His Wild Blue Air

Day 12

Friday

Peaceful sleep. It was like Skylar could never have it for long. The night before last night happened to be an exception because last night, sleep eluded her again and insomnia came back.

The cricks in the neck and the stiffness of her back was definitely not appreciated. It wasn't like it was her fault that she had to fall asleep on the couch! She groaned in complain as she stretched and felt her neck whine from the sudden movement.

She rolled to her left side, facing the back of the couch, and curled up again, wanting to just go back to sleep. Maybe if she woke up all the cricks and stiffness would go away.

"Yeah, right," she grumbled under her breath and pouted.

"Okay, this has got to stop."

She yelped aloud and leaped upright, feeling the effects of the action taking place in all the wrong places. She suppressed another groan and looked to see Ethan standing on the other side of the couch, looking at her with equal amusement and concern. She turned her plain looking into a full blown glare as she released an array of groans and grunts.

"Are you okay?" he asked, leaning over the back of the couch with his arm outstretched.

"No," she snapped and hung her head back. "Jesus Christ, I can really use a massage right now."

His hand touched her back gently. When she opened her eyes, his face was literally right there in front of hers. She pulled back abruptly and - fuck everything - fell off the couch, sprawled all over the hardwood floor. One could only imagine how that would help with the discomfort she was in right now.

She didn't even try to get up. She just laid there, pouting and grimacing and making the baby-est noises she could muster.

And then Ethan was looming over her, his face upside down in her vision. He reached down to help her get up and settle her back on the couch. "Why are you always sleeping on the couch?" he asked incredulously once he'd made sure she was comfortable.

She sighed in exaggeration and leaned back. "Insomnia loves me," she grumbled. She opened her eyes and turned to him who looked mostly concerned. Something told her he wasn't all that concerned. "Go ahead, Boyd. Laugh it up." Her arm waved limply in the air before falling back into her lap.

"What? I'm not laughing," he quickly denied the notion with a shake of his head.

She looked at him closer, scrutinizing him. "But you want to," she concluded.

He stared at her, unsmiling and questioning. She wasn't convinced so her eyebrows gazed her hairline. He licked his lips and he exhaled a gush of air loudly. Her gaze didn't let up.

Five seconds later, he crumbled. The laugh that came from Ethan was like a newly sprung leak - timid at first, stopping and starting. He wasn't done yet though, she could tell from the way he rolled his eyes skywards and half bit his lip. She folded her arms, eyebrows arched, waiting. In moments, Ethan's laugh was more like a bust water main arching into the brilliant summer sky soaking everyone around him in unrestrained gales.

She wanted to stay straight faced, flip her hair and hobble off - because seriously if she stormed off she'd end up in a hospital bed. He was after all laughing at her, not with her. Nonetheless, she couldn't stop herself as the edges of her lips twitched upwards and then she was giggling despite herself.

They didn't stop laughing until five minutes later when Dog bounded in from the kitchen and she sobered almost instantly.

"Oh my god, what time is it?" she asked and glanced up at the clock to see for herself. "Holy shit!" She jumped up, ignoring the protests in her muscles and bones and bounded upstairs, ignoring Ethan entirely to shower and change. "I am so sorry, Dog." She jumped into the shower quickly.