Talk To Me

Chapter ten

February thirteenth

Girls agreed to go to rest early in the evening, but Leah tossed and turned the entire night. It seemed hard to relax and drift to sleep when the most exciting event in her life will start in the early morning.

When Leah's alarm clock rang at three a.m., she felt fully awake, staring at the white ceiling. Her thoughts swirled about the event from two days ago. She shook her head, chasing those images from her head. Now felt not a good time to think about Mark, Leah turned on her bedside lamp, looking around her room. She scratched her left eye, noticing yellow crushing on her finger, she wiped her finger on the sheets and looked to the left side.

Leah smiled at the framed photo, which stood on her nightstand. She and Oliver were posing at his university graduation, Oliver dressed in a black cap and gown and Leah in a simple white dress. She always liked the picture, as it reminded her of simpler times. Oliver seemed less broody back then. Perhaps coming back to Dover for Oliver felt bittersweet, she thought.

Leah got out of bed and soaked in the view of her beloved room. She made the bed, since her white sheets seemed ruffled up. She barely remembered making the bed. The habit felt mundane, even though she couldn't remember when it became a routine.

While she still lived with her father, making a bed seemed foreign to her. Leah felt like a homemaker most of the time, laundry, cooking, and house cleaning barely left any time for studies. That seemed the main reason to move out of James' house.

Her bed seemed decent enough so she moved toward the door. Leah winced as her feet stumbled on her bag, completely forgetting about the luggage on the wooden floor. To avoid other obstacles she turned on the ceiling light and took the silk robe from the chair.

The silk glided through her naked arms as Leah lifted her brown curly hair into a messy bun. Hearing muffled voices in the apartment, and soon she opened her bedroom door. She peered around the living room and it seemed dull, the only light source remained the open kitchen door.

The voices increased as Leah reached the opening of the kitchen. Noticing both her friends have already awakened.

"I hinted to him that we could do it with no commitment, but he refused. What an asshole." Cassie continued, telling the story in a snarky tone.

"Who is an asshole?" Leah questioned, placing her hand on her hip.

Cassie stood behind the kitchen island, pouring coffee into black mugs. Lily sat on the stool, her black loose hair moving on her back as she turned to see Leah.

"Your brother, who else?" Cassie laughed.

"I told you, he won't be interested." Leah lifted her eyebrow and joined Lily, sitting down next to her. "And good morning, by the way." She smiled.

"Well, I still took my chance. He is so mysterious," Cassie said, looking at Lily. "I think it's his eyes, I could just stare at them all day." She bit her bottom lip, staring into the ceiling.

"Stop dreaming." Leah giggled, rolling her eyes.

"Drink up." Cassie divided the coffee cups. "I'm going to get dressed. And dream about Oliver."

Leah lifted her cup, inhaling the rich smell. "You don't need coffee?" She looked up at Cassie.

"I already got mine." She tapped her belly and smiled.

Cassie stepped out of the kitchen, leaving Leah and Lily alone. The girls sat in silence for a moment, enjoying a hot drink. They could detect Cassie's room door closed with a hushed thud.

"Does she know about your brother?" Lily whispered into a mug.

Leah shook her head. "No. Since he doesn't do that anymore, I didn't tell her." She took a sip of coffee. "And you know how difficult it is to explain everything."