Not In The Same Way

Chapter 8 ~ At least in front of you

For the first time in a long time I feel something other then dread. Light? I don't feel weighed down by my problems, I don't feel as if everything is crashing down around me. I feel at ease and it's refreshing. Even before my parents died sometimes I got this feeling like the walls were closing in and I was trapped. Trapped in a life that wasn't mine But in the past it was as easy as drowning myself in some cheap vodka to erase the pain and be able to sleep. I've never been one of those people able to sleep in till noon, the longest I've ever been able to sleep in to was ten am. But even then I've also never been one of those people who could go to bed early either. I go to sleep late and wake up early. When I was able to sleep it had to be under very certain circumstances. I had to have a tv on, music playing or even the window open. I had to have some sort noise to help me sleep. But as my eyes get adjusted to my surroundings I'm facing the window and it's still daylight. I look over to the clock on the nightstand and check the time. According to my clock it's 11:34am I've been sleeping for hours. The last thing I remember is Jessie. Him and I. Together. I slowly lift myself up covering myself with the blankets, yup it wasn't a dream. Jessie was naked in my bed. I think he was still asleep, his waist down was covered by the blanket but his chest was bare. On the left side of his upper chest was a broken compass tattoo with a forest tattooed on his lower hips.

Buzzing is coming from the bottom of my bed, I peer over and spot what's making all the noise. it's my phone, I left it in my pants pockets. I lean over the bed and grab my it. 10 missed calls from Matt and 18 missed texts and 2 texts from Charlie. Matt's are all pretty much the same, "Charlie I just want to make sure your okay" ,"please" and the basic "I miss you". But Charlie's make me go crazy "who's the guy Charlotte?" , "I didn't send you there to mess around." He just assumes the worst of me, he's not wrong but still. To top it off "sending me there" please he just didn't want to deal with me and first opportunity he got he shipped me away. I can't believe him. I'm broken from my train of thought when I hear a door slam shut outside. Jumping out of the bed and peaking through the window, a random truck is parked right beside Jessie's. Shit someone was here. Running back to the bed I quickly put back on my clothes and run to find whoever it was before they finds me, or worse Jessie in my bed. Running down the stairs I slam into Henry halfway down.

Henry grabs me to keep me up right "woah, where's the fire?"

I shrug off his hands and try to shove him down the stairs "I just was thinking of lunch." Thump. Shit Jessie must be awake.

Henry gives me a funny look "is Jess still here? I saw his truck out front."

Shit "yeah, ah he ah hung around to wait for you. I thought your truck was fucked? How's truck are you driving? "

He shrugs his shoulders "ya I'll fix it later. I just borrowed Luke's so I could come back here. Jess wasn't answer when I tried to text him to come get me." Henry looks upstairs as if he could tell something was up and starts to push past me. "So I'm going to go take a shower, then we're going to meet the guys so he can just hang around it'll we have to leave."

Following Henry up the stairs I do my best to get him to come down the stairs "but I need your help with making something. I still have no idea where anything is."

Henry keeps going upstairs "I'll help you after my shower? Where's Jess and why are you being so weird?"

Henry gets to his room and opens the door. He looks around confused. He turns back towards me "where is he?"

But before I could answer there's a banging noise comes from my room. Henry's eyes meet mine and go large. He pushes past me and briskly run/walk down the hall and opens the door. If I ever believed in god now would be a good time to thank him, because To both of our surprise it's empty. Another bang but it's from the bathroom and the sliding door opens and Jessie walks out wearing a towel around his waist and one over his head. "Why are you guys banging around in here?"