Page 68 of Center Sneak

He pulls on the collar of his T-shirt. “Nah, I already met her brothers, so I should be okay.” Sweat is dripping from his forehead.

I raise my eyebrows at that. Sounds like a story for another day.

Sebastian stays for a few minutes longer, catching up for a quick minute, but I don’t keep him. He has hot soup to deliver to a certain hot football player, and I don’t want to delay that process.

As soon as my brother leaves, I whip open my phone to text Cal:

Me: Hey

After a few minutes of no response, I write out another text and press send.

Me: How are you?

I finish my current task before I check my phone again. Still no response. I throw my phone into my purse and close my laptop for the night. I’m not going to get any more work done anyway, not if I’m worrying about my unexpected caregiver from earlier this week.

Less than fifteen minutes later, I park my car and walk into Calvin and Sebastian’s building. I nod at the doorman and then the security guard before I press the elevator button. They know me as Sebastian’s sister at this point. I guess that’s the perk of Sebastian and Cal living in the same building. Well, as long as I don’t run into my brother again.

I slip into the elevator and press the button for the top floor. Once there, I knock twice.

Nothing.

I knock again.

“Calvin? Are you there?” I shout at the understated door.

Silence.

I’m debating my next move when I hear someone croak, “It’s unlocked.”

I turn the handle, and it opens easily as I step into Calvin’s condo.

He’s spread out on his sofa, only in a pair of navy athletic shorts with his face stuffed into a throw pillow.

“Hey.” I tiptoe closer to him. I’m not sure why, especially since it’s just the two of us here.

He moans in greeting.

I bend down close to him and try to feel around his head, although it’s a little difficult since his head is buried deep. He moves his body to the side, granting me more access to him. I place my hand on his forehead, and find he’s clammy to the touch.

“I’m okay,” he moans again.

“Yeah. Sounds like it,” I murmur to myself. “Do you have any medicine?”

“I already took some. Just before ten,” he clarifies the last part.

“In the morning?” At the lack of response, I add, “Well, it’s close to six now, so let’s get you another dose.”

“Wait.” He sits upright. “Six at night?” He scratches his head.

“Yes, you must have slept all day. Where did you say the meds were again?”

“Bathroom. On the counter,” he strains.

“I’ll be right back.” I turn and head to the bathroom, quickly finding the bottle.

I stride into the kitchen and reach for a glass. I fill it with water before returning to his side.

“Here,” I say, holding the glass and two pills out for him. He sits up and reaches for the meds. After chasing the pills with water, he lies back down.