Lemongrass and Sleep (On Hold)

6 Is It Though?

I woke up with a smile on my face for the first time in a long time. I look over at my clock and see that I woke up just a little before my alarm is set to go off. Seems like today is one of those days. The ones that could either go so right or so wrong.

"Remy come here!" I hear Nadia call frantically from the hallway. 

I throw the covers off of my body as fast as I can and sprint to where the TV is one. Chad and Nadia are standing with their hands over their mouths. I look and see the headlines. "Elizabeth Olsen has been found dead in her L.A. home earlier this morning. LAPD is currently working on the case and trying to find her killers. Viewer discretion advised." 

It flashes some photos of bloody walls and a body bag. I see her hand sticking out with my tiny card with my number on it in her hand, as if holding onto her lifeline. I turn and see Nadia and Chad looking at me with one of those pity looks. I shake my head, desperately trying to shake it out of my head. She was perfectly healthy this morning. No. No no no no no no no, "NO!"

"Remy," I hear as I run down the hallway. "Remy. Remy!"

I jerk up in my bed. Remy is standing over me, Chad in the doorway. I look and see the concern in my best friend's eyes. I rub my eyes, shaking those images from my nightmare out of my bed. "Estoy bien (I'm fine) Nadia. Solo necesito un poco de agua ( I just need some water) Go back to bed. I'm fine."

I squeeze past Chad and head into the kitchen. I hear footsteps behind me. "Really Nadia, Estoy bien. Regressa a la cama (I'm fine. Go back to bed)."

"Se que no estas bien (I know you're not fine)," I hear a deep voice behind me say. I whip my head around and see Chad behind me, leaning against the counter. "Now tell me what's really going. Between you and me. I don't care what it is. I won't tell her."

I hesitate for a moment. I then pour my biggest worries out. From Elizabeth realizing I'm just a no body and I'm not good enough to my nightmare of her being killed. It's been a long time since I've been able to talk freely. I love Nadia but if I said the wrong thing she'd smack me upside the head for worrying about something ridiculous. Which are the only type of things I worry about.

While I'm pouring my emotions out, he seems to be genuinely listening. His gaze doesn't wander from my eyes and he doesn't stop reacting to my words at appropriate time. I'm over here spitting out my feeling, feeling I didn't even know I had, and he is still paying attention as if he is required to. After all this I release a breath I didn't know I had been holding. Chad pulls me into a hug and we stand there for a minute before he pulls back and smiles at me.

"Do you feel better now Remy?"

I nod and return his smile. He truly is like a brother to me. I don't think he knows how much I appreciate him and his support. See I have sibling but we are all at least four years apart in age. My brother is 37, I'm 32, and my sister is 28. We were old enough to where when one of reached a new stage in life, the others had already been there and have moved on with success. High school for instance. By the time I was a freshman Wyatte was in his second year of college. By the time Rose had reached freshman year I had already graduated and started my gap year before I realized I wanted to be a food critic.

But when my brother was ten, I was five, and my sister was 1, we were all outside playing in our pool in the backyard when we saw smoke coming from the windows that were open for fresh air. We were confused but then we heard screaming. My brother ran and got the neighbors to call the firemen and then our neighbor, Mrs. Evans, let us sit inside and told us someone would come get us when it was over. 

My parents died that night. I still remember them as if my mom was tucking Ro and I into bed in our shared room and dad was at the door humming a lullaby as he checked for monsters under the bed. It didn't really kick in until we started bouncing from one foster home to another. At sixteen, I met Nadia and her parents took me and Ro in and we had a family again. Wyatte had already joined the army so it was the two of us.

But everything that came with being accepted as part of Nadia's family is more than I could've hoped for. I just hope I don't screw things up with Lizzie up because I seem to have a knack for that type of thing.

Lizzie POV

"I'm not making this up! Rambunctious is a word!!" I say exasperated.

"Is it though? It seems made up to me," Scar says with Ami nodding in agreement.

"Oh come on. You're full of shit. You're just made because I made a big word that you can't more words out of. If I look it up you still wouldn't believe me so believe me or not I'm doing this. I am unbeatable at Scrabble. I thought we had established this fact!"

"All I'm saying is it doesn't even make sense for it to be spelled that way. Evan is it a word?"

Evan looks up. "Hold on," he says with a sigh. He doesn't play scrabble with us anymore because of shit like this. Given it's 3 a.m. but also because we are petty about our scrabble. "Okay says here rambunctious means 'uncontrollably exuberant or boisterous' and it is spelled                         r-a-m-b-u-n-c-t-i-o-u-s."

"Ha!" I say with a smirk.

Scar scowls while Ami groans and puts her head in her hands. "Let's all go to bed. I have to be up by ten."

We all nod as we start cleaning up, but not before I take a picture of the board so we can set it up the same way the next time we play.

We all say goodnight. As I climb into bed, I start thinking about Remy and how perfect she looked. I love how she was still down to earth after I told her I was in the Marvel movies. I mean even if she hasn't watched them everyone knows Marvel is a huge and popular franchise. Yet the first question she asked was if it was fun. When I told her I didn't want to talk about it she shrugged and acted as if I didn't tell her I was one of the Avengers who's autograph could sell for $100.

I think the most attractive thing about her is she doesn't act above everyone else even though she is stunningly beautiful. As if she isn't one of the funniest people on earth without trying to be. As if her smile almost blinds me every time it makes its appearance. As if her eyes aren't a deep brown with speckles of green that make you feel like you are wandering deep into the forest with no desire to return. As if she isn't completely and utterly enticing.

Man I'm already falling for her and fast. It is bisexual culture to fall in love faster than you can say their name. Remi Uriel Brown.

I guess there's just something about her that's just so... addictive.

Word Count: 1279 words without A/N

I had to add something happier after giving a very depressing back story. Also heads up, this isn't going to be one of those stories where the main couple is conflicted on whether or not they should be together or some shit like that. All conflict is gonna happen outside of them. I need just one story that has a couple that aren't fighting their emotions because I'm writing fiction not my life story. Anyway sorry for taking so long to update end of quarter is a pain in my arse. Much love, Sarri