Accidentally in Love

Chapter 5

Later on after the two had their dinner and bath, they went to bed.

Or so Squidward thought while comfortably resting with his night gown and sleeping eye mask.

Surprisely, even with the still quiet of the night, he somehow couldn't sleep at all.

After a few times of fidgeting with himself, turning back and forth in his sleep, he finally rose up from the bed and ripped off his beauty sleep eye mask from his face.

He looked around with a sudden notice that Spongebob was not on the couch and that the balcony French doors were wide open!

Was there an intruder? Squidward thought, worried as he bounced off the bed and walk slowly to balcony doors.

He peeked around the corner and sighed in relief when he learned that it was only Spongebob, who was leaning out on the railings watching the moonlight sky.

He looks on and smiles halfway.

As much as he envies the little guy for his happiness, it turns out that there was a different side of Spongebob that he never knew before.

He felt guilty for thinking otherwise, and thought about what would he do if he can't sleep.

Suddenly a lightbulb popped in his mind.

I know just the thing. Squidward thought while heading into the minifridge.

Good thing they packed in extra sea horse milk for the trip as Squidward grabbed a mug and filled it up with the liquid.

He warmed it up to about 2 minutes in the microwave and pulled the cup out it before the beeper stopped the timer, in case Spongebob needed more quiet time to himself.

Squidward then walked up slowly to him with careful ease not to spill the hot drink and stood right by him.

Although, Spongebob never really cared to notice it all, which was very unusual for his character.

"Here" Squidward offered as he hands him the warm milk to which Spongebob now responds to and turns to face him.

"Oh, thanks." Spongebob said and took the cup from his hand while turning back to face the darkened sky.

"Can't sleep huh?" Squidward asked, rhetorically.

"No. Not really. I just couldn't stop thinking about what happened earlier." Spongebob said, sipping into his drink in a stressed breath.

"What do you mean?" Squidward asked confused.

"When I accidently layed my head on your shoulder, you didn't bother to yell at me or for once push me away. Its like....you feel obligated to be nice to me when you know well for sure that I bug you every other day of the week and its very confusing. Sometimes, I just can't tell what's really going on in your head. You're always a mystery to me and now I just don't know what to say to you anymore. Its very stressful" Spongebob explained, softly as Squidward looks over at him in a jolting shock.

Never has he ever out front told Squidward that his kind gesture was odd and strange.

Maybe its cause he's so used to him being the miserable same squid that he is, or was. 

"Look Spongebob you know me better than anyone else. You're aware of my...." Squidward tried to explain but paused.

He didn't want to say feelings and refuses to admit it, at least not yet anyways.

"....strange behavior when I'm around you right?" Squidward finished with a wince.

"I guess." Spongebob said with a small sigh while nestling his almost empty, drink that still contained the same heat around the surfaces of the cup.

Nothing was better than a fresh hot cup of warm milk to ease his tensions, but sometimes those tensions still worry him a lot.

"What's wrong Spongebob? Why are you like this? Just talk to me. I'm listening." Squidward begged while shaking his shoulders gently.

Then, like the many times before, Spongebob's soft, sensitive side kicks in as his lips quivered a little in hurt.

"I...I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I've been ignoring you all day and everything. I just worry that you'll never be happy because you never gave me an answer that day and I thought that I ruined it all for you." Spongebob sob as small tears drain down his face.

It was the same kind of tears he sees everywhere.

Except this one was different and more personal.

Squidwards's heart then suddenly fell deep as he awkwardly gives him a loose hug and pat on his back to calm him down.

"No, no. I'm the one who needs be sorry. The truth is, my life is actually kind of boring without a lot of chaos in it. Sure I need some peace and quiet every now and then but without...." Squidward tried to say but, paused until he gave an alternative ending to his sentence.

"....Y...your laughter, it would just continue to drive me crazy. And I needed the noise." Squidward finished in a partial lie.

Yeah he hates to say it, but he does miss his laugh.

However, he was withholding something else or at least.... someone that he was actually missing more.

"I thought you didn't like my laugh." Spongebob said, confused, pulling away from his hug quickly as the tears that had stained his face were suddenly drying up fast.

It was as if he can switch to a different emotional state in a heartbeat.

"What makes you think that I didn't?...." Squidward asked but then turn away quickly, cursing under his breath.

He already knew the answer to that question.

Why did he have to obviously remind him of it.

The little guy may be annoying at times but he's not....

"I'm not stupid, you know?! If you never wanted to be near me in the first place then just go ahead and say it because I am tired of playing your games!" Spongebob yelled out with gritted teeth and his fists tightened up in anger.

Squidward, still confused himself, look more surprised and frightened to his new reaction.

What's with this new attitude of his?

Am I pushing him too hard?

Was all of my insensitive acts hurting him this whole time?

If he knew my intentions...then why did he still have to put up with me?

Squidward thought as more time between their stung silence buzzed even more with both hurt and puzzled by each other's thoughts.

However, Squidward didn't have much patience to begin with as he grew extremely frustrated by the minute until he felt like he was going to explode.

This was getting them no where and all it did at this point was waste each other's time.

Squidward then, switches back to his mean self and once again, pushes him even further away from him.

"Ooo! Just forget it! There's no use talking to you! I'm going to bed! I'll see you in the morning when you're less aggravating to deal with. Oh! and by the way, those patties of yours were horrible. You have no taste in cooking whatsoever." Squidward yelled out harshly.

"Well fine then! Maybe next time you can get food from the freezer section! See if I care!" Spongebob argued in lesser roasting comeback as the two went back to their beds in a huff and shut their eyes tight, hoping that the other will fall asleep first.

Although, neither of them really mean it.

It was just....too complicated from the start.

*sigh both expressed before truly going into deep sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be a loooong day ahead of them.