A Library Romance

Chapter 14: Realizations

It's about eleven P.M, yet I'm lying in bed, wide awake. Something doesn't feel right, but I can't figure out what it is. I feel fine; I don't need to pee or get a drink, and there's not much on my mind, so why can't I sleep? The last time this happened, it was because my mother had left the oven on, which makes me feel like something has to be wrong somewhere.

I get up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I first check the bathroom. There's no sink left on or spider roaming around. I head down the stairs, careful to hit the spots that don't make them creak, and check the living room. The T.V and all the lights are off just like we'd left them, and there's no sign of a forced entry, nor missing items.

Next, I trudge into the kitchen. The stove is off, the fridge and freezer are firmly shut, and we left nothing out to spoil. My mind next thinks of my parents and Lily, who should be sound asleep. I check on my parents first. Both are off on their isolated sides of the bed, my father with his sleep apnea mask on. But when I walk by Lily's room to check on her, I notice that the light is on. Not wanting to scare her, I knock on the door quietly. Lily comes to the door, looking just as tired as me.

"Milo? What are you doing up?" she asks, inviting me inside. I sit down on her bed.

"I should ask you the same thing. Why aren't you asleep?" I ask. She sighs, sitting beside me and laying her head on my shoulder.

"I just can't sleep, I guess. I haven't really slept well since I started staying here. I got so used to sleeping on the floor in the library, I felt safe there," Lily says.

"You don't feel safe here?" I ask, frowning.

"I do, but I'm just not used to it. This isn't my room, you know? It's just a guest room. I read this book the other day, and the girl in the book said something that really struck me. She said, "you can tell a lot about a person by looking in their bedroom." But what about me? This isn't my bedroom, it's just where I sleep," she says.

"What if we decorated it? We can get you your own sheets and pillowcases, matching drapes, and you can get some things to make this feel more like home," I suggest.

"But you've spent so much on me already, I really don't want you to spend money on things that aren't necessary," she says.

"This is necessary. I want you to sleep well and feel at home here. You're going to be here a while, or at least I hope you will. And I'm sure my mom would agree that your room needs a makeover. We really don't mind using money for something like that," I say.

"Alright, fine. But there aren't any stores open right now, we'll have to wait till the morning," she says. I laugh.

"Well yeah, of course we'll have to wait. I didn't mean for us to go right this second," I say.

"I wish we could. Night shopping is fun," she says.

"Maybe another time, when it's not so late. For now, is there something I can do to help you sleep?" I ask. She crawls back into bed and gets herself under the covers.

"Stay with me?" she asks. I bite my lip.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" I ask, hesitant.

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't," she says.

"Right, that was stupid to ask, sorry," I say.

"I appreciate you making sure though, okay? I like that you make sure. It's nice," Lily says. I just nod without response and crawl in beside her. I wrap my arms around her slowly, waiting to see if she tries to pull away. But she snuggles closer into my body, clinging to my arm like a small child.

"Night Milo," she whispers.

"Sleep well," I say, kissing the back of her neck. It doesn't take long before I drift off to sleep. When I wake up again, the sun is shining through Lily's drapes. She's breathing heavily beside me, still fast asleep. I know better than to move and wake her, so I just lay there and enjoy the moment of seeing her so still. She really is beautiful.