this is me trying
chapter twenty-seven: not alone
tatum
I wipe down the countertops in Seth's apartment kitchen just as the front door swings open. The sounds of Seth and Collin conversing follows before the two come into view. Seth's grin widens when he sees me.
"Smells delicious in here." Colin says as he wanders over to the pot of chili on the stove.
Seth wraps his arms around my waist. "Mmm, I would have to agree." He says as he nuzzles into my hair before pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
"I figured you three would be hungry." I say slipping out of Seth's arms to start dishing out the chili. "Where is Brady by the way?" I question when I notice his absence. I hand Colin a bowl full of chili as I await the answer.
"He's with Laura." Colin says as he takes a seat at the kitchen table. He immediately begins shoveling in the food.
"You won't believe this." Seth pipes in. "Laura finally said yes to Brady. They are eloping this Saturday."
My eyes widen in shock and my motions to hand Seth his food halt. "Eloping?" I ask, wanting to verify what I had just heard. It has been several weeks since Seth's surprise birthday party. During that time, I have spent all of my time away from work with Seth. I have pretty much moved into Seth's apartment, meaning that I have gotten a lot closer to Laura. Never in any of our conversations did Laura allude to this.
"Yep." Seth says, taking the food from my hands. "Thanks for the food, baby."
"Wow, talk about zero to one hundred." I mutter under my breath.
"I don't think Laura was as hesitant about the wedding as she let on. The 'elopement' ceremony seems to be really thought out." Seth fills in. "Nessie thinks they have been planning this for a while."
"Well, I'm happy for them. They are a really good match for each other." I say, joining the two at the kitchen table.
Colin huffs. "I need a girlfriend." He grumbles as he scrapes every last bit of the chili out of the bowl. "I can't live in an empty apartment. Brady is getting married. You two aren't far behind them." I choke on my chili at his statement. "Is there more chili?"
I nod my head, still trying to catch my breath.
"Your time will come, Colin." Seth says in between bites, not commenting on Collin's statement about us getting married soon.
"Doubtful." Colin mutters, unamused.
"So the wedding…" I divert the topic of conversation back onto the original subject of Brady and Laura.
"It's this Saturday. We are invited. I was hoping you would accompany me as my date." Seth says with a cheesy smile. I can't help but return the smile. "Maybe Laura has some single friends or cousins." Seth teases Colin.
Colin rolls his eyes as he stands up from the table with his second empty bowl. "Thanks for the chili, Tatum. It was really good." He says from the kitchen, where he is putting the dirty bowl in the sink. "I'm gonna go take a nap." Colin announces before disappearing down the hall.
I look over to Seth. "He seems down." I mutter quietly.
Seth glances down the hall where his friend and roommate vanished. "I think he took the elopement news pretty hard." Seth answers. "It's hard to be single in our group of friends. And Brady is his closest friend. It can be lonely at times."
I can't help but think about the bonfire at Nessie's place. Everyone seemed to be coupled up. I can imagine how lonely Colin must feel now that his two roommates are also in the same boat.
Seth rises from his spot to get seconds as I continue to think about Colin. When Seth settles back beside me at the table, he speaks up. "How has your day been? I'm sorry I couldn't have stayed with you this morning." Seth comments as he rests a hand on my thigh.
"It was fine. I just slept in, cleaned up your room, and then made some food." I say with a shrug. "I missed you though."
"T, you didn't have to clean up my room." Seth pouts. Damn, that pout! It does things to me.
I smile. "I mean, I pretty much live here. I need to help out."
Seth looks down, busying himself with food. "Um about that… I wanted to ask you about-" Seth is interrupted by the front door swinging open and Brady and Laura entering.
"Oh hi!" Laura grins when she sees Seth and I at the table.
I smile back at her. "Seth told me the good news." I inform her.
Brady's megawatt smile is the first thing I see when he walks into view. "She finally said yes. She's officially mine." He says as he leans down to kiss her cheek.
"I've been yours." Laura responds, pushing Brady away playfully. "But yes, we are getting married. Saturday." She lets me know.
"That's so exciting! I'm happy for you two." I respond cheerfully as I stand from my seat to hug Laura.
"We would love for you two to be there, of course." Laura says. "It's going to be a small ceremony during the day with a reception after."
"Of course we will be there." I smile.
Brady and Laura gush over details about their big day. But it's as if a wave of something washes over me and my energy is completely drained from my body. A sharp pain radiates from the back of my head. I close my eyes in response to the pain and reflectively tune the voices out into murmurs.
I clutch onto the kitchen counter to prevent myself from falling. I hear voices call out my name but it takes me a moment to open my eyes. When I open my eyes, Seth is in my view with a look of concern on his face. "T, what happened, baby? Are you okay?" His hands cradle my face while his thumbs stroke my cheeks.
"I… I need to lie down." I whisper as my head continues to radiate a sharp pain. I make a staggered step toward Seth's bedroom before Seth steps in and assists me.
I climb immediately into bed when we reach Seth's bedroom. I close my eyes again, trying to lessen the pain. I feel the bed deep as Seth sits beside me on the bed. "Tatum, what's wrong? You have me worried." I hear the panic in Seth's voice.
"Aura." I whisper, my eyes remaining closed. "I experience auras before I have seizures." I pause trying to make sure I'm explaining this right but I'm too distracted to think straight. "My auras are really bad headaches."
The bed moves again as Seth lies down beside me. He brushes hair out of my face. "How long usually do you have before the seizures start?" He whispers.
"Sometimes an hour or so. Sometimes a few days." I respond.
"Is there anything I can do to help the pain from your headache?" Seth asks sweetly.
"Just hold me. I want to be in your arms." I confess.
Seth doesn't hesitate as he pulls me into his chest. His warmth engulfs me. My head resting on his chest. It doesn't stop the headache or lessen the stress of an impending seizure, but it's nice to know that I have him here with me. It's nice to know I'm not alone.
Sorry for the late update! (and for this short chapter)! Obviously this is just a filler chapter. The next few chapters are going to be much longer. I originally had this story ending at chapter 30 with a sequel, but I think I am going to keep it as one story instead. Let me know your thoughts! Hope you all had a great holiday season and I wish you the best year in 2022! I promise to update much sooner!