Huguel
approached the stairs and began to climb them slowly, hoping that she wasn't already home. Maybe she was out, shopping or something. The thought made him frown. Shopping sounded boring and he wished that she would hurry up so he could talk to her instead. A few steps later he reached her door. He hesitated for a moment before knocking softly. There was no answer. Perhaps she had already left for classes. He knocked twice more before turning around and going downstairs again. If she wasn't home, he would wait until she returned later. He turned right and began walking towards his own apartment, his hands shoved deep inside his pockets.
Suddenly, he heard a car horn honking behind him. He looked back over his shoulder. A blue SUV was speeding down the street in front of him, blocking the sidewalk. The driver hit the brakes hard, causing the car to skid and bump dangerously, coming dangerously close to crashing into his own car. He cursed under his breath and turned his body to the side as the car crashed into the side of his car. He could hear the impact but it seemed to happen in slow motion. He saw blood splash across the windshield and his ears rang loudly as he felt the wind being knocked out of him. His vision went blurry for a second as pain erupted on the back of his head. Then everything went black.
***
When Hugo woke up, everything was fuzzy. The first thing he was aware of was the pain in his head. When he touched it gingerly, he winced. His hands came away bloody and he realized his fingers were swollen and bruised, like they were crushed between two heavy objects. He remembered hitting his head. It was then that he opened his eyes, afraid that he was going to see something that he couldn't bear to see. However, he didn't. The room was dark, illuminated only by the faint light of the television screen. On the couch in front of him, his roommate was sleeping peacefully, lying on his stomach. Hugo was surprised to find that he wasn't in his pajamas and instead wore his workout clothes. They were too big for him and the sleeves hung far down his arms. For a brief moment, Hugo wondered if it was his roommate's or his own. He shook his head quickly and forced himself to focus on his surroundings.
There was a cup on the table next to the couch. There was also a small bottle of painkillers next to it. Hugo lifted the pill bottle with his good hand, his right one wrapped tightly in a white towel. After swallowing two pills with water, he leaned back against the couch cushions and closed his eyes. He was just drifting off to sleep again when he heard the bedroom door open. He didn't bother opening his eyes. He just listened to his roommate's soft footsteps moving through the apartment.
Finally the footsteps stopped and Hugo could hear the bedroom door close. Moments later the bed dipped slightly and Hugo's roommate climbed under the covers beside him. Without waiting for an invitation, Hugo wrapped his arms around his roommate and pulled him close. He rested his head on his chest and listened as the steady rhythm of his roommate's heartbeat filled his ears and calmed him down. After a while he drifted off to sleep again.
Chapter 3
Hugo awoke slowly to the smell of toast and freshly brewed coffee. Groggily, he pushed the blanket off his legs and sat up, stretching out. It felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. As he swung his legs over the side of the couch, Hugo realized that his whole body hurt.
He turned toward the kitchen, only to discover that his roommate was not in the room. Hugo frowned. Hadn't he been watching TV? Hugo shrugged off the oddness of this and looked down at his feet. Where was his running shoes? He frowned. He was pretty sure he had thrown them at the foot of his bed earlier. Suddenly he remembered.