*3*

It’s only a twenty-minute drive from the hospital to my apartment. I get out of my parents’ car and walk up to the main door. I stop before going in to wave at them. I yell to them, “I will call you guys tomorrow, promise.” My dad waves back and starts the car. I watch them for a moment before going inside. It’s decorated with muted colors of red, peach, and gray. All I hear is the soft electronic buzz, otherwise, the building is silent. It is one of the reasons I decided to move here instead of on campus. I want a higher education, not the college experience. Parties, frat boys, sororities, and all that is a big no thanks for me.

I start for the elevator, but I am brimming with energy. So I take the stairs instead. As I jog up them, I hum softly. Shock hits me when I see the 4th Floor placard. I am not even slightly winded. “Okay then,” I say with a laugh and walk down the hallway to apartment 4-C. When I open the door I smile when I see Kirk, sitting on the couch, a thick textbook in his lap. “Hey, you,” I greet him, closing the door. 

Kir stands, setting his programming textbook to the side. “How are you feeling? Your mom said you were hungry so I got some Chinese.” He kisses my cheek and I grin, throwing my arms around his neck.

“I’m starving. Thanks, Babe,” I say before kissing him, not just a “hi, I’m happy to see you” frumpy kiss but a real kiss.

“Wow. I should bring food more often,” he says when the kiss breaks and gives me a large smile. I kiss him again but it’s a shorter one this time. I am starving after all. 

“Come on Handsome, I’m hungry,” I tease him suggestively, enjoying the surprise on his face. I'm usually not the playful flirty type but tonight I just feel so good, like I can do anything or anything can happen and I love it. I skip to the kitchen, getting us plates, forks, and all that. I can feel Kirk watching me but instead of making me feel self-conscious, it makes me feel empowered. The smells of the food make my mouth water, literally, and I start to dish out food onto my plate.

I ignore my usual favorite, lo-mein, and go straight for the sweet and sour pork, beef and peppers, and General Tso chicken. “What? I’m hungry,” I say when I notice Kirk giving me a strange look.

“I see that it's just I didn’t think you liked meat all that much,” he tells me. He’s right. I’m not a big fan, but I don’t know. Tonight it’s what I feel like eating. Maybe it has something to do with passing out and all that. Maybe I’m low on protein or whatever. I don’t really care. I don’t want to dissect myself right now. 

“I don’t know,” I say with a shrug. “Just feel like eating it I guess. Don’t worry I’ll leave you some.” I don’t know how I did it but I ate everything on my plate. “That was so good. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten such good Chinese. Did you go someplace new,” I ask.

Kirk shakes his head at me, giving me that odd look again. “No, I went to the usual. Where did you put it all Oliva? I think you ate more than I did,” he says with a laugh.

I grin and shrug, feeling satisfied…well mostly satisfied. There was one more thing I felt hungry for. I get up, putting our dishes in the sink for me to wash later, I walk over to him and sit on his lap. Again, surprise washes over his face. ‘Just you wait big boy’, I think with a seductive smile then lean over to kiss him like it’s our last night on earth. As expected, he doesn’t need much encouragement to join along. It’s not long before half our clothes on the floor with us panting like we just ran a marathon.

“Take me to the room, Handsome, and make me see the stars,” I whisper to him in a wanton plea. I get up, knowing he isn’t strong enough to pick me up and take me to the room. I blow him a kiss then dash to the bedroom with a giggle, daring him to catch me.

“Uhm, okay,” I hear him say and I giggle some more. Opening the bed, room door I turn and crook my finger to him. “Over here, Sexy.”

Kirk grins as he walks over to me, but I can see the surprise and maybe a little confusion on his face. He catches up to me, his hands fall on my hips and he kisses me. It’s soft and sweet, but I’m not in the mood for soft and sweet. I grab his belt and pull him closer, putting more passion in the kiss as I undo his belt and unbutton his pants. I break the kiss and give him my best sultry smile as I say, “I want you, Kirk Thomas.”

I step back, I remove my jeans, shimmying them down my legs. I do the same with my panties then unhook my bra, dropping it on the floor. Kirk is watching me. I can still see surprise with a hint of confusion, but I also see he wants me too. I take his hand in mine and pull him over to the bed where I push him down on it. I straddle him with a kiss and take every inch of him I want.

It's still dark when I woke up. The large red numbers read four-thirty. It’s way too early to be getting up but I am wide awake. I carefully slip out of the bed so as not to wake up Kirk. I know his class isn’t till nine so there’s no need to wake him up now but I’ll make sure his phone’s alarm is set. I walk over to the chair near the window to get my robe. I look out into the inky black predawn. It looks like we’re still under cloud cover but I see glimpses of the moon.

It’s waning now but it’s still pretty full. A shiver runs through me and my skin prickles with goosebumps. The clouds cover the moon once again and I turn from the window. Putting on my thin blue robe, I look around the room till I find Kirk’s pants. Taking out his cell phone, I set the alarm before going into the bathroom for a shower. I’m hoping if I can get in early enough I can talk to my professors about the assignments I missed yesterday.

I scowl at myself as I step under the hot water. How can I have been so stupid to overdose on caffeine? I could’ve killed myself. My car was proof enough of that. I continue with my morning routine and look at the pink marks on my left arm. In my nightmare that had been where the monster thing had bitten me. Of course, that was a dream but where did I get these marks from? I don’t remember seeing them before yesterday.