Chapter 7
When Ray woke up, he didn't know where he was. It took him several moments to take in the living room and realize he had fallen asleep on the couch. Flicking his eyes up at the clock told him it was half-past eight. As his thoughts of food began to entertain themselves in his mind, there was a knock at the door.
"Hey," Ray said as he opened the door. Standing in front of him was Brandon, Emily's boyfriend.
"Hey Ray," Brandon started, "Sorry to just drop by like this, but I wanted to come see Emily. You know, see how she's doing and stuff?"
"Uh, sure, let me see if she's awake. Not too long though, okay? She's still really weak." Brandon nodded.
Slowly they crept down the hall. Emily's door was ajar, and Ray slowly opened it a little more and stuck his head inside.
"Hey," he said softly to Emily, who was lying awake under her covers. "Someone's here to see you," he said as she looked up. She broke into a sleepy smile when she saw Brandon, and her eyes lit up.
"Hi," Brandon said shyly, coming into the room.
"Hi," she answered in a half-whisper.
"I'll uh, leave you guys alone then," Ray said, stepping back into the hall, "But the door stays open, and remember, no spit swapping," he added with a smirk.
"Spit swapping?" Emily teased, rolling her eyes slightly as he left. "So, what've you been up to?" she asked, looking at her boyfriend.
"I miss you," he said, settling himself by her feet. "Everyone's asking about you. And Spanish isn't the same without sharing iPod earphones in the back of class," he finished with a smile. "Any idea how long you'll be like this?" Emily shook her head.
"Not really, no. It could be another couple weeks. Meanwhile, feel really bad for Ray—he's taking off work, and I'm worried I'm boring him...I mean, let's face it, I'm not as exciting as a four-car pile-up.
"You are to me!"
Emily laughed softly, "I don't know if I should take that as a complement or not!"
They talked for a few more minutes. Then Ray came back in, "Time's up!" he said.
"Okay," Brandon said. He stood up, kissed the palm of his hand, and rested it briefly on Emily's cheek. "Rest up, all right? I'll see you soon," he said, smiling as he turned to leave.
"Thanks for coming," Emily called out to him.
"At the front door, Brandon turned to Ray, "Thanks for letting me stay, for a little bit," he said, shaking his hand.
"No problem, thanks for stopping by," Ray answered, clapping him on the back. "Later, dude!" he called after him as Brandon headed toward the stairs.