Andrew:
August is standing like a dad right now, he's by the door with one hand on his uninjured hip and the other hand is tangled in his curly hair. I start setting the food out on the counter "Did you even take my card?" he asks, clearly annoyed. "I took it so you wouldn't call me but I didn't use it." I take his credit card out of my pocket and toss it to him. He sighs and grabs some plates from the drying rack next to his sink "You got too much food..." He groans.
August has a really small kitchen with old yellowed appliances, two people can barely fit at the same time. He gently places his hands on my hips, barely even making contact, just enough so I know he's there, and he squeezes past me. My heart is pounding. Once he's passed me he grabs some glasses from the cabinet. I look at him with wide eyes
"You ready to eat?" He chuckles as he sets the glasses on the counter One is made of what looks like crystal and the other is a cheap plastic one from the dollar store. At this point, that's pretty much his aesthetic, his whole apartment has really fancy things and really cheap things side by side. "I'm always ready to eat." I announce as I rush out of the kitchen and to the couch with our food. My heart is still racing and I can feel the heat on my face. He doesn't have a dining table and I don't think he'd have space for it if he had one.
He looks back at all the food on the counter. "This is too much, you didn't have to buy all this" He gives me a stern look. "It's not too much, you deserve it. you just got out of the hospital!" I shouted a bit at the end but I think he got the point. He glares at me."Fine, then can I ask for a favor?" "hmm?" he's carrying our drinks to the coffee table. "Can I spend the night? I really really hate those stairs" He chuckles "you're the one who chose to climb them four times today."
"Is that a yes? C'mon, you can't say no to this face" I pout like a child "...I guess I can't say no... you can stay" he places the drinks on the table and sits down.
"We need to get you a new apartment so I can hang out without so many damn stairs" I laugh. "I'll be sure to get right on that," he says sarcastically.
I'm so tired. I set my food aside. I leaned back on the couch and shut my eyes. "Do you want to sleep in my bed?" August asks. my eyes shot open and I stared at him. "What? I'm fine with sleeping on the couch if you'd prefer a bed."He says while taking our plates to the kitchen. he's so sweet. I gotta get my mind out of the gutter. "no, you have a really comfy couch" he snickers "let me get you a blanket and some pillows" He casually walks down the hall to his bedroom. I decide to turn on a movie, having the TV on helps me sleep.
"Here" I'm suddenly being pelted by pillows and a big fluffy blanket. They smell like him. He smells like rain in a pine forest. I unfold the blanket, it's a big and poofy blanket with black and white stripes on both sides, and the pillowcases match. It feels really high quality. I curl up with the big blanket and get cozy on the couch. August stands with his hand on the light switch "do you want me to turn off the lights?" I nod my head. Once the room is dark I can hear him walking down the hallway "Goodnight!" He shouts from his bedroom.
A few moments later I get a text from August "Wake me up if you need anything :)" he's so damn cute.
YOU ARE READING
Learning to Cope
RomanceA promising nursing student volunteers for the "golden angels program" at his local hospital where he meets a man struggling with his mental health and the cards life has dealt him. How will he recover? (This story is the product of disassociating)
