Sing Me To Sleep

Chapter 28

I can't move. My body feels stiff and tense and my limbs are refusing to function properly. I know I should say something to ease the awkward silence, but my mind is blank. What am I supposed to say? I feel strangely drawn to you because the picture hanging on your bedroom door-- though creepy-- intrigued me? For some reason, I don't think that would come across in a flattering manner.

Gee stares at me for a moment longer, time seeming to slow down as his hazel eyes scrutinize me. They graze down the length of my body, taking in every detail, and I take the chance to let my own eyes skim over him as well. He's dressed in Jack Skellington pajama pants and a plain black long sleeved T-shirt. His dark hair is pushed behind one ear while it hangs loose on the other side, falling forward to cover one of his eyes. Those eyes...

And then he jumps up and time goes back to it's normal speed. He bites down on his lip as he fumbles with the delicate papers that scatter the table. He flips a few over, hiding the gracefully drawn images, sliding them over the half-finished picture of the three women he was working on. He then nods at the seat across from him. "Do you wanna sit...?" His voice sounds unsure and he avoids direct eye contact, seeming nervous.

I swallow every word that won't form and settle with a nod. I slide into the chair and look down at the smooth wooden surface. Some charcoal dusts the brown and tan material, giving it a used and slightly dirty look. Raising a single finger, I run it over the pale black residue, leaving one clean streak across the wood, though the charcoal instantly stains the tip of my finger. The indents of my fingerprint are still a pale peach color, untouched by the tainting dust. I rub my thumb against the index, smearing the black in and creating a dark grey.

Gee clears his throat and I look up at him, my hand dropping back to my lap and my mind kicking into high gear, words finally seeming to come. "Who are you?" I wonder aloud.

"Gerard," He states, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "I thought we already established this much."

Gerard.

I roll the name around in my head, nodding slowly. "Gerard." I let the name slip past my lips and I can't deny I like the way it sounds. It seems fitting. It's uncommon, strange, and I like the way it falls so easily off the tip of my tongue. It feels vaguely familiar, the way my lips form around each syllable, and just the simple sound makes my heartbeat accelerate.

I bite down against the sudden nerves I feel and scrutinize the boy further. Pale flesh stretches across a perfect bone structure, a few freckles adorning the skin. His small nose is upturned and perky. His tongue grazes once over pink lips, turned slightly upward in what might be the start of a smile. Gold and amber flecks glimmer brightly against the green and emerald irises, creating a beautiful hazel. I can't help but compare him to the brief glimpse of drawings that I had seen cluttering the table. He's a picture perfect image and I imagine him in still life, every detail of him captured in the black and grey charcoal that stains his fingers.

"You look familiar," I say.

Gerard chuckles, breaking his eyes away from mine and nodding. "Um..." He sounds nervous again. Did I say something wrong? I think back to my not-very-informative talk with Bob earlier. He said that my presence here could make Gerard fall back into depression. Oh crap, I'm making him uncomfortable! But the raised corners of his lips, the small shadow of a smile that hangs there, doesn't come across as sadness. "We actually go to school together."

My eyebrows knot together and I think back to seeing him anywhere, even a quick shared glance in the hallway, but come up with nothing. And yet the sense of familiarity is too much to deny.

"We sat at the same table in Chemistry," He elaborates. "And I sat a few seats behind you in English. And Math."

Again, I try to recall any of these classes, though my brain still comes up with nothing. It's like I can't seem to zero in on the details, like I'm somehow unable to grasp what I should easily know. But one thing does make sense...