sage | karl jacobs

11

One thing I think I'll always love about Karl is his love language. Physical touch. I used to hate it. How much he hugged me, held my hand, or even touched my shoulder. It was something I quickly learned to love, however. 

He never had the best verbal communication skills, but he was great with physical communication. It was like he could always tell you what was wrong or what he needed through a hug. 

***

My head throbs as I lift it off the pillow. The room around me is bright, white and brown furniture surrounding me. My ears rings harshly, making my headache much worse. The bed dips next to me, a figure leaning on their side. 

I rest my back against the headboard of the mysterious bed, turning to see Karl asleep. The comforter from the other bed sits around my shoulders. The boy shifts again, turning onto his back. He lets out a deep breath before opening his eyes. His hands shoot to press against them, possibly rubbing them. 

"Good morning. Sleep, ok?" I ask, moving my body into a crisscrossed position, sitting up away from the headboard, blanket still around my body. He nods as a response. 

"More importantly, how's your head?" he asks groggily, reminding me of my pounding skull. 

His hands leave his face, one reaching for his phone on the counter, the other gently touching my head. "No fever," he mumbles to himself. "That's good," he says, replying to himself.

It's a good thing he remembers I usually wake up with fevers when I drink heavily the night before. He drops his phone into his lap, replacing it with the sides of my face. He then presses a gentle kiss to my forehead, the touch burning like hot candy. 

"How'd you sleep?" His words float through the air, voice sticking to the wall like its honey. It's like my body's trying to savor this moment, his voice.

"I don't even remember falling asleep," I laugh to the boy as he reaches over to his side. He grabs the backpack from off the floor, setting it on the mattress next to him. He opens the bag, the zipper and air conditioner being the only sound in the room. "When did we get here?" His hands dig into the pouch, pulling out a bottle of water, letting it rest on his lap. "Around midnight. You needed to get out of there, and I was tired." I nod like he can hear it as my response. 

The sound of a pill bottle comes from the bag, and to no surprise, it's what he pulls out. The white and blue bottle with harsh yellow letters resides in his hands. He opens it, pouring a tablet into his hands. He opens the water bottle, handing it to me.

"I don't want your headache to get worse, I know you're going to feel horrible today."

"I know, but I deserve it. I mean, it wasn't my plan to get wasted, but it's what I did."

I put the pill into my mouth, followed by drinking a few sips of water. I shut it, placing it onto the bedside table. "Thank you," I say to Karl, who's attempting to reach for his shirt on the other bed. "No problem," he manages to say before falling off the bed, pulling his comforter with him. 

Our laughs begin to fill the room, instantly brightening up the atmosphere. "Are you okay," I say between wheezes. He sits up, rubbing his head. "Yeah, I am."

"Are you sure?"

"No, Sage. I think I'm bleeding into my brain and I'm dying so you should just marry me now."

His hands grab my waist, pulling me out of the covers into his lap. He laughs again, pressing his lips against mine.

You should just marry me now.

Marry me now.

Marry me.

"Okay. I'll marry you now, I guess," I say with a sarcastic tone in my voice. I press another kiss to his lips. He tastes sweet, like cotton candy. I pull away from him, only to see a sweet smile on his bubblegum lips that I'm sure I'm replicating. 

"I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs!" he says, giggling. I laugh back at him, as though all I can do is love him. I may not want to admit it yet, but I do. 

I shake the comforter off my shoulders and chest to show my bare skin. Self-conscious, I try to cover my body with my hands. Although we were both have seen each other like this, it's been a long time.

"Hey. Don't do that. You're beautiful, and your body's beautiful. You don't need to hide it. And before you ask, no, we didn't do anything last night. We kissed, but I made sure nothing else happened, ok? You actually insisted on not wearing the pajamas I packed for you last night, it was kind of funny. But really, you are absolutely stunning, Sage Jacobs," he says. The remark from our previous conversation brings a smile to my lips. 

My hands move to his shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. His hands wrap around my waist with such a delicate manner, like I'm made of porcelain, and he doesn't want to break me. He kisses the top of my head, and I stand up from his lap. I look down at him, secretly admiring my work from the night before.

I climb over the bed to my phone, reading as the time only said 7:34 a.m. It was weird for both of us to be up this early, despite the time we went to sleep. 

"Wanna get breakfast?" I ask him. "Fuck yes, I'm starving." He stands up, tugging on his shirt and pants. He walks over to the mini fridge in the hotel, grabbing two monsters. 

He extends his hand, offering me one. I gladly accept it, setting it down on the bed. I pull on the light green sundress he had packed for me the night before. I grab the can of the bed, holding it up for Karl to see. 

"One, two, three!" I say, and we immediately crack open the cans, each taking a sip.

Our laughs fill the room again, until the air conditioner begins to make sound alongside the laughter.

"Ready?" He asks me, looking at me like I'm the only thing the world has to offer in his direction.