Letters to Rome

(3) Goodnight Kisses

Morning was the time of day that Liam hated. He enjoyed sleeping a lot more than his parents did and they were tired all the time but he enjoyed school sometimes, too. It was the third week of September and a few days since Rome left but Liam hadn't written him a letter yet. He was thinking of it but, at the same time, he had tons of homework to do that was taking up his energy and his time as well. 

Right now, he was still in bed with his arms and legs sprawled out on his bed. Not only was he exhausted but he also had a cold. His parents weren't home yet but once they arrived and they found out their usually healthy child was still in bed, they'd freak out. However, that'd only happen if they were not informed on his illness. Which they weren't. 

He rolled over on his back and gazed at the ceiling in boredom. Despite being tired, he couldn't fall back asleep which wasn't uncommon. Every time he got a decent amount of sleep, he couldn't fall back to sleep even if he was tired. 

The front door swung open which made him jump but he didn't bother trying to figure out whether it was Angela or Jensen who opened the door. Not that it mattered, though. 

Footsteps could be heard as they stomped up the stairs, startling Liam but it was very obvious that it was mother. They came closer to the boy's bedroom and in came Angela with an unreadable expression on her face. Her face softened when she saw the tired look on her son's face and also his red, runny nose that he kept itching. 

"G'morning. Where'd you go?" Liam asked, now sitting upright to be face-to-face with Angela. 

"I went to the grocery store with Jen ... are you alright?" She worriedly went over to her son, sitting down beside him. "How'd you get sick? And, why didn't you tell us when we came into your room this morning that you weren't feeling well?" 

His mother ruffled his hair with a soft smile on her face but Liam just leaned against the headboard and sneezed. "I don't know. I sneezed a lot at school yesterday and now... yeah." 

The woman shook her head in disappointment. If anything, she would prefer if her son informed her about how he was feeling instead of doing whatever he did instead. "Alright, I'll let you off this time because you're not feeling well. How about I make a meal for you? What do you want to eat? Soup?" 

Shaking his head, he fell back down on his bed and rolled over onto his stomach. "I'm not hungry," he mumbled. "By the way, do you know if Rome's at his new place now?" 

Angela clicked her tongue. "Why are you always thinking about that boy?" She asked rhetorically with a sigh. "But yes, I do know. Ruby told me their new address, sent some pictures and told me how Rome was doing, too. For your sake, of course." 

"What'd she say about him?" 

"She said that he's been really bored and in a bad mood, too. Apparently he and Elijah talked on the plane but the conversation went downhill," the woman explained, lifting herself off of the bed. "I assume he's just curious about you and all." 

Liam let out a sigh, his face stuffed into his pillow. "Mom, why can't I just get a phone? I mean ... I don't have any other friends, you and dad and Rome will be the only people on there. And maybe Rome's parents, too, but that's it." 

"No, me and Jen don't want you to get a cellphone. By any means, it's dangerous on the internet. There's stalkers. We don't want you exposed to that kind of stuff. Plus, what if Rome sends you like ... porn or something? I mean, it's a learning experience but no." 

He rolled over once again and sat up. "Porn? I know Rome and I don't think he watches people having sex in front of a camera, let alone exposing me to that. He knows better."