Just a Dare

Chapter Ten

I felt something gently stroking my hair, and I could feel the first warm golden rays of sunlight caressing my eyelids. I didn't remember falling asleep.

I opened my eyes slowly and looked up into Melody's face from where my head was settled on the side of the bed, cradled in my arms. Her hand froze when she saw me, and I knew she was embarrassed at having been caught.

Her sparkling emerald eyes were still the same as ever.

I blinked and smirked tiredly at her. "Why'd you stop?" I murmured, my voice still thick with sleep.

She smiled a little. "I'm sorry," she said, and she started absentmindedly running her fingers through my hair again.

She closed her eyes and leaned back against her pillows. Despite the fact that she was physically damaged, the sun touched her skin and gave her an almost ethereal glow.

"Hey," I whispered after a few minutes of silence.

A smile slowly spread across her face and she opened her eyes and looked at me. "Hey what?"

Even after the hell I had been through in the past twenty-four hours, I knew everything would be okay again because Mel was right here with me. And as long as I had her, I would be fine.

I smiled at her-a real, full smile, filled with all of the warmth and sincerity and gratitude I could possibly put into it because I wanted her to see that I meant it. "I'm glad you're okay."

And I did mean it, I really did.

Her grin widened. "Me, too," she replied.

After a little while, she dozed back off, and I lifted my head from her bedside and stood up from my chair to stretch. My limbs ached, my legs especially, since I had apparently slept in the same position all night. I looked out the window and saw my mom's silver Toyota Avalon still parked in the parking lot, and sighed. It looked like I wasn't the only one in my family who had spent the night at the hospital.

My stomach grumbled and I realized that I hadn't eaten since I'd had yogurt with Melody the day before, so I stepped out of Mel's room and walked brusquely down the hall, my hands stuffed in my pockets, making my way to my truck to go grab something from McDonald's or something.

As I fished for my keys in my pocket, I thought about my conversation with Rob last night again. He had asked me how I felt about Melody and I'd told him that I wasn't sure. I couldn't deny that I'd become a little protective-okay, extremely protective-of her, but was that all? I mean, I would be lying if I said that I didn't think she was hot-last night's little episode was a prime example of that-but...

Was there more?

While my thoughts were still on Rob, I decided to give him a call to make sure that everything was still set for Monday. I really needed his help, because I was getting myself in too deep with this bet. If we could call it off, I would stop feeling so guilty about being friends with Mel, and maybe she would see that I realized the mistake I had made in agreeing to it in the first place.

Yes, this was definitely what needed to be done, and as soon as possible.

My phone call went straight to voicemail, and I rolled my eyes. His drunk ass was probably still in bed nursing a hangover, I thought in annoyance.

I pulled into the McDonald's parking lot and made the last-minute decision of going inside to get my food instead of pulling through the drive-through, that way I'd get to walk around a little more.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside, already formulating in my mind what I was going to get and was about to get into the line to wait to order when I saw a very familiar blonde-haired guy in a blue hoodie sitting in a booth in the corner, eating alone. His swollen nose hung crookedly on his face, and other than a few minor cuts and bruises, he seemed pretty physically intact.