Soaked ;)
1400 Words
ROSALIE’s POV
It was mid-afternoon, and I sat uneasily at the back of the lecture hall while the lecturer droned on for what felt like hours. On a normal day, I was usually excited for class and maybe what some people would refer to as a bookworm. Unfortunately, today was anything but normal.
I’d been really uncomfortable, constantly shifting in my seat and adjusting my position, trying to ease the strange restlessness crawling under my skin.
It wasn’t just discomfort.
It felt strange. Like something deep inside me had been yanked tight.
My fingers twitched against the edge of my notebook as an inexplicable pressure settled over my chest. My breath suddenly became shallow, my lungs refusing to fill no matter how hard I inhaled.
I frowned.
What the hell was happening?
Maybe I was coming down with something. That had to be it. But sickness had never felt like this. As much as I’d schooled my expression to prevent my uneasiness from showing, I still got curious glances from others sitting nearby. I suppose I wasn’t as sleek as I’d hoped. But why did it seem like I was drawing only male attention, and they didn’t seem to be looking at me with just curiosity?
A few of them kept glancing my way before quickly looking elsewhere the second our eyes met.
Weird.
I shifted again, pressing my thighs together beneath the desk as another round of heat ran through my body.
Oh, moon goddess.
Why was it so hot in here?
I discreetly tugged at the collar of my shirt, hoping to let in some air, but it barely helped. My skin felt feverish, my pulse strangely erratic.
“…And if you look at the brachial plexus—”
The lecturer’s voice became nothing more than background noise. Usually I’d already have two pages of notes by now.
Today, I hadn’t even finished half a page.
The words on the projector blurred together every time I tried to focus.
A dull ache settled low in my stomach, not exactly painful, just distracting.
My emotions were somehow worse. For absolutely no reason whatsoever, I suddenly wanted to cry.
Why?
Nothing had even happened.
I swallowed hard and blinked several times, trying to force the ridiculous feeling away.
Get yourself together.
Another cold breeze drifted through the lecture hall from the open windows, carrying the scent of freshly cut grass after the morning sun. It was about to rain, and the clouds were getting darker.
Instead of getting cooled down by the cold air, my body was still really hot, and I felt a small drop of sweat start to break out. I squeezed my eyes shut to stop the feeling, but to no avail.
No. I couldn’t stay here any longer; the discomfort had grown unbearable.
When the lecturer turned to write something on the board, I quietly packed my notebook into my backpack before slipping out through the back door.
I inhaled deeply when a gust of wind blew, feeling better for a brief second, but the strange sensation returned almost immediately, even worse than before.
I leaned against the wall and rubbed my temples.
“Rosalie?”
I looked up to find Blair hurrying toward me, concern written all over her face.
“I saw you leave the class. Are you okay?”
Before I could answer her, I felt a strong dizziness so suddenly that my knees nearly buckled. I grabbed the cold hallway wall for support, my breathing hitching as a strange ache spread through every muscle in my body. It felt like my entire body had become too aware of itself. The scent of Blair’s floral shampoo suddenly seemed unbelievably strong, almost overwhelming.
“I… I don’t know.” I managed to say.
She frowned and rushed closer. “You don’t look okay.”
“I think I’m getting sick.”
“You look flushed.”
“I feel flushed.”
She reached out and pressed the back of her hand against my forehead.
“You’re not burning up.”
“Really?”
She nodded slowly. “But you’re sweating.”
I looked down. Sure enough, tiny beads of perspiration glistened along my neck despite the building being fully air-conditioned.
“…That’s odd.”
“You should probably go home.”
“I think I will.”
“You sure you don’t want me to come with you? I think it’s going to rain soon.”
“I’ll be okay. It’s probably just exhaustion, and I’m sure I’d get to the apartment before the rain starts; it’s only a seven-minute walk.” I forced a reassuring smile.
“If you say so.”
After saying goodbye and watching her reenter the lecture hall, I slowly made my way toward the campus exit. The walk back was difficult; my leg felt like stones had been tied to it, causing it to feel heavy as I walked. I had only walked for about three minutes when a low rumble of thunder echoed overhead.
I barely had enough time to look up before the heavens opened. Rain poured down in thick sheets.
“Oh, come on!” I wasn’t even out of the campus yet!
Students shrieked and scattered in every direction, rushing into nearby buildings. I contemplated following suit, but with how uneasy I felt, going under the rain felt like a better option than waiting any longer on campus. Maybe the cold rain would stop my body from feeling like it was on fire.
Since I hadn’t brought an umbrella, I broke into a jog toward the apartment complex, but within seconds I was completely drenched.
My white button-up white shirt clung uncomfortably to my skin while rainwater dripped from my hair into my eyes. By the time I reached the apartment building, I looked like I’d jumped into a swimming pool.
As I hurried through the lobby, several residents looked up. One elderly woman blinked in shock when she saw me. Two college guys paused mid-conversation, their eyes following me until I walked past. I caught another guy staring before he quickly looked away, almost as though he’d been caught doing something embarrassing. One even frowned at himself and shook his head before walking off faster. Was there something on my face?
Even the receptionist behind the front desk stared for a second too long.
I offered an awkward smile.
Guess I really do look like a drowned cat.
Embarrassed, I hurried into the elevator before the doors slid shut.
The ride felt painfully slow. Finally, the doors opened onto my floor.
I hurried down the hallway, fished my keys from my soaked purse, and unlocked the apartment door. The apartment smelled different this time. It was strangely comforting, yet it also made the restless feeling inside me intensify.
The moment I stepped inside, I froze. Four pairs of familiar eyes immediately landed on me. Adrian, Theodore, Felix, Lucian. I hadn’t seen them for over a week, and it’d been complete radio silence from them. But now they were all home, sitting in the living room while a football game was playing on the television.
None of them said a word, They just stared at me.
Their expressions were strange. Almost like they were stunned.
My brows knitted together. If anything, I should be the shocked one; they hadn’t been home for over a week, yet they were looking at me like they’d seen a ghost.
“…What?”
Silence.
Theodore quickly looked away, Felix coughed into his fist, Lucian’s jaw visibly tightened, and even Adrian, who usually looked composed, barely showing an expression no matter the situation, seemed oddly frozen.
Was there something wrong? I get that I looked like a drenched cat, but that wasn’t the most interesting sight to ever exist, so why were they staring for this long?
“…Why are you all looking at me like that?”
No one answered. Instead, I noticed every single one of them seemed to be avoiding looking me directly in the eyes.
Their gazes lingered… lower.
Confused, I frowned and followed the direction of their eyes. The instant I looked down, my entire body went rigid.
“Oh…”
My soaked white shirt had become almost completely transparent, clinging tightly to every curve of my body. The black lace bra I wore underneath was in complete display!
“Oh, my Goddess.”
- Writer
