William stuffed his hands in his pockets, brushing past Amber as he walked out of the door. He walked slowly on purpose, waiting for her to catch up to him.
Why was he always stuck with her? First the dorm. Then her as his music partner. Now he had to babysit? He could be doing better things, like playing sports, or creating music.
Amber caught up to William, and they’d been walking a few minutes when she stumbled a little, hiding another yawn. Gosh, she was tired… Probably from not getting very much sleep the night before. She’d been tossing and turning the whole night; hot, then cold, then hot again, and then cold again…
William kept an eye on her, sighing when he caught her stumbling. And to think she was confident about going home alone…
Amber leaned against William as they got further along, hardly noticing she was doing it. When she realized what she was doing, she pulled off and straightened the best she could.
“Sorry,” she murmured, letting out another yawn. She just had to go for a little longer…
When Amber leaned against him, he stopped, sighing. Bending down, he pressed one arm on her knees with the other on her back, and picked her up, paying no mind to her cries of protest.
(oml)
“Put me down,” Amber demanded, though the words were quiet. She blinked a few times, trying to get her eyes to stay open. Each time she did that, though, her eyes ended up dropping further down until she just gave in and let them fall shut completely. A moment later, she was asleep in her dorm-mate’s arms.
When William looked at her sleeping form, he snorted. At least she looks peaceful when she’s asleep. And far less annoying, too. Only when she was asleep. When he reached the dorm, he paused, not knowing how to open the door and carry Amber at the same time.
Managing to get the keys in extreme difficulty (and trying not to touch her inappropriately during the task), William pushed the keys in the keyhole. He turned it, and finally kicked the door open.
He remembered one of his rules—to not enter the other’s room without their permission. He set Amber on the couch carefully, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ears because it bothered him. He then walked into his room, grabbed his spare blanket and covered her with it, using a cushion as a pillow. Finally, he made his way into the kitchen to make some porridge.
It was so troublesome.
(“Because it bothered him.” Uh-huh. Right, Will…)
A while later, Amber woke to a hand shaking her shoulder. She moved to sit up, brushing the hand away even before she realized who it was. When she opened her eyes to see William standing beside the couch (when did she get there?), she groaned and laid back down, covering her eyes with her arms.
“What?” she asked hoarsely, her throat sore from the cold.
(🤣🤣)
William rolled his eyes, expecting her to sit up. He had set a glass of water and her medicine on the table beside the couch, and he had a bowl of porridge in his hands.
“Eat,” he said simply. “You’ll feel better once you do.”
Amber grinned softly and pushed herself up again. She glanced down at the bowl in his hands before reaching for it and muttering a reluctant, “Thank you.”
William rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, looking away.
“I don’t cook very often,” he said slowly. “And I cook this differently, so it might not be the way you like it.”
“I’m not picky,” Amber muttered as she stirred the concoction with a spoon. She dropped the spoon suddenly, covering her mouth with her arm as she went into a fit of coughing.
William didn't move to help her or pat her back. He simply reached out for the glass, holding it out for her.
"Drink this," he said to her. "Once you're done eating, eat your medicine, go to your room, and rest."
“Yes, mother,” Amber mumbled under her breath. She rolled her eyes before taking a bite of the warm mush. It wasn’t bad… but it wasn’t particularly good, either…
William shot her a glare, choosing to pretend he didn’t hear what she said.
“I’m going to my room,” he declared, though he felt no need to do so. “Give me your phone.”
Amber’s gaze immediately shot up to him, confusion causing her eyebrows to draw together. “Why…?”
William rolled his eyes.
“So I can save my number,” he answered as if it was obvious. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Oh… Okay…” Amber unlocked her phone, which she pulled out of her back pocket, and handed it to him.
This was strange for him… At least, for what she’d knownof him over the past few weeks.
William typed in his number, saving it as ‘William J.’ before he handed the phone back to her.
“Just because I’m giving this to you does not mean you’re given the permission to bother me,” he said sharply. “The second your fever’s gone, I’ll be minding my own business.”
Amber shrugged and stuck the phone back under herself. “Wasn’t planning on it.. Oh, but we need to go grocery shopping this weekend. Just so you know.”
William grunted in reply, shaking his head. He needed a release. Why would the nurse put someone in his care? She knew well enough he couldn’t control his temper.
(Skip?)
(Skip?)
(Not it!)
(Yeah, yeah. To when?)