sparks

18 - Rome

George

For the first time ever, I wake up in Dreams bed.

It feels like a little milestone, of some sort. Hes still asleep, small snores slipping past his lips, but asleep all the same.

I uncurl myself slowly from his grip, and stand from the bed, yawning. The clock reads eleven.

Why'd I wake so early? I hate waking early. And why is Dream sleeping so late? He'd usually be up by now.

I leave his room, stretching as I stride down the stairs. I wonder who else is up. The house is quiet.

The kitchen is empty, to my suprise. Usually mum would be at the island, drinking tea, or in the backyard, reading.

I peer out the kitchen windows.

Its a sunny day, the kitchen stuffy. But no, shes not out there. Sap and Q don't look to be awake either.

Anyways, I make coffee, and stuff a slice of bread into my mouth whilst I pour it into a cup. Theres nothing for me to do down here, so I end up going back upstairs.

My curiosity gets the best of me as I turn right down the hall instead of left back to my room. I knock quietly on mums door.

"Yes?" she calls.

"Its me" I answer, "can I come in?"

"Of course, love."

I open the door. Shes awake, with her reading glasses sliding down her nose, a book in her lap, propped up in the bed.

Shes in the middle of the bed, telling me nobody else was in here last night.

"Are you alright?" she asks as I go to sit on the edge of the mattress, finishing my slice of bread.

"Are you?" I retaliate, "you're usually long up by now."

"I'm fine, sweetheart" she answers, "just had a lie in, thats all."

The light has always shone nicely into her room in the mornings.

I remember running and jumping into her bed when I was little, just so she would read to me before she got up for the day, before I was left alone with some random assistant assigned to watch me.

I drink down a little coffeee. Its hot. Too hot.

My hair feels messy. My t-shirt feels too baggy, my jogging bottoms feel too loose.

"Everything okay?" she asks, turning her head to one side so that she can look at me properly.

I nod. "Mhmm. Do you want coffee?"

She tuts, and makes a sickening noise. "You know me better then that."

I roll my eyes, standing up, placing my coffee on her bedside table, snagging her pack of cigarettes and stuffing them down my bottoms as I do. She should hide them better.

"Tea is just as bad as coffee, you aren't better for not drinking it!" I call as I slip from the room.

"Coffees much stronger!" she calls in defense.

I chuckle to myself as I wander back downstairs, just to make tea this time.

I stick my hands in my joggers pockets and lean against the sink as I wait for the kettle to boil.

After climbing the stairs for the second time this morning, its starting to feel like a workout. I head back to mums room. Shes where I left her, her book in hand again.

"Here." I hand her the tea, picking back up my coffee.

"Thank you, love" she smiles.

"No bother" I smile back, going from her room back to Dreams.