Shattered

Chapter 40

I don't remember falling asleep, but I was woken up from a dreamless rest by gentle shaking on my shoulder. It was the first night in almost a week that I was able to sleep without waking up in tears or screaming from nightmares, yet I still felt restless, unable to remember what a good night felt like.

My eyes were slow to open, moving in heavy blinks which left my vision blurry. Tiredly, I lifted an arm and yawned, running it along the side of my face. "What time is it?" I asked in a mumble, my voice sounding deeper from sleep.

Shutting my eyes again, I clutched the blanket tighter, pulling it to my shoulders and leaning further into my pillow. I knew Chandler was standing beside me, since there was no one else in the apartment to wake me up, but my body reacted lazily, not caring to move from his touch.

"It's two," he answered quietly, shifting his to my cheek with a gentle movement. I groaned at the feeling of his warm fingers against my cold skin , although I knew better than to show such displeasure, but I was too tired to filter my actions. "I don't want to get up," I stated and rolled to the empty side of the bed, the side he usually slept on, which was still made, meaning he didn't come to lay down at all after I fell asleep.

"Well, you're getting up." I was startled by a tug at my ankle, lightly gasping, pulling me all the way back toward him and to the edge of the bed. Frowning, I looked to him with a glare, upset that I had to wake up at such an ungodly hour.

"Happy birthday, I hope it's going great so far," he said with a sarcastic smile, finding humor in my stubbornness, and grabbed my hands, making me stand.

It wasn't a day to celebrate, at least I didn't want to celebrate it with him. My birthday was a day I generally never liked, but with dad and Avery, they always made me happy. This year, my birthday was supposed to be a good day, one the three of us had planned for a while. We made arrangements to go back to Washington, where mom and Quinn were buried. It seems solemn at first, but it truly wasn't meant to be. She died, we had the funeral, Quinn died, another funeral, and then we moved. We haven't been back since, horribly so, and I told dad that it was the end of it, he had to return at some point to see them where they rested.

Only, I wouldn't return to Washington for a while, and when I did, it would not be because of my late mom or sister.

"I hate you," I answered in kind, turning away from his grasp, and crossed my arms. "Remind me why I'm awake this early?" My question was answered with a laugh, one that made me roll my eyes. Not getting enough sleep always left me in a mood, and until I was fully awake, I would remain this way.

"It'll be worth it, I promise," he told instead of giving a direct answer. This annoyed me, but I tried not to let it show. As I've said before, I wasn't one for surprises, they made me uneasy, especially from someone as unpredictable as Chandler.

"Everything is packed in the car already; I'm just waiting on you." His voice was soft as he spoke, patient, even though I had already begun acting in a way he didn't like to tolerate less than five minutes after waking up. Maybe it was because it was my birthday, which didn't matter much, that made him decide he would be gentler, I guess, with me.

I turned to him, actually looking at him for the first time that very early morning. His tired eyes were the most prominent feature on his face, which they usually were, but now it was because of different reasons. They appeared sunken and dark, clearly showing that he had gone a while without sleep. His hair was disheveled, slightly damp, a mess of dark brown waves, some strands straighter than others. He wore black sweatpants and a maroon sweater, dressed differently than I remembered when I fell asleep.

"Why do you look like a zombie?" I blatantly asked, glancing over him once more before setting my gaze on his eyes. Guaranteed, in half an hour, my entire attitude would change, and this boldness would disappear to be replaced by my usual nature.