Free Soulmates by Holly Bourne

sec?” I asked Ryan, grabbing his hand for support, not caring what he might think of the physical contact.
    “Of course.”
    “I just need to…er…get another drink…”
    And then everything went black.
    I regained consciousness before I opened my eyes.
    “Is she okay?” I heard a worried voice say. Maybe it was the drummer.
    “She’s fine.” That was Lizzie’s voice. “I think she just got too hot.”
    The realization of what had happened dawned on me. Humiliation seeped through my face and I felt my cheeks flush.
    “She’s still not awake. Should we call 999 or something?”
    I kept my eyes closed. That way I could pretend it wasn’t real.
    “Let’s tickle her,” I heard Noah say.
    He wouldn’t, would he?
    “Noah, are you really going to tickle her?”
    “Yep.”
    I knew if he touched me again I wouldn’t be able to handle it, so, cursing him silently, I reluctantly opened my eyes and let the scene come into focus.
    “See. She’s awake.”
    I was on my back. Squinting up against the sun, I could see everyone’s expressions. Ryan, Will and Jack looked absolutely terrified but were trying to hide it, pretending girls randomly passed out in beer gardens all the time. The girls, Ruth included, looked suitably concerned. It was just Noah laughing. I glared at him.
    “Wakey wakey,” he said. “Nice of you to join us.”
    I tried to sit up. Bad move. Everything lost focus again and I fought to stay conscious.
    “Careful now,” Lizzie said, kneeling down and letting me put my weight on her. “Let’s go to the ladies’ and get you sorted out.”
    My face burned. I hated my stupid body and its bad habits. “Sorry,” I said, stumbling to my feet. “I think I just got too hot. Didn’t drink enough water…”
    I leaned on Lizzie for support and she guided me expertly to the loos, Ruth and Amanda in tow.
    “Maybe you guys want to get another round in,” Lizzie called behind her. “We won’t be long.”
    I staggered into the toilets and Ruth put a loo seat down so I could sit. I fell onto it and put my face in my hands, willing myself to wake up from the nightmare. I practised my breathing exercises, counting in and out again, and gradually felt myself getting stronger.
    The toilets were insanely plush and over the top. Instead of a sink there was a stand-alone basin which spurted out water like a fountain. The walls were painted deep purple and adorned with giant gold-framed mirrors. I could see at least six images of myself reflected around the room.
    I looked a mess.
    When I got my breath back, I looked up at my friends.
    “Well, where the hell did that come from?” Lizzie said.
    I looked down at my flip-flops. “Sorry,” I said. “Twice in a week.”
    “What happened?” Ruth asked gently. I found it vaguely amusing that she was here playing the “caring friend” role. She obviously wanted to impress Will with her (fake) generous nature.
    “I don’t know,” I replied honestly.
    “Was it another panic attack?” Amanda said. “It wasn’t like at the gig. You just passed out like a normal person.”
    I winced at the word “normal”. “No,” I said. “I don’t think it was another panic attack.”
    “Well, what was it then?”
    I had an idea but the words seemed stupid. I tried them anyway.
    “I dunno… It’s Noah…it’s like I’m allergic to him or something… Whenever I’m around him I feel like I’m in danger… No, that’s silly…I don’t know.”
    My friends looked confused.
    “You’re allergic to Noah?” Lizzie was sceptical.
    I half-smiled. “No. I’m just being stupid.”
    “Well, this has happened both times you’ve seen him,” Amanda said. “Maybe it’s his aftershave? Did your doctor say you had any allergies that brought these things on?”
    I shook my head. “No. It’s just a coincidence. Forget it.”
    It didn’t
feel
like a coincidence, but I knew I sounded like a madman and I didn’t like them all looking at me. I just wanted to go