Somnia | $crim

3. Circadian Rhythm

May 2nd, 2015

I woke up in a bed that wasn't mine and clothes I didn't recognize. My head and body felt like I just fell out of a skyscraper and the sunlight pouring through the window didn't help even though my eyes were still closed. The bed was comfortable and the blanket, soft and plush. Eventually, my eyes fluttered open, and soon adjusted to the bright light washing over the bed.

After a few minutes, I found the strength to roll over and figure out my surroundings. The first thing of mine I found was my glasses, which were lying on the table next to me. One of the arms was broken off at some point and was being held on with a little bit of tape and a lot of faith. A fuzzy memory of holding my broken glasses in the bathroom flashed in my mind.

Only when I started getting up did I realize you were in the bed next to me.

"Fuck," I sighed to no one as you were still sleeping. I could see my phone under your back. You woke up as I tried to gently wiggle it out from underneath you. "Sorry..."

You looked just as confused as I did as you glanced around the room and tried to orient yourself to your whereabouts.

"Did we...?" I asked, unsure of my feelings toward either answer. I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed and planted my feet on the floor, feeling the rough rug underneath.

"I wish, shawty," you said, only beaming up at me.

My phone was nearly dead. It was already almost eight in the morning. Angeline had texted me just before I woke up and asked if I knew what time I was going to be back since she had to work at nine and I'm usually home by now. Although I rarely go out, on the occasion that I do wander outside my comfort zone every few months, I usually come home in the middle of the night so Angeline can leave whenever she needed to.

You helped me piece together the rest of my belongings. My shoes were nowhere to be found in the little room, so I wandered around the house until I found one by the pool and the other in the bathroom. My dress was on the floor next to us. I made myself at least somewhat presentable before heading out.

On the porch sat the man who accidentally hit me last night. I couldn't remember his name, besides wanting me to call him "The Snow Leopard". He apologized once more for hitting me before offering me a ride home. I'm not sure how, but he knew that my friends had abandoned me sometime in the night. At first, I protested, telling him I could just grab a taxi, but he insisted.

"It's the least I could do since I completely fucked up your face last night," he said as we made our way to the car. "I'm sorry, again, by the way. If it helps, it's only a little bruise! And I'd sleep better knowing you got home safe."

You drove. Aris got in the front seat while I sat in the back, but only until he got out. We dropped him off first since he didn't live far, and I lived out of the way. Aris even offered to buy me new glasses since he broke mine, but I declined, confused by the gesture.

You and I talked about some of our interests on the drive to my house. On the way, you talked about making music with Aris, but you didn't let me listen to anything. You even blushed when I asked, telling me you'll play something another time. You also helped me recount most of what had happened the previous night, even if it was a bit fuzzy for you too. The nightly mostly consisted of getting too drunk, complaining about Hannah, and then falling asleep in the spare room while we talked. 

We made it back to my house in due time. Angeline rushed out of the front door and put Troy in my arms through the window before I had even gotten out of the car, apologizing for having to run out so quickly.

"You have a kid?" you asked, but I clarified that Troy is my brother. "Ah. Do you live with your parents then?"

"No. My parents are...uh...gone," I replied.

"I'm sorry for your loss," you said. You put your hand on my shoulder, probably to comfort me but it didn't do anything.

"They're not dead; they're just not...here," I replied, not wanting to get into too much detail.

"Oh." You didn't look at me but instead looked at the steering wheel and didn't press me on the issue anymore. You quickly changed the subject by asking for my number. "I know you said you don't really remember a lot of last night, but I enjoyed myself. Plus, I'll need to hit you up to get my clothes back."

Looking down, I remembered that I was in a t-shirt and shorts that didn't quite fit me right. I suddenly became very conscious of the fact that I wasn't wearing a bra as you looked me up and down.

I put my hand out for your phone and input my number, trying to hide the nervous shaking in my hands. 

"I'll see you around, Adrienne," you said as you rolled up the window. Troy and I waved goodbye from the porch while you pulled out of the driveway and down the block.

"Oh good, you're up!" Sadie said, setting down a piece of paper on the dining room table before I even had a chance to shut the front door. I put Troy on the couch before turning my attention to Sadie. She needed help with her homework, but Angeline didn't know how to do it. Math isn't everybody's forte, I suppose.

"Can I help you after I take a nap? I'm really tired, Peanut," I asked.

"Mom would always help me on Saturday mornings," she whined, which effectively guilted me.

Despite sleeping for (probably) most of the night, I could barely keep my eyes open and the pounding in my skull hadn't subsided on the ride home. I begged Sadie to let me help her later, but she insisted on getting a head start. So, instead of going back to bed like my body was begging me to, I stayed up for another hour to help Sadie. In exchange, she agreed to watch Troy while I napped.

It was nearly 10 when Sadie had completed her homework. My eyes burned and I could barely focus by the time I was able to drag myself to bed. I was awoken when the cat decided to crawl out from underneath my bed and lay on top of me and again when Troy threw a fit right outside my door. The last straw was my phone vibrating and illuminating my otherwise dark bedroom. The sudden notification scared the cat, who scratched my stomach as she used my body as a launch pad. I checked the phone, only to see a text from an unknown number, which I ignored in favor of a few more minutes of sleep. But when I did see the text after I woke up, I was paralyzed with a range of emotions.

504-555-3094: Hey its Scott from last night. Are you feeling any better?

A/N:  is anybody interested in the Ruby version I wrote of this 👀
I've completely run out of ideas for What Once Was pls forgive me