My Hockey Alpha

Chapter 0483

Nina

The moment the nausea hit me, I knew something was off. It wasn't just a twinge of discomfort, either. It was a mad dash to the bathroom to keep myself from making a mess all over the entire house.

When I finally leaned over the toilet, emptying whatever remnants were in my stomach, I felt fragile and weak, like I was hanging on by a thread.

What was this awful stomach bug? And why had it been plaguing me for so long?

*Great timing, Nina," I muttered to myself as I rinsed my mouth and splashed a little cold water on my face. The cold shock momentarily gave me a tiny burst of energy, but as I looked in the mirror, I couldn't deny the pallor of my skin and the unmistakable drowsiness in my eyes.

I looked like I was half-dead.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed from the living room and brought me back to reality. I recognized Enzo's ringtone- our song-and my heart did a little flip.

Forcing myself to put on a facade of normalcy, I managed to stumble out of the bathroom and sink down onto the couch where my uneaten takeout food lay in front of me before I took a shuddering breath and picked up the phone.

"Hey," I said, pasting a smile on my face as though Enzo was right here, looking at me. In an odd way, it made me feel a little better.

Enzo's voice echoed back to me, a source of comfort when I really needed it. "Hey, gorgeous," he said, and I could hear the sound of rustling in the background as he was likely rifling around in his suitcase. "Made it to the hotel. Wanted to check in."

The sound of his voice brought me comfort in knowing that he had at least made it safely to the hotel. "I'm glad you made it," I said, leaning my head back on the couch and swallowing. "How was the flight?"

Enzo chuckled. "You wouldn't believe it. The flight attendant confused me with someone wealthy and accidentally bumped me up to first class. The guy was pretty pissed when he found me in his seat. It was a whole ordeal."

I laughed, picturing Enzo dealing with an angry diva over an airplane seat; Enzo, in all of his levelheaded glory, probably smirked throughout the whole thing. "That's funny," I said, reveling in the normalcy of our conversation despite my roiling stomach.

"Right? But wait, there's more. The guy sitting next to me, halfway into the flight, fell asleep and drooled all over my shoulder."

"Ew, gross!"

*Tell me about it. And the taxi driver wouldn't shut up, kept going on about how the city has changed and 'kids these days'. But hey, the hotel room is perfect. I wish you could be here."

I could hear the excitement in his voice, tinged with the exhaustion of a long day. But even then, something inside me twisted even more, a wrenching feeling that had little to do with my sickness and more with the distance that was suddenly so palpable between us.

"It sounds like you had quite the adventure. So, what's your plan now?"

"I'm beat, but Tim insisted on taking me out for dinner, so I'll be heading out again soon," he said. "What about you? Been missing me much, or glad to have me gone for once?"

As Enzo spoke, I felt my stomach do a flip again. But I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth about how I felt. Not when he sounded so excited. It would only ruin his first night out.

*Of course I'm missing you. But I just ordered some food. Watching some scary movies now," I half-lied, my eyes

involuntarily drifting to the bathroom door.

"Scary movies? Don't spook yourself too much. That house gets creepy when it's empty."Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

I laughed. "That's the goal. So I have a good excuse to make you come back early."

He chuckled, but then his tone suddenly turned serious. "Are you sure you're okay, Nina? You sound a bit...off."

I sighed, a little annoyed by his persistent worry but also baffled by his ability to read me. "I'm fine, Enzo. Really. Just focus on your trip and quit worrying about me so much."