"What? Are you sick, Paula?" I asked again, with all the signs of worry evident in my tone.
She should have just stayed at home instead of forcing herself to come over.
"You really shouldn't even think about getting high when you're this sick," I continued without giving her a chance to respond.
I couldn't help but wonder if Liam was aware of her condition. If he knew, he shouldn't have let her come.
"When did it start?" I asked her.
"It's nothing. It's probably the afternoon sun" she replied, chuckling again, but this time her smile seemed even more forced than before.
As she said this, she quickened her pace until she reached the door, then paused, waiting for Liam to catch up. Liam still seemed to be in a celebratory mood as he held his girlfriend in his arms.
Just as he was typing some numbers on the white square box next to his door I suddenly found us already settled in his living room.
The typical dream-like teleportation.
That was probably the first living room I had been to except from the owner's own. The owner of the orphanage had a living room, but it couldn't compare to the spacious and beautiful living room that Liam had.
Liam's living room was impressive, with a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and it was spacious enough to accommodate more than an entire class of students.
The design appeared lavish and somewhat extravagant, yet it didn't change the fact that the luxurious chairs felt uncomfortable when I sat down.
But my concern for Paula outweighed any discomfort. I found myself closely observing her, noting how she was putting every ounce of effort into making everyone believe she was perfectly fine.
I had a strong suspicion that she wasn't alright, especially since I noticed Liam casting worried glances in her direction from time to time, always when he thought she wasn't watching.
"My brother gave me this as my last birthday gift. Jess come and try this and see if you'll be sober with this one" Liam said when he brought out a rather disturbing-looking contracture.
It was a known thing to Liam and Paula that I had never gotten high on anything. The highest amount just made me a little bit tipsy and nothing more.
"Is that what it looks like?" I asked as I looked at the multi-stemmed instrument.
It had pipes coming out of its two sides and the middle piece had an opening on top that Liam was heating some mind-intensifying grasses. The middle piece of the strange contracture ended on a round bottom that contained a liquid inside.
'Grasses '
That was what it looked like to me.
They all laughed when I asked the question. I considered myself quite outgoing and not afraid to engage with others, often cracking jokes. However, the question I had asked wasn't humorous, so I couldn't understand why they were all laughing.
" You know that I've never seen this before, " I said
"Newbie" Nanya chuckled under her breath and for the first time her voice riled up a deep anger within me and I shot a furious look in her direction before I could get a hold of my emotions. She quickly averted her eyes from me.
It might have been an innocent joke but knowing Nanya and her penchant for sarcasm, I wasn't so sure.
Everything she said seemed to carry hidden meanings, especially when she conversed with anyone other than Liam. Surprisingly, in the past week since they started dating, she hadn't directed any of her sarcasm or remarks at me (not that we had talked much; she mostly stuck to giving me icy glares).
"What a strange contracture," I said as I walked towards the tiny corridor that led to the bar station that Paula was currently in. She had been there for a while so I had to check if she was okay.
The bar station wasn't filled with a lot of wine but that wasn't the main deal. There was supposed to be a storage somewhere in the house that had rows and rows of wine.
"Hey, Paula. What's up?" I asked.
She had opened a bottle of wine and was downing its contents straight out of the bottle.
"I'm writing," she replied, her pen swiftly moving across the pages of her book. She never let anyone read her work of art until she was completely satisfied with it.
"What are they doing?" she inquired without looking up from her book. "Liam's attempting to make that thing work, and Nanya is just observing him," I explained
Her braids cascaded to one side as she tilted her head in that direction, appearing like a disheartened artist lost in thought.
I couldn't help but wonder if she felt overwhelmed being around Liam and Nanya. It was natural to admit that she might be a little envious of their relationship.
"We can leave if you'd like," I offered, but her expression suddenly shifted to one of curiosity. It made me question whether I was the only one feeling uneasy about Liam and Nanya.
Her pondering look seemed as if she couldn't understand why I wanted us to leave and what she said next confirmed it.
"You're bored already ?" she inquired, her face displaying a puzzled expression. I was originally so excited to try out the strange contracture in Liam's living room but with the way Paula was acting strange I lost all enthusiasm.
"Not really. But you look bored"
" I'm not bored. I just don't feel like smoking that at the moment. "
While she spoke, I gently touched the back of my hand to her cheek, only to feel that it was burning with an intense heat. I never imagined someone could be that hot to the touch.
"You're undeniably sick, P. Let's postpone this and get you to the hospital "
"Don't worry. Liam had already gotten a drug for me" She said as she placed a hand on my forearm that was resting on the long table.
"I'm getting better. Go now. Don't be weird" she said and returned to what she was doing. I hesitated, then sat on a long stool next to her and then pulled out a bottle of wine.
"You know what. I don't feel like smoking either. "
After I made that comment, silence fell upon us, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as the tension of being in Liam's living room with Nanya and Liam.
We found comfort in each other's presence, without the need for words.
Then in a blink of an eye, I found myself in front of a smaller door. It was normal then, to be suddenly appearing at different locations.
I was peering through the door into a narrow space that led to a toilet at the far end.
Paula was bent over the toilet, heaving and emptying her stomach contents into it. The sounds of vomit splashing into the toilet indicated that what she was throwing up was mostly liquid. I suspected it was the wine she had consumed earlier.