Memphis Baby | Garrett Watts x Andrew Siwicki

Part 3

Garrett awakes around 10 AM, still exhausted from barely sleeping. The sun is bringing in a bright natural glow through the windows that tells Garrett it's time for him to wake up. Disoriented and drowsy, he makes his way to the bathroom.

Garrett splashes water on his face to help wake himself up and then continues to wash his face and brush his teeth.

As he made his way down the stairs, he begins to hear laughter. He walks into the kitchen to find everyone, including Andrew, sitting at the table.

"Good morning, everyone," Garrett says with a voice coated in morning husk.

"Good morning, sleepy head," his mom said lovingly from where she sits. "Sleep well?"

Garrett nods, even though it wasn't true.

He takes in the air and smells pancakes and syrup. Everyone had finished eating and were talking around the table. "We saved you some pancakes," his mom told him.

As he made his way across the kitchen to grab his plate of food, he heard his family and Andrew continue to laugh. He was happy that they now love Andrew, but this morning began to feel lonely to him. He didn't want to face Andrew after last night's brooding and analyzation and he also didn't want to kill the good mood everyone was in. Feeling a little excluded and a little too late for the party, he silently walks out of the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Garrett?" his mom asks him.

"Nothing. Just a little drowsy. I'm not that hungry anyways," he says trying to not sound sad as he makes his way up the stairs to go back to his room.

He lays on his bed and uses his phone, his stomach grumbling every now and then from the lack of food.

After 10 minutes alone, he hears a knock on the door. Hoping it was one of his parents, the door opens to reveal Andrew. He walks in and asks, "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine. Why do you ask?" Garrett says, avoiding eye contact.

"You always eat as soon as you wake up! What do you mean you're not that hungry?!" Andrew says giggling.

"I'm just not," he says flatly, still looking at his phone screen. He scrolls through Twitter without actually reading anything. He just wants Andrew to let him be.

But Andrew knows Garrett better than anyone else. He sits on the edge of the bed in front of Garrett and says, "then why is your stomach grumbling?"

"My stomach isn't grumbling," Garrett protested, finally looking at Andrew. Like a cruel laugh from the universe, his stomach growls in the silence.

Andrew gives him a playful questioning look. Garrett attempts to pretend he didn't hear the grumbling and goes back to just scrolling through Twitter.

"Alright, you asked for it."

Oh no, Garrett thought to himself.

And Andrew was at it again. Garrett's familiar loud laugh filled the room. Andrew giggled along as Garrett squirmed through the tickling. "Andrew! Andrew stop!" Garrett yells through laughter.

And he does stop. "I'll stop if you stop being so difficult and go downstairs and eat," he says giggling.

Ah, there's that smile Garrett can't say no to. "Fine," he says in a voice of surrender.

"Perfect," Andrew responds. He walks over to the bedroom door. "I'll keep you company as you eat," he says, "like I always do." Andrew's smile and delicate tone of voice makes Garrett unable to protest any further.

Garrett can be upset all he wants, but even in desperation he will never be able to deny how kind and caring Andrew is to him.

***