𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓 ✞𝑡𝑜𝑚 𝑘𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑧✞

part fifteen

Four hours later, Robyn had already rolled and smoked a blunt in between her various positions around the house as she reflected deeply in and out of conscious thought. The Oxy was gradually wearing off, leaving her bored shitless and even more depressed than she was prior to taking it. As the sky grew into a gradient of black and blue, her skin shivered in anticipation while her limbs restlessly shifted between her comforter and her mind spiralled into obscure thoughts and questions. Luckily, none of these focused too heavily on Elliot or her father or Jay, making her mood questionably okay for the time being. Sighing, her attention flicked over to the light that reflected from the glossy surface of the guitar in the corner of the room. Immediately, the guitar made her think of Tom and suddenly, her feet were stumbling over to the window seat.

It being already open, she could see clearly through her own window and into the bedroom opposite. She knew that he would be asleep at this hour, but her mind couldn't help but crave conversation and after her four hours of excruciating silence, she thought fuck it.

Typically, her highs like this would begin as a build up of emotion or anxiety but strangely pan out into bad decisions and mischief. Because of this, Robyn found herself in a perpetual cycle of guilt from ill decisions, substances and then inevitably, more ill decisions.

Now realising she had to concentrate, she narrowed her focus onto her footsteps and tracked them now progressing over the short distance across her garage roof. Due to her cold sweats at night and the summer humidity, she remained wearing only one of her fathers t-shirts, now glad of this as the breeze washed over her skin. Bare foot, the cold shingles of the roof woke her slightly and reminded her of the slightly dangerous scale of what she was now doing.

Fortunately for her, Tom's window was also wide open with his lighter and pack of cigarettes lazily tossed on the window ledge. Beneath her, Robyn leaned into the boys room, cautiously looking down as her eyes fell on a peacefully sleeping Tom. For a brief moment, she saw how his chest rose and fell in chorus and how his eyes slightly fluttered in his sleep. It stunk of beer and summer heat.

"Tom" she whispered, barely making any noise. He didn't stir. "Tom" she repeated rising onto her tip toes so she could lean down and shake his ankle slightly.

Suddenly, Tom took a sharp inhale of breath and his eyes flew open, immediately scanning the room. His brows furrowed in the darkness as he rapidly shifted left to right, drunken eyes narrowing until they found Robyn's.

"Sorry, can't sleep" she spoke into the darkness, smiling slightly at the waking boy. Barely reacting, Tom stretched and cleared his throat before shuffling over in his bed and lifting the dark comforter. He didn't even speak or look at Robyn as he nestled his head back into the pillow with a sigh. Robyn stood still unsure what to do.

"Come on then" his raspy voice spoke slowly, him still unmoving from his position. Robyn chuckled slightly before pushing herself up onto the window ledge and kicking her legs over onto the bed. Due to its position up against the window, she easily climbed over Tom's limp body and slid into the space he had made for her. As soon as she lay lower beside him, Tom pulled the cover over the pair, his eyes still tightly closed as he casually pulled her towards him. His arm found its way beneath her neck and the other comfortably snaking over her hip. Now, she felt the warmth of his bare torso pressed into her back and the rich smell of cologne and beer trapped in the bed itself. She sank further into the comfort, the dried tears on her cheeks softening.

"Knew you would be back" he spoke after a few moments, his voice low and gruff as he just woke, but the slight arrogance of his words prominent.

"You're drunk" she replied bluntly, her lips tugging at a smile in the darkness.