I’d fallen asleep on the couch again. I woke up with a groan, arching my body and stretching out a few kinks in my neck. I felt uncomfortable, but instead of moving, I just remained curled on the couch after my stretch.How many days had it been since I last stepped out of my apartment? I wasn’t sure, but my mind was groggy, and my body felt heavy. I somehow managed to get a cold, though it might be something a little more serious than that. I’d told Grady so the guys knew not to expect me for a while. Hopefully, it bought enough time for me to talk to Zoe about things before I completely refused the contract. I hated being sick, though, especially being sick by myself, which was how it usually happened.A harsh cough wracked my body, and I winced as I wrapped a hand around my throat. Damn, that hurts.I was usually a healthy person. Aside from my brush with drugs, booze, and women, I ate healthy meals and exercised plenty. Something as simple as a cold, I maybe caught it a few times

Maybe Zoe was right, I shouldn’t have pushed it.I wanted to ignore the ring of my alarm. Even though I wasn’t sleeping, I was exhausted. I was probably like this due to stress, though.The same day I healed up, I just had to speak with Ben about our relationship. I didn’t want to put it off, for a number of reasons, but I really should have. Ben wasn’t exactly accepting, yet. After he’d calmed down from the big reveal, he’d sat me down in the living room while insisting that Zoe and Mom stay in the kitchen. He’d started a line of questioning that left me high strung, to the point I’d gotten a slight fever when I got back.Zoe had stayed behind at home. She’d just gotten back, and it wasn’t like we’d be apart for long, anyway, now that her dad knew and was reluctantly on board with the idea of the two of us getting together. She didn’t know I got sick again, but I still had the meds from the previous night, and I’d eaten already, so I took some meds and went to sleep.My muscles nearl