Theatre Geek - (R.B.)

06 - Moments & Broken Focus

When Julia awoke the next morning, the sun was beaming brightly into her eyes, causing her to rub them and let out a little yawn. Her neck ached, and she immediately regretted her decision to sleep on the floor last night while Ricky slept in the bed.

Her thoughts wandered back to the last few minutes before she fell asleep, each memory enslaving her as if she'd never remember them again.

Ricky lay motionless on the velvety bedsheets, his gaze fixed on the room's roof. He finished his Algebra homework late at night, with a little help from Julia, before stowing it away in his backpack for the day.

While she sat at the wooden desk near the bed, he caught himself occasionally staring at her calm face. He assumed she was finishing her schoolwork. Or she could have been working on a project for one of her numerous school clubs. In any case, he had trouble falling asleep.

He couldn't sleep in the early hours of the next morning, and he couldn't figure out why. He knew that if he didn't get some sleep quickly, he'd wake up in a foul mood in the morning for school, as he often did at other times. Even if the lamplight had played a role, it wasn't bright enough to discourage him from closing his eyes. And her bed was so comfortable that he wished he had one just like it.

He sat up irritably, realising the true cause of his lack of sleep: he was uncomfortable. No, not in Julia's presence. Maybe it's because once he started dating Nini, he hadn't slept in another girl's room. He couldn't stop thinking about her. It was painful for him to understand that moving on would be nearly impossible.

Julia lazily closed up her books, catching the attention of the boy on the bed. She left the desk lamp open and jumped on the mattress, a reasonable distance between them.

"Do you usually sleep with the lights on?" he asked, head tilted curiously to the side.

She shook her head, sheepishly looking at him in the faint light. She observed how some of his curly hair landed on his forehead. In the pleasant ambience, his brown orbs radiated. As he sleepily peered back, he bit his lips just a fraction.

"Did you want to sleep?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper. "Sorry, it entirely slipped my mind that I'm not the only one in this room right now. If you like, I can turn off the light."

"No, I⸺" He laughed slightly and brushed back some of his hair. "Your room. It's peaceful. I think I really needed that after you know . . . What I mean to say is, thanks. For more than just allowing me to stay the night."

Julia smiled, and her eyes gleamed with comfort and acceptance. He had a clue he could count on her; she was there for him when he needed it the most, and he would forever be grateful for that.

"No need for a 'thank-you,' Rick." She blushed slightly, seeming to have realized her slight mistake. "Ricky. Sorry about that. Common slip of the tongue."

"Why're you apologizing? I haven't heard that nickname for a while."

She smiled. "Then get used to me calling you that more often."

She didn't know how to feel about the sudden attitude change between the two. It gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, they could start anew.

"Are you going to confront them soon?" she immediately regretted asking, knowing their small moment of peace was now gone because of her. "I mean⸺"

"I'm not sure." He didn't seem bothered by her question, nervously fumbling with his hands and frowning his mouth. "I guess I'm still undecided. It's just . . . It's a lot to handle. Everyone has a right to be happy, so who am I to say otherwise? For a long time, I've been used to having a double everything, so knowing that my assumptions were true shouldn't bother me as much as it does."

Ricky had no idea why he suddenly felt compelled to tell her about his deepest secrets. He didn't know her well, but something in him convinced him he could trust her. He could only pray that his instincts were correct. Julia reached out to pat his shoulder but paused in the middle and drew her hand back to its original position.

"I like to believe that everything happens for a reason," she responded calmly. "You may not understand those reasons right now, but I'm sure it'll all come to light with time."

Ricky slowly looked to meet her gaze, unusually at a loss for words. "T-Thanks, Julia. A lot."

He didn't know how long he'd been starring at her; perhaps it was the fact that she was staring back at him that caused him to lose track. The sky was dark, but the hazel-eyed girl sitting just a few feet away provided all the brightness he needed.

Soon after, his gaze shifted to her lips for a split second, but he was taken aback when she did the same. He leaned in closer till their lips were only a few inches apart. It was as if the two were imprisoned in a universe where all they knew was the ticking of the clock and the presence of their bodies in the very same bed. Ricky quickly became conscious of what was going on and backed away, his cheeks flushed. 

"Sorry, I know you're grieving so this is a bad time . . ." she trailed off, looking away.

"No, uh, it's⸺" Nini, he wanted to say, but something was holding him back. "I should probably head to bed."

He was quick to lie on the bed because she pleaded for him to take it instead, while she would attempt to sleep on the floor. He turned his face away from hers and closed his eyes, forcibly trying to get away from the scene that took place just some seconds back.

Julia gazed at the sleeping figure of Ricky for a few moments, before grabbing a pillow and making her way to the floor in front of the bed. She slowly placed another blanket for her to lie on, before stepping in and drifting off to sleep herself.

She sighed before glancing at the empty bed and the opened window. He must've left earlier in the morning. After folding up the bedsheets and tidying the bed, she gathered the wrinkled clothes that she lent to Ricky on the dresser and took them to the laundry.