“I’d be hesitant to call them cavemen,” Aaron starts and rolls his eyes.
“Oh, sorry, they’ve evolved since they wear helmets now, right?” She fires back. Jamie is playing with fire going toe-to-toe with Aaron. He’s the king of the comeback. It’s part of his job, always be quick to fire off a response, except this time, he doesn’t. “You know football is rigged, right?” Jamie continues egging him on.
I see Drew chuckle as he looks at Aaron.
“Rigged?” Aaron raises a doubting eyebrow. “It’s not rigged.”
“Bullshit,” Jamie fires back at him. “Those refs are all bought.”
“Since when did you become an expert in football?” Aaron spits out, eyeing her up and down. “Looks like you spend more time at Nordstrom than on a football field—"
“All right, guys,” Drew intervenes, cutting Aaron off. “Let’s not argue over football.”
“I’m not arguing.” Jamie shrugs. “I’m sharing facts.”
I grin. I’ve always loved how she doesn’t give a shit what anyone thinks.
“Facts, huh?” Aaron scoffs.
Drew looks at me and his lips contort into a sly grin as Jamie and Aaron now banter back and forth at each other through huffs, eye rolls, and snarky comments under their breath.
“What time is it?” Jamie finally asks.
“Time for you to get the hell out of here,” Aaron chimes in. We all know he’s kidding, but I pick up one of the pillows and toss it at his head. The pillow bounces off him and lands at his feet.
We all laugh and the conversation turns lighter. Nothing makes me happier than spending time with three of my favorite people. There’s something about the comfort and ease I feel with them that makes me content…happy, and Jamie and Aaron are absolutely hysterical together.
We all talk for at least another hour, thankfully without Jamie and Aaron killing each other. Earlier, Drew brought out blankets for all of us and started the fire to keep us warm. Jamie and I listened to Drew and Aaron tell stories from their childhood and Drew and I listened to Jamie and Aaron take comical digs at each other all night.
“I need to go,” Jamie finally says, standing up and stretching. “Where’s my phone?” she asks me.
“Your purse?” I suggest, not even remembering her having her phone with her out here on the terrace.
“I’m going to call an Uber.”
“You can’t get into a car with a stranger,” Aaron remarks, like it’s the stupidest thing he’s ever heard.
“I do it all the time,” she snaps back at him.
He scoffs, “And to think I thought you had brains under that—”
Jamie props both of her hands on her hips. “If you say blonde hair, I’m going to rip your balls off, bring them home, and feed them to my cats.”
Drew busts out laughing, and Aaron covers his crotch protectively with his hands. “Should have known you were a cat lady,” he grumbles and I double over in laughter.
“Traitor,” Jamie bumps me with her shoulder. She knows I’ve never liked cats.
“Where do you live?” Drew asks Jamie.
“East Village.”
Aaron pushes himself up off the couch and reaches his hands above his head in an over-exaggerated stretch. The hem of his t-shirt rises, and his muscular abs are on full display. “Being the gentleman that I am, I suppose I’ll escort you home.”
“Not happening,” Jamie snaps back at him.
Aaron rolls his neck and cracks his knuckles like he’s about to tackle something difficult. “Shut up, woman. Get your purse so I can deliver you safely to your East Side high-rise in the sky and get you to bed.”
Jamie scoffs but doesn’t argue and Drew looks at me with a surprised look. I shake my head, a non-verbal sign to keep his mouth shut. What those two do is their business and I’m staying out of it, at least for now.
“Love you,” I tell Jamie as she pulls me into a hug. “Thank you for coming over.”
“I love your place,” she says before releasing me and pulling Drew into an awkward hug. This whole mixing business with pleasure has all of us in unchartered territory, but Drew rolls with it and hugs her back.
“Thanks for coming by. You’re always welcome here,” Drew tells her.
“Damn right I am.” She smirks at him. “You’re not the only one who gets time with my girl.”
Drew smiles.
“Let’s go!” Aaron says impatiently, shooing her off the terrace.
Jamie waves at us over her shoulder and Drew and I both shake our heads at them.
“The sexual tension between them is off the charts,” I remark.
“Please don’t talk about it,” he groans as he shuts off the outdoor fire pit. “Those two are an HR nightmare waiting to happen. Oil and water.”
“And we aren’t?” I raise my eyebrows.
“No. We’re not.” He winks at me and pulls me into a long hug before pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. “Now let’s go to bed. I need some alone time with you, and I thought they’d never leave.” He palms my ass before dragging me off to the bedroom.
I wake up feeling worse than ever. My entire body aches and my head is pounding. I’m so weak, I feel like I can barely gather the strength to get out of bed. It’s time to see a doctor, and not at the Minute Clinic.
Drew sleeps peacefully next to me as I reach for my phone and search for a clinic or urgent care that’s open on Sundays. I’m lucky enough to find one a few blocks over that opens in an hour.
I muster up the strength to get out of bed and into some comfortable clothes. I brush my teeth and braid my hair in an attempt to look halfway presentable in public. By the time I make myself a glass of tea, it’s time to leave. I jot a quick note on a piece of paper telling Drew I’ll be back in a bit. No need to wake him or worry him, but I know he’ll be happy I’m finally going to the doctor.
I’m the first one in the urgent care when they unlock the door at nine o’clock sharp. I sign in and take a seat to fill out the ten pages of paperwork they’ve given me. My headache makes it difficult, though, and I feel like I could vomit again at any minute.
When the medical assistant calls me back, she takes my vitals, weighs me, and sticks me in a room while she reviews my paperwork.
“Last period?” she asks. I intentionally left that blank on the paperwork because I can’t remember. I’ve always had irregular periods, which is why I’m on the pill. However, for the last six months, even those aren’t regulating me.
I explain this to her, along with agreeing to follow up with my gynecologist.
The doctor sees me right away, reviewing my paperwork, my vitals, and following up with more questions. She looks at my throat, feels the glands in my neck, looks in my eyes and ears, and does an overall general physical. She orders bloodwork, a flu and strep test, and even a urine test. She’s definitely covering all the bases and asks me to rest until the medical assistant returns.
I’ve always considered cancelling my health insurance to give me more take home pay on my paycheck. Today, I’m thankful I didn’t do that. I can only imagine what this visit would have cost me out of pocket. If I’ve learned anything, it’s don’t take your health or good medical insurance for granted.