They Say Opposites Attract

XXV. Trust and Comfort

I rolled into my side as some mysterious force shook me awake. "Heeey, wake uuuppp."

I shook my head in defiance. I held up five fingers in response to her statement. Five more minutes.

"You did that five minutes ago," came the voice in response. "Now wake up before I kiss you." At which I rolled into my stomach, face in my pillow.

Can't kiss me if you can't get to my mouth, I thought to myself. More words I wished to speak, but couldn't for obvious reasons.

"You can hide your face, but not your neck," Kate says before I felt her lips brush against the base of my neck. Which immediately made my face burn bright red. In immediate response, I pulled the blanket up to hide the redness.

It wasn't even five seconds before I felt the blanket pulled away from me. I immediately sat up and looked at the culprit, Kate. She had it held in what looked to be a tight grip.

Kate smiled at me as I stared at her almost blankly. "Do you want it back that much?" I hesitated before shaking my head.

I was already fully awake now that my heart was racing.

I sighed at that as Kate gave a disappointed look. Like she wanted me to take the blanket back.

Instead of speaking up about it, Kate decided to toss it back on the bed. "Anyways, it's almost midday already, do you intend on sleeping through the entirety of the weekend?" Kate asked as she sat beside me on the bed.

Despite her look of slight concern, I was tempted to nod my head in response to her rhetorical question. But, judging by her next words, I think she got the memo from my silence that I indeed wanted to sleep away the weekend.

Kate shook her head in disappointment at that. She stood up and pulled me to my feet. "C'mon," she started with a small smile, "Let's go out and do something." Before I could protest in any way, she added, "There's no getting around it, so no excuses."

I lowered my free hand and nodded in defeat. Kate, who suddenly looks full of energy that came completely out of nowhere wore a joyful expression, pulling me out of my bedroom.

As soon as we were out of the hallway, my mom's voice called out us, giving us pause. "Well aren't you up late, Miko?" I pulled out of Kate's grasp and nodded.

I lifted my hands and decided to talk to her instead of just starting unresponsive.

"It's because I was able to sleep so unusually well last night." I tell her in my usual sign language. For the past few weeks, we had been learning and teaching each other more and more complex signs and patterns.

My mom leaned against the wall of the dining room and smiled at me with warm eyes. "Well, you've always been able to sleep longer with someone by your side."

I hesitated a bit before giving a nod in response. It had indeed been quite some time since I was able to spend a night with someone by my side. Though I'm sure you can guess who the last person before Kate.

Speaking of which, I felt her wrap her arms around me from behind. "She did seem to be quite comfortable," Kate spoke up from behind me.

Speaking of comfort, I couldn't help but find it in her touch. Mom seemed to notice how I relaxed at her touch, the main indicator being her sudden smile and next words.

"She does seem to be quite trusting of you, y'know," she tells Kate. I couldn't help but let my face burn slightly. Even if I had my voice, I feel that I would've still opted to stay silent.

"Does she? I..." Kate seemed to be hesitant of her next words, making me look back at her. She was looking at me while biting her lip. The whole action bringing obvious concern to my mom. "I feel like," Kate started with a pause before continuing, "I feel like she really doesn't trust me to tell me what's troubling her."

My mom looked at me before blowing out a sigh. I know that look. I wiggled out of Kate's grasp and slipped out of the house before anyone could say a word.

She always gives that look when she wants to explain something about me to a friend.

A friend.

I don't know how long I sat in the front yard, drawing random indiscernible objects in the dirt. Eventually, I heard the front door open behind me, but I didn't bother turning around.

"Su," Kate spoke up, sitting beside me. "You were hiding all of that..." she says, not looking at me. "Look. You've been through a lot. But... can you at least give me a chance?"

I stopped drawing in the dirt to look up at her. A chance?

"Please?" She asked me with a hint of begging in her tone. "No one should have to live through what you're living. Hell, you aren't even living at this point," she says as she puts my hands in hers.

I bit my lip before looking away.

How could I give trust when I don't trust myself.

(I apologize for this unnaturally rushed and bipolar chapter. A lot had happened in the process of writing this)