What Could Be (Everyday Love Book 1)

by Jaycee Weaver

  Brynn shoved her notebook into her backpack, which she flung over her shoulders in a rush. She whispered frantically to Serena, “I’ve got to run. I don’t feel so good.”

  Serena’s eyes widened in alarm and she waved Brynn away with a look of both repulsion and understanding.

  Brynn barely made it to the nearest restroom before she lost her burrito…and probably breakfast and whatever else she had eaten in the past month. Her forehead was damp and her ears felt hot and stuffy. She prayed she’d be able to make it home safely where she could crawl into bed and never leave.

  Somehow, she managed to get home, though if pressed she couldn’t have answered how. Her mother took one look at her and immediately hustled down the hall and started a bath. Brynn felt like she’d been hit by a Mack truck, and the warm bath water was exactly what she needed. She soaked until she needed to use the toilet again and then dragged herself to her bedroom. Slipping on a comfy pair of blue plaid sleep pants and a soft over-sized gray UNM tee shirt she’d stolen from Caleb, she fell asleep within minutes.

  Brynn awoke the next morning still feeling achy from head to toe. Her mouth tasted terrible and her eyes felt a bit crusty, but the need to hurl had significantly improved. She slowly sat up and stretched her arms behind her neck. At that moment, her mother gently tapped on the bedroom door and opened the door softly with a smile.

  “Hi, honey. How’re you feeling?” Her mother sat on the edge of her bed and lifted her hand to Brynn’s brow. “You feel a little clammy. I don’t think it’s food poisoning. I think you have the stomach flu.”

  “Ugh, yeah, it feels like it. I need to call Patricia and Gina and let them know I won’t be in today. Thank God Robert and Erica are handling the morning crew.” Her dizzy, aching head felt like she was doing a series of pirouettes underwater while getting hit by a baseball bat.

  “I already talked to Gina, and she said she would contact Patricia. I took one look at you last night and knew you’d need to spend the day in bed. Do you feel up to a little toast, maybe?”

  “Thanks, mom, for talking to Gina. I, um, don’t think I can do toast just yet. I need to shower and brush my teeth, though. I feel so gross. But—,” Brynn fell back on to her pillow in exhaustion. “Nope, I’m going to stay right here and try not to die.”

  Her mom chuckled, “Oh, honey. You always get a touch melodramatic when you’re sick. You’re not going to die. Are you sure you don’t want anything?”

  “No, mom. I’ll be okay,” Brynn whimpered as another wave of nausea washed over her and she was forced to race back to the bathroom.

  Brynn spent most of the day in bed, cold sweats and chills waking her sporadically from dreams she couldn’t remember clearly. She recalled bits and pieces that night while soaking in the tub, blurred images of a struggle of some sort, and…spinning? Dancing? Weird.

  Dancing! Brynn suddenly remembered Josh’s invitation to the gala he’d been working on. She had barely acknowledged the invite and probably needed to give him an answer. Wasn’t it coming up really soon?

  She laid her head back on the rim of the tub, looked to the ceiling, and silently reminded herself to grab a rag and clean the dust stalactites growing on the exhaust fan and around the recessed light over the tub. She and Trey were supposed to keep their own bathroom clean, but who thinks to look up there during the weekly wipe down?

  Ugh, I hate feeling like this.

  Her stomach was finally calm enough to shuffle into the kitchen after her bath. The scraping sound of her slipper soles announced her presence to Trey, who turned and grinned at her from in front of the microwave.

  “Well, aren’t you a stunning sight? Cinderella the day after the ball. Or maybe after a tornado after the ball. You look awful, sis,” he reached over and gave a thwack to her lopsided messy bun then shoved the hot dog he’d been assembling into his mouth.

  She rubbed her head and realized it wasn’t the smack that was making her head hurt, it was the stupid bun. Stupid heavy long hair and stupid flu.

  “Gee, thanks, Trey. You sure know how to lift a girls’ spirits when she’s down,” she gave him a very sisterly eyeroll, her voice thick with sarcasm.

  “Well, maybe hearing that Caleb’s on his way over will help raise those spirits instead.”

  “What?!” she looked up at him in a panic. “When?”

  “Oh, he called while you were in the tub and I told him you were sick. He said he was leaving campus right then and could head over. I thought you’d like to see him.”

  Well, normally she would like to see him. Part of her definitely wanted to. The rest of her wanted to go back to bed, pull the covers over her head in the dark, and pretend to sleep until he left again. He couldn’t see her like this! She reached up to feel how badly arranged her hair was in its very messy ‘do. She tugged the neckline of her pajama top up and gave a sniff. Well, at least she hadn’t been vomiting and the shirt still smelled pretty good over all. She hazarded a glance at her reflection in the above range microwave’s glass and grimaced. The bun was far messier after sleeping so hard and then soaking in the humid bathroom, which meant it bordered on curly in places. Sexy. She stuck her tongue out at her reflection.

  Caleb arrived 20 minutes later with a paper bag in hand. He flashed a perfectly straight-toothed grin at her as his eyes scanned her from messy head to fuzzy socks.

  “Well, this is a side of you I haven’t seen before. Pardon me if I don’t kiss you. I can’t afford to get sick. But, I did want to see you and I came bearing soup!”

  He held the bag out to her, and the scent of chicken noodle from her favorite “chick food” place, as he called it, wafted to her nose. For the first time in 24 hours, food actually sounded tolerable. Smelled delicious, too. Brynn’s eyes crinkled in a pleased smile as she accepted the offering.

  “You have perfect timing. I haven’t been able to eat since last night, and I finally feel like I might be able to keep something down. This smells too good not to eat!” She made her way to the cabinet to grab a bowl and paused, “Do you want a bowl?”

  “Nah,” he shook his head, “my folks are expecting me at the house tonight. My brother’s got some big announcement or something and didn’t want to wait until Thanksgiving. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were feeling. When you didn’t answer your cell, I called the house and Trey said you were sick. Why didn’t you text me or anything?”

  “I don’t know, I guess I didn’t even think about it. I slept most of last night and today. This is the first time I’ve felt almost human again. Must just be one of those 24-hour bugs or something.”

  His brow furrowed slightly at that, and disappointment seemed to flash across his face to the briefest instant. Brynn wondered to herself what he had to be disappointed about. She was the one who’d been trapped between bathroom and bedroom the past 24 hours.

  “Okay, that makes sense. I hope you feel better soon, babe. Call me tomorrow and let me know how you’re doing? I’ll be in the computer lab most of the day, but if I don’t answer at least text me. Ok?” He leaned toward her and placed a kiss just above her left ear, safely out of breathing range.

  “Of course,” she replied. “Stay healthy and good luck on your assignment. Tell your family I said hello.”

  He tossed her a final smile as he stepped across the threshold and out into the cool November night.

  She smiled to herself, pleased that he had taken the time to drive all the way up to her parents’ house in the Northeast Heights. School was all the way on the opposite diagonal of the city, his apartment not too far from there, and his parents lived closer to Four Hills, so it was definitely out of his way to come and see her. Such a good boyfriend.

  Well, usually. When he wasn’t absorbed in school. Or, come to think of it, work, when she considered that his internship last summer had monopolized the majority of his time…even after-hours. Suddenly her warm fuzzies cooled a little. The irritation she’d been feeling lately edged its way back in further when she c
onsidered his parting request for her to call him about how she was feeling tomorrow. Shouldn’t he be the one to check in on her since she was sick?

  She shook her head and dismissed that thought. No, he called her today and checked in on her personally. He brought soup even though his family was getting together and he had a huge assignment to work on. He was awesome, and she was just being ridiculous.

  Still, though, the pesky little niggle way, way back in her subconscious just wouldn’t go completely away.

  Brynn decided the next morning to allow herself one more day at home. It was Friday, anyway, and next week was Thanksgiving, so the SAEC would probably have less students than usual. No Friday classes for her, either, which made taking the day off pretty much a no-brainer.

  She pulled out her phone and shot off a quick text to Patricia with an update and thought a moment before sending one to Gina. Hey, Chica! I’m feeling mostly better, but should probably go easy one more day just in case. Would you mind seeing if Robert or Erica can help cover for me?

  She watched the little dots bouncing as she awaited Gina’s reply.

  Of course! Glad you’re doing better. I was worried when you didn’t text me back the other nite. Almost had a heart attack when I saw your mom’s number, not yours on my phone! Sure you’re ok?

  Brynn’s thumbs flew across the tiny onscreen keys.

  Yea, I’m ok. Tired and feel gross but a hot shower and Netflix binge day will fix that.

  The dots bounced again and Brynn laughed to herself thinking they reminded her of Gina’s personality.

  For sure. Take care, girl, and see you later. Hey, while you’re at it, you should finally figure out the whole nursing/education thing. Submit that application finally.

  Brynn stifled a chuckle at Gina’s prodding. Her friend always seemed to know when to push, didn’t she? Sometimes the woman was more like a second mother than best friend.

  On her way to the living room she grabbed her laptop, set the phone on the couch beside her and settled in to her favorite spot, wrapped in her giant luxe blanket. Maybe she’d write another pro/con list to think more clearly about the decision on her major. Maybe she’d go ahead and submit her application to the College of Ed…if she got in, that would be a pretty clear sign, right?

  Meh. She’d do it later. She had some old shows to binge. After a nap.

  “Okay, sweetheart, I think it’s time for you to do something about this,” Brynn’s mother snickered and waved her hands in a circular motion above the giant mess that had once been an immaculately decorated coffee table.

  Brynn stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, taking in the scene surrounding her. She noticed with a frown it was already dark outside. Where had the day gone?

  “What time is it?” she yawned.

  “Oh, about 7,” Marla laughed and picked up a throw pillow off the floor and tossed it into Brynn’s chest.

  “What?!” she ejected, “Did I sleep through dinner and everything?”

  “Yup. I called to you twice, but you were dead to the world so we just decided to eat without you. Didn’t figure you were in the mood for Dino’s pizza anyway.”

  “I’m always in the mood for Dino’s. Did you get extra ranch?” Brynn stood and twisted side to side then did a few side bends to stretch her couch-weary muscles. Nothing like sitting around on your butt all day to make your muscles sore.

  “Did I get extra ranch?! What kind of question is that?! Pizza’s in the oven keeping warm and there’s salad in the fridge, too.”

  Marla gave Brynn one of her typical “mom” looks before continuing, “Go tell your dad thanks for picking it up on his way home. He got you a brownie, too, in case you were feeling better.”

  Mmmm. Dino’s did sound good. Brynn’s stomach rumbled loudly once she shuffled her way into the kitchen. When she opened the oven door the familiar Dino’s smell wafted out. She was definitely hungry. Time to dig in before Trey’s teenage stomach called him back to finish it all off.

  “Hey, Mom? Where’s Trey?” she called.

  “It’s Friday night. He’s probably sitting at Dino’s right now with his friends, eating round two.”

  Brynn laughed, “Sounds about right. What are you and Dad up to tonight?”

  “Oh, Dad’s in the garage tinkering around and I’ve been in the other room engrossed in a mystery. TV’s all yours for tonight, it seems.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I’m sorry I’m not good company.”

  Marla smiled and waved her off.

  She took her heavily loaded plate and Dino’s ranch cup and shuffled back to her spot on the couch that now looked more like the blanketed nest of an oversized rodent. Okay, so her mom had a point. She’d pick it all up before going to bed.

  Mid-way through her slice and salad, Brynn felt the vibration of her cell phone from somewhere deep within the couch. She carefully balanced the plate on the crowded coffee table littered with ginger ale cans, used tissues, and remnants of snacks from earlier. Rummaging around in the cushions and blankets for several moments, she finally felt the corner of the device and wrapped her fingers around it. She pressed the home button and the screen lit up with a preview notification of a text from an unknown sender.

  How are you feeling?

  Brynn frowned in confusion at who the sender might be then opened the app to see the rest of the message. Nothing but the telltale dots bouncing to reveal the sender was typing another message.

  Sorry, I just realized you probably don’t know who this is. It’s Josh. Haven’t seen you for a few days. When I asked Gina about you guys coming to the gala next weekend she gave me your number. Hope you don’t mind.

  Gina gave him her number? Why would she do that? Brynn considered her obnoxious but well-meaning friend. Gina had never particularly cared for Caleb. She remembered Gina calling him “vanilla” at one point, and not because of the color of his skin. Gina liked “Mr. Davis” and had been enjoying harassing Brynn about him. She would totally take advantage of an open door and walk right on through. Which was why Brynn hadn’t mentioned the gala.

  Brynn thought for a few minutes about whether or not to respond, and if so, how. She reread the text from Josh and realized her read receipts were on. She sighed, knowing there was no way to avoid replying. He could already see that she’d read it.

  She tucked her right leg under her body and leaned against the left arm of the couch. With a roll of her tightly coiled shoulder muscles and a twist of her neck, she came up with a simple response that shouldn’t invite conversation. Because, obviously, she shouldn’t be conversing with Josh outside of work anymore. It wasn’t right.

  I’m okay. Evil stomach bug kept me home. Thanks for checking on me. Sorry I never got back to you about the gala.

  Her phone vibrated in her hand immediately.

  Evil stomach bug? That’s awful. Hope you feel better soon. Brendan missed you the last two days. Says it’s not as fun without Miss Brynn.

  She smiled, picturing her favorite little boy with his soft buzzed hair that came to a little widow’s peak on his forehead, his glassy inquisitive eyes absorbing the world around him with unmatched excitement about every little thing and his Tigger-like bouncing around, so full of love and affection. Her heart leapt thinking of the adorable way Brendan always threw his arms around her legs in an exuberant hug. And that dimpled little smile, so like his father’s. His father’s. Thinking of Josh’s matching grin made her heart pound a little harder, race a little faster. Whoa, there, Brynn. Down, girl.

  She tossed her phone to the other end of the couch like it was a hot potato. She could not sit here thinking about that handsome smile or the man attached to it. She could not be texting the man, her heart racing like some silly school girl crush. He was a father of one of her students! She had a boyfriend, for heaven’s sake! It just wasn’t right.

  Oh…but heaven help her, he was a really, really good guy, and cute too. And they were friends, kind of, right?

  Her fingers slid slowly
across the couch and wrapped around the phone. As if of their own will, they began typing.

  Josh

  Josh watched the little dots on his screen bounce. Gina had surprised him when she’d given him Brynn’s number this afternoon, insisting that he should call to confirm about the gala. When he’d asked whether she and Brynn planned to attend, Gina had looked at him in utter confusion and he’d realized immediately that Brynn had never asked her to go. Gina had quickly recovered and given him a knowing look that unnerved him before repeating that he should call Brynn about it.

  As quickly as his heart had sunk at the realization that Brynn must never have intended to go, Gina had interjected that Brynn had gotten sick Wednesday night and it had probably slipped her mind. Josh wasn’t so sure, given her evasion when he’d initially mentioned it and the awkward silence after asking about the Lobo game.

  Leaning against the kitchen counter, he glanced down at the bouncing dots again. When they stopped, he released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He’d been so nervous to text her, but couldn’t help himself. The phone buzzed in his hand.

  I missed him too. I do feel better, mostly. The couch is starting to look like an ROUS lives here, though, so I need to get better soon before my mom calls the exterminator.

  He laughed at the Princess Bride reference. Nice. So back to the fire swamp, then?

  A swoosh sound of reply was followed by We’ve been living there quite comfortably for some time.

  He chuckled aloud, unable to think of any other quotes that applied just then. He looked up to see Brendan skip into the room.

  “Hey, dad? Is the pizza almost done? I’m starving!”