Promises are Meant to Be Kept

“JULIA, WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!” I started running towards the voice. I turned into one of the hospital rooms to find Hannah lying pale and motionless on the hospital bed.

“Wha-what happened?” I whispered. She was doing so well… How-what-why…? I silently walked to the bed where Hannah laid silently.

I felt hot, silent tears streaming down my face as I heard the heart monitor hold a flat, monotone beep. They started falling even faster when I saw that she had a soft smile on her face. I completely broke down and collapsed on the floor next to her bed, sobbing.

I woke up and sat up with tears on my face and wide eyes.

“Julia, are you okay? You’re shaking,” a sleepy voice next to my asked me as they held me closer.

Crap, another nightmare. Wait, where am I? I silently looked to the person holding me. Oh yeah, I’m at Andrew’s. We watched a movie after our date at the rink, and we must’ve fallen asleep.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine. Just a bad dream,” I reassured him and I buried my face in his shoulder to avoid the subject.

He gently grabbed my chin and pulled up my face to meet his eyes. “Please tell me, Jules,” he pleaded with me.

I sighed. “Do I have to?” I mumbled in his shirt. He chuckled and said yes. I explained my nightmare and about how this wasn’t the first time I had these kind of dreams.

“Babe, you know that that’s not happening, right?” I nodded as more tears continued to soak his shirt.

“This happened when I first interned at St. Paul’s, too. I’m not sure why they start or stop when they do, but they went away after a few weeks,” I explained further.

He hugged me tighter and rubbed my back as I calmed down. I immediately felt better, and I sighed and looked up at him with a smile. “Why is it that whenever we’re alone together, I cry?” We both chuckled a bit, and I stretched my arms, being careful not to whack him in the face in doing so.

“What time is it?” he asked me as I checked my phone. I got off the couch and lazily walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. “Around 8:30. What time do you have practice?” I asked as I drank some water.

“10:15. We have a game tonight, ya know,” he said as wrapped his arms around my waist. “What time do you have to get to the hospital?”

“Around the same time,” I said as I made scrambled eggs, which was getting a tad bit difficult since Andrew kept running his hands up and down my sides.

“Will you come to our game?” he murmured in my ear. I continued to cook the eggs and thought about it. Does that mean I have to sit with the WAG’s? Wait… Am I a WAG?? Andrew must’ve read my mind because he said, “You don’t have to sit with the WAG’s if you don’t want to.”

I nodded. “Okay,” I said as I dished the eggs onto two plates. He stopped moving his hands.

“Really?”

I chuckled. “Why do you sound so surprised? Am I that bad of a person?” He started shaking his head frantically.

“No, no, no, that’s not what I meant!” I turned around, put my hands on his shoulders and smiled.

“I was kidding. Now eat your breakfast,” I said with a peck on the cheek. We sat and ate in a comfortable silence.

“I think I should go. I have to shower and get ready for work…” I trailed off. He grabbed my hands as I stood up.

“You could shower here and borrow clothes to drive home in. Please stay a little longer,” he argued.

I sighed. “I’m guessing you won’t drive me home if I don’t?” He grinned and nodded. “Fine. Could you throw a towel and some clothes in the bathroom when I do the dishes?” He pushed me towards the bathroom.

“I will do the dishes, but I’ll throw your stuff in the bathroom while you’re in the shower,” he shooed me into the bathroom. I smiled and shook my head as I shed my clothes and walked into the shower where I turned on the hot water and stood there.

A few moments later Andrew opened the door and announced he was putting the stuff on the counter. I thanked him and pretty soon the door was closed again. I scrubbed my hair, and body. I was breathing in the scent of Andrew’s soap and smiled to myself that I now smell like the man I was quickly falling for.

I finished up and was soon dressed in a pair of baggy sweatpants that I had to roll up the waist band a couple times for, and a baggy Rockford t-shirt. “You know Andrew, I don’t understand why you made me stay here to spend more time with you when I was in the shower by myself the whole time,” I said as I casually walked into the living room where Andrew was absent from. Where is he? I walked around the apartment a little before I stopped in his room and found him asleep on top of the covers.

I chuckled before nudging his shoulder and sitting next to him. “Andrew, you need to wake up. I have to go to work, and you have practice,” I told him. One of his arms shot up and pulled me so I was lying down in front of him. I blushed and looked at my fingers, which were currently intertwined with his.

I looked at his face where I found his hazel eyes staring straight into mine. I felt my cheeks turn crimson and I started to get off the bed when Andrew asked, “Hey, where do you think you’re going?” He pulled me down again but this time started tickling me.

“Andrew- I- have- work!” I struggled to get out between laughs.

“Not until you kiss me,” he mumbled as he stopped tickling me.

I raised an eyebrow and pecked his cheek.

“What? I ask for a kiss and I get one on the cheek?” he exclaimed as he leaped back. As soon as he leapt back I took the opportunity to escape the bedroom and run out to the living room. He came running after me and wrapped his arms around me from the back still laughing in my ear.

I turned around and both of us were grinning ear to ear. I bravely put and hands on his cheeks and carefully brought his face towards mine, never breaking eye contact. Our faces were inches away from each other and I heard Andrew whisper under his breath, “Oh screw it.” Then he closed the space and pressed his lips on mine.