Tricks of the Heart

A New Normal

Chapter III: A New Normal

The warm light of the day slips through the cracks of the blinds, alerting everyone inside of the morning. In my room, there are only two people. Sunset. And me. I barely got any sleep last night. Maybe it was because my mind wanted to make sure Sunset is alright, but I'm not sure... No matter how hard I tried to think of bouncing sheep, my mind always strayed towards thoughts of Sunset. About the night before. About all the times we've shared together. I've never thought about her this much in the span of twenty-four hours, but here I am. Maybe I'm still mad at Flash... That could be the reason why. All through the night, I held Sunset close to me and stroked my fingers through her hair, trying to make sure she had a good sleep even if I didn't. I couldn't get my mind off of it... Off of that one thing. She was drunk and it meant nothing...

So why does it feel like something...?

Staring at the ceiling above me, I feel Sunset's body move slightly more than she had all night. A groan comes from her lips, struggling to bring herself to reality. Through a lot of effort, she slowly pulls her head off my chest, squinting to look at her surroundings. "Good morning," I tell her quietly, attracting her attention.

"Adagio? Why does my... head hurt so much?" she barely asks me before bringing her hand to her forehead, whimpering at the headache. The buzz has worn off, leaving only a miserable hangover. "Was I... sleeping on you?" Her eyes are still squinting as she tries to sit up, holding her head all the while. A couple more groans come out of her as I move up beside her, stretching my arms.

"Well, you kinda initiated it. After you drank everything from my fridge." Sunset's eyes instantly look over at me, making her wince at the sudden move. Nonetheless, surprise is written all across her face. "You want proof? Look around us," I tell her while moving my arm out in front of us, presenting the empty beer cans galore. A blush comes to Sunset's face, her hand rubbing her forehead before looking at me again.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to drink so much." Taking another look at the cans all around her, a loud sigh exits her lungs. "What happened...?"

"You don't remember?" Sunset shakes her head to my question, slowly placing her hand on the bed and pushing herself up, wobbly standing in front of my bed.

"I can't remember what happened after I started drinking, if that's what you're asking. I still remember what..." she stops herself quickly, looking down at the floor quietly, "he did..." I was almost hoping that she would have forgotten that as well... But I suppose that would mean I would have to reopen the wound by telling her. In my opinion, it's better that she's no longer with him, but I know she genuinely cared about him. Even if I wasn't the biggest fan of how he would take our time away from us, she tried so hard to make him happy and make things work. Only for him to throw it all away without any regard to her feelings. "Did I do anything stupid...?" she asks me quietly, making her way to the sink and washing her face slowly. As soon as those words register in my mind, however, that sensation comes back to me. The warm light in the night. Our hands intertwined. And most of all, her kind words. All of that just built up that moment and I was helpless. It meant nothing... It's just surprising, that's all. That's why my mind can't stop thinking about it...

"No, you didn't. Other than asking me about a zoo we never went to." Sunset laughs quietly, still trying to not move around suddenly. Turning off the faucet, Sunset leans against the counter, shaking her head.

"Thank you, Adagio. Really. It means a lot to me that you helped me out of a bad situation and made sure I wasn't alone." Rubbing her forehead again, she barely looks towards me, squinting at the sunlight coming through the blinds. "Do you mind if I stay here for a little longer...? I'm not feeling so-" Instantly, she cuts herself off, closing her mouth as if trying to desperately hold something in. Bringing her hand to her mouth, she quickly goes into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Once again, I'm left alone with my thoughts. It doesn't matter whether she's sick or dealing with a broken heart. I'll be here.