How To Stay Afloat (BxB)

Chapter 133: forgotten promise

Sharing the room with Kevin is, well, interesting. He's very annoying. So annoying that I get angry.

"It's almost like we're roommates at college, right?" Kevin asks me.

It's one in the morning for god's sake. I was just about to fall asleep.

"Yeah, almost." I say with a sigh. "Do you ever sleep?"

He chuckles. "Nah, I slept a lot last night after the surgery, so I'm super awake now." He explains.

"Great." I say annoyed.

"Plus, I can't sleep when it isn't pitch black." He explains.

Right. I remember the sleepovers.

"Then wrap something around your eyes." I suggest.

"That's uncomfortable!" He argues.

"How long do you have to stay?" I wanna know.

"Until sunday." He tells me. "At least I got a cool roomie and won't get bored."

"I wish I could say the same." I mumble. I'm tired. So, so tired.

"Do you still get any treatment?" He wants to know. "Apart from the stuff you get in your arm." He says.

"Nope. I'm just monitored to make sure my kidneys and heart and stuff all didn't take more damage." I explain.

"Does anything hurt?" He asks.

"My whole body feels sore. Like I ran a marathon." I explain. "What about you? Why are you still here?" I ask him.

"For the pain medication. Plus a doctor's gonna do an assessment whether I need further surgeries or not." He explains.

"What?" I ask him shocked. "You might need more surgeries?"

"Maybe." He says. "I don't have any sensation in the tips of my fingers yet and it's likely that it either stays that way or they need to cut open my hand again to reattach the nerve endings that were missed." He explains.

"Fuck. Kevin, I'm so sorry." I say. I'm here complaining about him being annoying.

"It's okay. But I guess I'll ask the nurse for more pain meds when they do a checkup." He says.

I look at him worriedly. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"No. I'm just a crybaby, you know me. Apart from that the meds are freaking awesome." He says.

He's lying. I remember how painful the cut Noah gave me was. It was almost unbearable. In movies people run around with deep cuts like that, they stitch them together themselves or they hide the wounds like it's a papercut. But in reality those small cuts are extremely painful.

I stand up and walk over to him, taking my blanket with me.

"What are you doing?" Kevin asks me confused as I climb into his bed, nudging him to move over.

"I feel alone." I say and push him aside to make place for myself.

"Uhm, okay?" He says and moves over.

I lie down on my side, facing him.

"I'm gonna tell you right away, I got no socks on and we're lying in the same bed." He says.

I start laughing. "That makes you gay."

"Not if I say 'no homo' in the morning." He claims.

It's funny how those gay jokes never changed after I came out.

"Come here." Kevin says and reaches his left arm over. I lie down with my head on his shoulder.

I love Kevin. In the most platonic way. He's my best friend. We always grow far apart, but we never lose the connection that can pull us back together in an instant.