhood where there seemed to be one every weekend.

"Why didn't Alex come and fetch me?" That same part of me needed to know why he'd come instead of my brother. I felt that little hope that his concern for me had been the reason he fetched me.

"He was drunk," he said, shaking his head with a smile. "He'd been doing shots with some girl and she drank him right under the table."

At the mention of a girl, I felt the usual feeling of jealousy. I shoved it down, trying to remind myself that he could do whatever he wanted with any girl he wanted. It was another reminder that I needed to move on.

There was never a shortage of girls around him, and it was only a matter of time before he picked one to get serious about. I had to make sure I got over him before that because watching that was going to be pure torture if I still loved him the way I did.

While he was watching TV, I let my eyes sneak a side-glance at his profile, and I savored it for a moment. Frustrated with myself, I pulled my eyes away from him and fixed them on the TV. For my sanity, I had to figure out how to move on.

"It looks nice on you," he said, bringing me out of my thoughts. I looked at him, confused at what he was talking about.

"The necklace." His fingers reached out and touched the small harp pendant. My breath caught.

The small brush of his fingers against my skin was enough to make my heart beat with anticipation. I looked up to him and swallowed hard. His eyes fixed on the pendant while I watched him.

The noise from the TV disappeared as he became all I could concentrate on. I felt a rush of excitement when his eyes lifted to mine. As our gazes held, I ran the tip of my tongue across my bottom lip and his eyes flickered to the action.

His eyes held mine, and I held my breath as he leaned closer. I couldn't quite believe what was happening. The moment the thought entered my mind that he was going to kiss me with his lips nearly touching mine, noise from the hallway interrupted us.

He pulled away first, and it left me reeling at the fact that Adonis, my brother's best friend who I'd loved from the tender age of thirteen, had nearly kissed me. But there was no time to process what had almost happened because my mom breezed into the living room.

"Hi," she greeted us with a cheerful smile. I plastered a smile that I didn't feel to my lips when I looked up to my mom. "I brought you guys some food."

I was still trying to calm my rapidly beating heart when I nodded. Adonis looked up to my mom and gave her his signature dimpled smile.

"Thanks." He stood up and followed my mom out of the living room.

I sat alone, trying to figure out if what had just happened had been a part of my imaginations because Adonis had been so together and I was coming apart at the seams. I took a deep breath and released it. I was so confused.