Peaches

Twenty Three



A long stream of drool pooled out of my mouth, sliding down my arm that draped over the couch while I slept. Motionless as if I was in a deep trance, I found it hard to determine if I was entirely asleep or if it was just some sort of hypnosis.

I was aware of every movement of my still body as I slowly drew in long breaths to ease out of anxiety. I could feel the soft silky fabric of my luxurious pillowcase against my tangled mess of hair that stuck to my face.

Was I snoring?

The sound of amplifier feedback buzzed through my ears and my eyes shot open.

"What the fuck!" I shouted, flying up off the couch as AC/DC's Back in Black boomed through the speakers.

With blurred vision, I realized that I was looking at Chris and his handsome, smiling face. Guitar in hand, he played as loud as he could, screeching his fingers along the fretboard. "Back in black, I hit the sack. I've been too long, but it's good to be back!"

Leaping from the couch, I attacked him with a quick slap on his chest before crumbling into his arms. "Take off your stupid guitar so I can hold you." I sobbed, gripping to his t-shirt for dear life.

With a free hand, Chris spun the guitar around to his back and hoisted me up around his waist. "How you doin', baby?"

"I was so worried." I happily buried my nose in his warm neck so I could give him small kisses while inhaling him in like he was fresh baked warm cookies. I was overcome with emotion, petting down the back of his neck to feel his familiar curls. "Chris, I missed you so much."

"It wasn't so bad, was it?" He tightened his hold around me to hug me closer, sighing out loud.

"It was horrible." I sniffled, pulling away to look over his face as if it had been years since we last reunited. "Never do that to me again. You aren't allowed to just leave me like that."

With a chuckle, he lowered me down to my feet and turned off the amplifier, which was beginning to make its loud screeches of feedback that killed the mood. "At least I told you the truth about what I was doing."

My smile dropped to an exasperated frown, sensing that he had a great amount of built-up tension. "Chris-"

"What, Briel?" He stood straight, starting me dead in the eyes with a dry smirk on his face. "Did I not tell you everything you might need to know? Even if it risked my life?"

"You just got home, it's-" I paused to look at the time on the TV. "It's almost four in the morning."

"So?" He shrugged, pulling the guitar off of his back with care.

"So, wouldn't you just like to feel like everything's normal on your first night back at home?" Tugging at my fingers nervously, I silently begged him for peace, blinking innocently into his heavy brown eyes.

"Nothing is normal, Briel. You don't understand it, I can't just snap back and pretend as if none of this happened. As if you didn't feed me rotten lies, every fuckin' day."

"What does that mean?" My lips twitched nervously, quivering while I sealed away the pathetic whining that threatened to spill out.

"It means that you betrayed me, Briel. You took advantage of how I felt about you, and you used it to mask your lies."

Feeling like the wind was sucked out of me by a supersonic vacuum, I stared dumbly at his frighteningly calm stature. "I want you to know I never took advantage of your love for me, Chris. You know I love you more than anything."