Suicide, Skittles and Skates [✓]

Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

Kalila was snuggled up on the white leather sofa in her living room, her feet curled up against one of the fluffy black pillows. It was the following Sunday and she hadn't been able to sleep all night; her thoughts buzzing too loudly for her to doze off. Her stomach grumbled loudly but she was too lazy to move from where she had been sitting for the past five hours or so.

The sun was slowly creeping up outside; the darkness of the night surrendering to pale orange streaks. She hadn't slept all night and was faintly surprised it was morning. How did the time go so fast? One minute it was 9pm and she had come down to eat Nutella on toast and the next she had been lulling over her boyfriend's words until it was 4:28am.

Slightly delirious from the lack of sleep – and probably due to all the Nutella consumed – Kalila reached for her phone. She had never really been an impulsive person before but there was a first time for everything. Without a second thought or considering the time, she flicked it on and rang Alex.

By this point she was sitting up straight, her knee bobbing up and down with nerves. He picked up after exactly four rings, easily awoken from his slumber.

"Kalila?" he asked, his voice thick and groggy. She could imagine him pulling himself up in bed with his eyes half closed and messy hair. The thought made her smile widely until she remembered those bloody pink Disney princess pyjamas and burst into giggles instead.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding incredibly confused which only fuelled her laughter.

Taking a deep breath and remembering why she had called him in the first place, she stopped laughing and spoke with all seriousness. "Nothing. Sorry, I haven't slept and I rang to–,"

She heard him yawn from the other side and paused. "My god, it's almost five in the bloody morning!" he exclaimed, his voice much more awake now. "Why the heck haven't you slept?"

She shrugged and then remembered he couldn't see her. "Dunno, I was just thinking. I didn't even notice it had gotten so late. Or early, depending on how you look at it. And I called you because, well, I realised something."

Alex yawned again, swinging his legs around until he was sitting up in bed. He never had been an early riser but it was too bad Kalila was. Running his fingers through his thoroughly messed hair, he replied. "What did you realise Lila?"

Kalila got up and stretched, her phone lodged between her ear and shoulder. With her heart thudding loudly, she pushed back the curl of hair that had come loose from her messy bun and spoke. "Well, I– urm, kinda, well I..." she trailed off, a sudden loss for words. She almost smacked herself in the face when she realised how stupid she sounded.

"Go on," Alex mumbled, his voice cracking slightly through the phone.

Grabbing hold of every last bit of bravery she had, Kalila quickly spat it out. "I love you too." She could feel her ears burn; something they always did when she was embarrassed.

He didn't say anything for what felt like an eternity and Kalila bit her lip anxiously waiting; she didn't know what his silence meant. "Okay," he said, the smile in his voice evident through the one word. "I love you too."

She let out a deep sigh of relief, resisting the urge to squeal rather like a constipated cat. "Kalila?" Alex said in a serious tone, pulling her out of her thoughts. She hummed in acknowledgement, waiting for him to finish what he wanted to say.

"In case you forgot, it's five in the bloody morning!"

Kalila laughed. How was it possible to feel so much warmth and happiness spread inside her veins just from his voice? "Goodnight Alex," she murmured. "Goodnight."