special brew. | BrightWin

16.

B

"Here, you can wear this." Win hands me one of his hoodies. "The clothes you lent me previously haven't dried."

I held back the urge to laugh as I observe him digging through his closet to find a pair of pants for me. He asked me to stay over because he said he was afraid that ghosts might appear, which I found endearing.

We took turns to shower. When I stepped out of the bathroom, he was waiting outside.

"Here, you can use this." He says, handing me a white toothbrush with my name scribbled in black marker ink on the handle. He even drew a tiny Sun and a heart shape. "You can place it in the holder by the sink."

"Thank you." I reply, taking the toothbrush and putting it in the holder. I noticed that his toothbrush was already of a different color, so technically it wouldn't be necessary to write my name. "Win?"

"Yeah?"

"Nothing, just wanted to say that you're cute."

He did not say anything and quickly scurried away - he probably got shy. I finished washing up and was drying my hair off with the towel as I walked into his bedroom to ask for a blanket, since I figured I would sleep on the sofa.

"Um, come here." He pulls my arm and sits me down on his bed and begins to dry my hair for me. He gently ruffles the towel around my head and asks, "Do you think you could um, sleep beside me? But you don't have to if you're uncomfortable, I'm just asking..." His voice trails off at the end.

"I don't mind, but I don't know if you'll be annoyed by my tossing and turning." I reply, scratching my temple in embarrassment.

"No, I don't mind it at all." He quickly says as a look of relief washes across his eyes.

He takes his hair dryer and combs through my hair while swiveling the dryer around. "You have poofy hair, it's so bouncy." He says while chuckling.

It took all my willpower to hold back from wanting to kiss him.

We soon settle into bed. He gives me his pillow, while he uses a smaller cushion to prop up his head. There were no fewer than five pillows on his bed, which he says he places all around himself while he sleeps because it makes him feel safe.

He is just like an innocent baby, and I love that about him.

As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was about to drift off to dreamland but felt some movement behind me while I lay on my side.

Win had snuggled up to my back such that I completely blocked his view of the window. "You alright?" I ask.

"Yeah, don't worry about me. I'll just lay here like this for a while."

I flip around to fully face him, and his big eyes look up at my face. "Is it because you're scared of the thunder?"

He quietly nods his head.

"Why are you afraid of it?"

He bites his lip and hesitated. I immediately think that I had asked a sensitive question, and quickly told him that he didn't have to answer if he doesn't want to.

"She left me on a night like this." He says quietly, not looking at me. I gently stroke his cheek with my hand to try and comfort him, and waited for him to continue speaking.

"That night, I was waiting at the lobby of her condo as it was her birthday. I even bought her favorite cake and a plushie of her favorite cartoon character.

Then I saw her, walking towards the entrance holding hands with another man whom I didn't recognise. They were talking so happily, and they even kissed while I just stood there watching like a fool.