How to Stay Afloat

~33: Where She Has an Unexpected Visitor~

CHAPTER 33:

Where She Has an Unexpected Visitor

~~**~~

When I woke up Archer had already left for work.

It was Sunday and he had recently started working at Seth's automobile service garage on the weekends. Much to my dismay, he'd insisted on paying the rent and buying the groceries this month. I'd only agreed when I'd seen how much it had meant to him. Both my roommates had been beyond elated.

I made my way to the kitchen and smiled when I saw a covered plate on the counter with a note with my name written in Archer's neat handwriting sitting on top of it.

I poured myself a mug of coffee and uncovered the plate Archer had left for me. I sighed in contentment when the vanilla scent of freshly made French toast hit my nostrils.

The door to Nelly's room opened and Spartacus leisurely walked out followed by my sleepy-looking roommate.

I scratched Spartacus behind his good ear.

"You need this more than I do," I said as I handed Nelly my coffee mug.

She took a huge sip and gave me a grateful look.

She eyed the French toast I was eating and chuckled. "So this is why your boyfriend woke me up at the crack of dawn to ask me if I knew how to make French toast?"

I could feel my insides go warm. "He did?" I asked a little breathlessly.

"Yup." She said as she bit into a piece of French toast I'd offered her. "And I pretty much told him to fuck off and watch a YouTube tutorial and then shut the door in his face."

I winced. "You could've been a little gentler."

She rolled her eyes. "Tell that to someone who isn't working two jobs and in their final year of nursing school getting barely three hours of sleep in." She got up and gave me a wink. "Besides, his French toast turned out pretty damn delicious in the end."

I ate my breakfast in silence after Nelly had left. Adrian was probably passed out in his room after working his night shift yesterday and wouldn't be up till mid-noon.

I washed the dishes and placed them in the dryer before grabbing my laptop from my room and making myself comfortable on the living room couch.

I found myself opening Jamie's Facebook account again. My mouse hovered over the message icon but I couldn't bring myself to do it. If Archer didn't get into the University of Florida I would stay in California. Was there even a point in telling him who I was right now anyway?

But in my heart, I knew that I was just being a coward.

I knew talking to my younger brother and telling him who I was had nothing to do with me moving or not moving to Florida.

The conversation I'd had with Archer yesterday played in my mind.

He'd applied to the University of Florida because of me.

He was ready to give up everything for me.

And even though he had tried to reassure me that it was what he wanted my guilty conscience jabbed at me.

He was risking too much.

I wasn't worth it.

The sound of someone knocking on the door pulled me away from my thoughts.