21 Jump Street (Tom Hanson)

Study Break

I had been staring as the same textbook for hours. My finals were on Friday morning and I needed to focus. I took Wednesday off to study so as soon as my shift on Tuesday ended, I immediately hit the books and I had not stopped. Time had gone by so fast, I was completely knocked off of my groove when someone knocked at my front door.

I felt groggy and incredibly tired as I lifted up my heavy head and peered out the window. It was pitch black outside. My eyes were stinging as I glanced into my coffee mug and saw that I did not have any left, so I was going to have to make more. I forgot that someone knocked on my door until they knocked again. Almost as if I was moving in slow motion, I got up to my feet and trudged to the door.

I opened it and Tom was standing there. He lifted a couple of hot chocolates to his face and he said, "thought you could use a study break."

I blinked really hard at him to make sure that he wasn't a hallucination.

"Mick?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes?" I asked, trying desperately to keep my eyes open. My head was buzzing like I was dehydrated. I probably was.

He looked at me for a moment before he said, "it's me. Tom."

I shook my head to snap out of it, "I'm sorry. I haven't slept since Tuesday."

"You haven't slept since Tuesday?!" He repeated with concern and stepped into my apartment.

"What day is it?" I asked.

"Thursday," he said, "Thursday night."

"Then... yeah. Tuesday." I yawned and rubbed my eye.

"How?" He handed me the hot chocolate.

"I don't know." I yawned again and took the cup from him. I took a sip, hoping that the sugar would help me wake up a little more.

"I can help you study," he offered.

"No, you don't have to do that," I said and walked towards my table where my textbook and notebooks were waiting for me.

"I insist," he said. He glanced around and asked, "did you get a lamp?"

I nodded as I plopped down at my designated seat for the night. I recently got some lamps to help add some warm lighting to my apartment. I got a tall one by the front door, a small one by my couch on the same side-table as my landline, and another in the middle of my bookshelf.

"Did I tell you that they're making me take Spanish this semester?" I told him. "I don't know why. I'm not even doing that well in it because I keep forgetting that I have it."

"That's no bueno." He waited a beat then finished, "that means not good."

"I know what it means," I playfully snapped at him.

It did not take much for him to talk me into letting him stay. I let him help me study, and we spent the whole night writing flash cards, and studying for my final in the morning. It was easier to stay awake now that I had some company.

I suddenly found myself smelling eggs. I lurched up with a pencil stuck to my face and I whipped my head around, trying to figure out what time it was. I plucked the pencil off my cheek and set it on the table. The sun was shining through the window, and I was surrounded by my flash cards and papers on my table.

"You awake?" Tom asked from the kitchen. I could hear something sizzling and the delicious aroma of bacon wafted from the stove.

I was still clad in my pajamas and I cracked my back before walking into my kitchen. A blanket slipped off my shoulders that I didn't remember having earlier. Tom was stirring eggs in a pan over the stove, another pan had some bacon frying on it. I could feel how tangled my hair was, and my eyes burned at the light. This was such an odd scene, I didn't actually feel awake yet. I asked, "what happened?"

"I'm pretty sure you passed out last night from exhaustion," he told me while looking back at me over his shoulder. "Good thing too. You were beginning not to make very much sense."

"God..." I said, rubbing my head. "That's the last time I pull two all nighters in a row."

"By the way, your alarm went off," he said.

"What?" I asked, completely waking up. "When?"

"Like a half hour ago."

"Shit! I'm gonna be late," I said and rushed around the apartment to gather my backpack and change from my fleece pajama bottoms to jeans.

"Want some brain food?" He called out as I was running around.

"No time," I said back. I ran back out to the living room while trying to throw my dirty hair up in a ponytail so I did not look like a total train wreck. I frantically grabbed my car keys and tossed him my apartment key. I said after he caught it, "you can lock up when you leave. I'll swing by your place and pick the key up later."

"All right," Tom said and slipped the key into his pocket and continued stirring his scrambled eggs.

I tightened my walking cast that protected my foot and managed to get my shoe on my other foot. As soon as it slipped on, I slung my bag over my shoulder when I was right next to him and said, "okay. I gotta go, bye."

"Good luck," he said back. Then, we both absentmindedly leaned in and gave each other a quick kiss before I hobbled out the door. My cast made it difficult to move around quickly. But the kiss was so natural, like we have done it a thousand times before. As soon as the door shut behind me, I realized what I had done. I froze, my brain was still foggy from my lack of sleep but I still cringed at it. I turned around to say something to Tom but I stopped myself. I looked from the closed door to my watch and saw that I was running so late, I could not waste any time.

I got down to my car, not being able to stop thinking about our kiss. It may have been quick, but it happened. It wasn't even our first time, so I did not understand why it was pulsing in my mind. When I thought about him, I cannot help but smile and get butterflies. I cannot help feeling like this, I wish I didn't. But I may not be able to fight this feeling anymore.

I love writing these cute ones!! Next one is going to be another cute one, by the sea!
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