PSYCHOMACHIA // matty healy

2.

I fidgeted in bed, tossing and turning as the night seemed to only get hotter and hotter. That was the one thing I disliked about summer, many of my nights were restless and I would sweat an ungodly amount. London wasn't particularly well accommodated for dealing with hot weather, we had no air conditioning and I seemed to have misplaced my fan. Falling asleep was proving to be an endless battle I knew I wasn't going to win, so I knew exactly what to do with myself. I threw on a summer dress with a pair of black velvet Mary Janes which I adored and slipped out into the night. The cool air relieved me, the breeze hitting my legs causing my dress to sway with it. I arrived at the studio in no time - but I quickly realised I wasn't as lonesome as I hoped I would be once my eyes caught a glimpse of the glowing, warm light from underneath the door from the room opposite mine. I glanced at my phone, it was two o-clock in the morning. I decided to ignore my neighbour, my brain was bumbling with thoughts that swarmed my senses like bees in the spring.

It was already three o-clock when I took a break to make a cup of tea. The studio had a cramped kitchen area with a kettle, cafetière and a fridge. I wandered down the hall to the kitchen before filling the kettle with water and waiting for it to boil. I picked out my favourite mug from the cabinet - it had a crack down the side of it but I couldn't bear to part with it. The hot water soon rumbled and sent clouds of steam into the air; the kettle clicked and the little red light turned off. I began to pour the hot water into the mug over the teabag - there was something satisfying about the hissing noise it made.

"Esther," a voice startled me, causing me to jump and dribble some hot water onto the counter.

"Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me!" I placed the kettle back on its stand and swivelled around, my eyes meeting a familiar pair that glinted at me like gun metal a few nights prior. "Can I help?"

"Can you do me a favour?" I turned back around to give my tea a quick stir with a teaspoon before facing Matty. His inquiry made me slightly nervous, I couldn't possibly think why he'd need my help at such an ungodly hour.

"Depends what it is." I replied, spooning my teabag out of the mug and into a bin and grabbing the milk from the fridge. I stirred the milk into my tea, I felt uneasy letting his eyes burn into mine. I swirled in some sugar before facing him once again,

"Come listen to this guitar." He beckoned me with his hand and I followed him down the hall closely behind with my mug in hand. He took me into his studio and picked up a Gibson Les Paul, it was the same one I had. There was an overwhelming smell of stale cigarettes that lingered in the room and a glass of red wine on what looked like an antique side-table. He played a few notes and I noticed a buzzing sound coming from it, he scoffed in frustration. "What am I doing wrong?"

"Play it again," I furrowed my brow, I was quite certain what the issue was. He obeyed me and played it again, the same buzzing noise resonating from his amp. I pointed to the air conditioning unit in his room, "How often do you use that?"

He scratched his head, "All the time, it's hot as shit now."

"Open your windows more when it's humid or get a humidifier, I had the same problem a while ago. You could borrow mine if you want, I've got some essential oils too."

"Essential oils?" I couldn't tell if he was confused or looking at me like I was stupid. I sipped my tea and held up a finger to tell him I wouldn't be a moment. I padded back to my room, unplugged my little humidifier and took a small selection of essential oils back with me.

"Here," I plugged it into the wall and turned it on, it had some leftover water in it from earlier in the day and some lavender drops. "When it runs out just fill it up with water and add a few drops of one of these." I placed the small bottles next to his wine, he stood there staring at me blankly.