As I Fell ✓

Chapter 41: Bedtime

Athena
That night, instead of Owen sleeping on the floor as he did these previous days on his insistence, I kinda dragged him up on his bed and forced him to stay there with me on his bed since I also had a heart. It was freezing out and his makeshift bed down there probably didn't make up for the heat that only a bed can give.

Owen, in such Owen fashion, immediately fell asleep. I was beside him yet he insisted that we put up a pillow barrier in between so no unlikely things happen between us.

"I don't know for sure if you're a bed-wetter or not. Better put this up than wake up with a smelly shirt and a damp bed." he said.

I envied how Owen immediately fell asleep. I know I can't.

I can't seem to forget what I saw behind those cheerful photographs on his wall and my chest twisted for him. Despite the darkness, I could see just enough to see behind the pillow barrier he made that Owen was facing me. His head down and his messy, wavy hair was toussled. He looked kinda cute to be honest but still,

Those photos of him and his sister haunted me.

I remembered seeing photos of how jacked up the car was. Photos of how swollen his face had been a few hours after getting out of the crash. Photos of how wounded and broken his formerly tiny body was. Even how he maintained his glare at the camera as his parents took a photo of him trying out equipment at his probable first PT session sent chills running down my body.

I sighed and kinda involuntarily, my hand reached out for his hair.

Fluffy, I thought.

I bet his hair was covered in blood after it happened.

I breathed sharply and snapped my hand away at the thought. Instead of crying again, I put my hand down and traced his facial features, reassuring myself that Owen is okay. For now.

He's okay now Athena. No one will hurt him. You're here okay? You'll protect him no matter what.

It was dark in his room.

Really dark.

"Athena?" A deep, breathy voice said in the darkness. I snapped my eyes toward his and stared.

"Hmm?"

"You aren't sleeping." he said, shuffling in his side of the bed. He sleepily opened his eyes and blinked at me. I smiled a bit.

"So what?"

"You can't sleep tonight. It's weird since you're always the first to fall asleep. I heard you snoring before." he said with a slight yawn.

"What's wrong with that though? Everyone has their days when they suddenly can't sleep at night." I said with a shrug, moving a bit closer to the pillow barrier. I saw Owen did the same as well.

"You're thinking about something. I just know it." he replied back, his words a bit slurred.

"You could say that." I said, shuffling in my side of the bed. I buried my head in my arm and felt Owen sit up a little from the other side, peering over me.

"Hey," he whispered, his voice sounding a bit more alive than earlier.

"What?"

"Talk to me about it." He said, removing the pillow barrier we had. I raised a brow even if he can't see but still, I never back down from the calls of sassiness.

"About what?"

"Whatever you were thinking about. "

"Why? It's not even that big of a deal."

Owen put away the pillow that had been separating us and moved closer to me, our bodies almost as close as they had been the day the two of us were out in his backyard when he was sick. Our faces were looking straight at each other.

"If it keeps you up, it is that big of a deal." He said nodding a bit.

I bit my lip and just shook it off.

"Thinking back, nah it was just me being all dramatic and stuff. Don't sweat it. Just, go back to sleep Owen. It's been a tiring night." I said as I shut my eyes and tried to sleep.

A bit later, I felt Owen lace his warm, soft hands with my free hand and put it up to our eye-level. I can't help but open my eyes up again and stare at our intertwined palms.

"Warm." he said, smiling a bit.

"That's how I feel whenever I'm with you Athena. You're like this tiny, portable snippet of sunshine that always makes me feel fuzzy inside." He said laughing a bit. I smiled.

"I like you Athena." he said with a tone of finality, squeezing my hand ever so gently before pressing a kiss onto it. I felt my body heat up and relax immediately.

Owen closed his eyes and never did he let go of my hand as he fell asleep again.

I moved closer to him until my head was resting again on his chest, our hands still clasped together. I felt Owen bury his head into mine and like he said, I felt the same sensation he felt.

Warmth.

"Owen?"

"Yeah?" he whispered.

"I like you too." I said, burying my head deeper into his chest, constantly heaving up and down.

"Glad all our kissing didn't go to waste, did we?" he asked, chuckling.

"Sure did."

I closed my eyes again, promising myself that yes, I will sleep. No, you will not let any form of negativity haunt you tonight when the boy you like is actually sleeping right next to you.

Suddenly, snippets of Owen as a bloody and broken kid hit me like a truck and I felt my body tense again.

Oh fuck, here we go again.

Owen was quiet for a minute and I thought for sure he was asleep. He was not when he shuffled a bit.

"Still thinking, aren't you?"

Yes.

"Nope."

"Don't lie. Your hand felt tense."

"Fine. I was thinking about something."

"Mind if you tell me? I promise, I won't judge." he said as he leaned in and kissed me on the forehead. I felt my heart flutter and just decided to wing it.

"Your photos."

Owen let go of our entwined hands and looked at me with a confused but still, sleepy, expression. He sighed.

"I knew I should've shown you those. I told you they were nasty."

"It's not your fault you showed me. I was being a dick and--"

"Athena, whatever you saw, it's a thing of the past. I'm okay now, see? Don't worry about me. I'm fine now. Better even, now you're here." He said, opening his arms a bit.

"I promise I won't do anything bad to you in bed. All I'm offering is a hug. I want you to feel safe, okay? I'm here. I'm okay. Don't think too much love."

I strained a smile and moved closer to him, letting his thin yet somehow muscly arms envelope me in a warm embrace.

As he hugged me, I felt safe. Secure too. It was like everything was a fever dream I was not even supposed to have. But I have it. I'm living in it.

I felt myself falling asleep. Tonight was a good night.

Also, did he just call me love?