Flipped (L.T.)

Chapter 24: Waiting Signs

My body begins to wake, ignoring my mental pleads to stay sleep. I'm too cozy to wake up. This quilt and pillows are so soft and beckoning for me to lay upon them. I try to readjust myself on my side but am weighed down by something. My eyes flicker down to my chest. Eliza was resting on me, her arm hanging loosely around my torso.

When I closed my eyes to sleep last night, I was convinced I'd wake up and this would all just be a dream. That Eliza didn't really come with me here, that I never saw her breakdown saying she needed me, and lastly, that I stayed in the bed with her, holding her close all night. And now that I've awoken, I'm still pretty shocked it did.

"Eliza Gardley..." I smile to myself, removing a piece of hair from her face. How things change so quickly.

This once horrid wench I thought was so cruel, was now one of the people I held most dear. I'm facing the fact and accepting it as is. Thats how I feel so thats how I must start acting. If I am ever to claim her as mine, she has to know that I do care for her.

Yesterday, in my eyes, brought Eliza and I a lot closer. In her time of trouble, she called out for me and I came to her rescue. I might have not been willing at first; but I quit being stubborn and shut off my feeble mind for once. I still feel guilty for how we ended up like this; but in the end, I'm glad we did. I'm not the most religious guy, but I've heard the Lord works in mysterious ways. I think this was His way of giving me the extra push towards Eliza. It could've been better, but I'll take it.

Eliza mumbles something in her sleep before tightening her arm around me. When she settles down, she cuddles further into my chest, and lets out a steady breath as she goes back to sleep.

Her hair came loose during the night. Her long locks are sprawled across her side, even covering half my arm. Its so smooth and soft, just like I thought it'd be. It has the sweetest smell of honey with a mix of jasmine as I run my fingers through its length. I'm very familiar with this smell. My mum happens to have the same one. But its different with Eliza, more profound and appealing. My mum would flip shit saying we were 'destined' just because they use the same shampoo. Women.

I'm enjoying this peace and quiet as I lay with Eliza, but now that I'm awake, nature is calling. And if I don't let this out, shes going to get the wrong idea about the uprising in my pants.

I grab the pillow Eliza isn't using and use it as a buffer. Ever so slowly, I slide from underneath her, placing the pillow in my old spot. She begins to rustle around again, a frown creasing her flawless features before she finds the pillow and wraps her arms around it.

When I'm done using the toilet, I linger in the bathroom. Now that the night is over, what will happen now? Not only about her home situation, but with us? We spent the night together and so much happened in such little time. It still seems so surreal as I look at myself in the mirror. I pinch my cheek to see if I'm dreaming. The sting and redness afterwards proves I am in fact awake. So Eliza crying, her reaching out and calling for me, and then falling asleep with her was all real. But what does it all mean now? Has anything really changed between us? What will Eliza do in the light of day? Will she continue to cling to me after making her self so vulnerable, or will she go back to her usual self and dismiss it all together.

My thoughts become more and more muddled as different scenarios play out in my head. Fantasies of Eliza coming out of that room and embracing me as I happen to appear from the bathroom make my heart quicken, filling me with a warm sensation only awarded by her touch. But another plays, ending with that infuriating smirk on her face as she walks pasts me without a second glance. After all I've done for her... That thought alone makes my jaw tense and fist clench. She is the only one who could make me turn hateful so quickly.