Short Stories

Tea Loving Insomniac

   I knew she couldn't sleep. She always joked about how she never slept, but I didn't realize it was this serious.
   Although I was in the lower deck of the houseboat, I could still hear the quiet racket she was making upstairs.
   Ten minutes passed and I could stand it not longer.
   I got out of my bunk, quietly making my way to her. I checked the clock; 3:03 AM.
  "Hey," I whispered, looking to her favorite mug that she held. It was white with the words "my personality is preposterous" written in black. "Watcha drinkin'?"
  "Tea," she replied quietly.
  "What kind?" I questioned further. She didn't answer at first. I knew what she was doing; she was waiting for me to leave, to go back to bed and sleep and leave her alone.
   She turned around again to face me. "Green," she replied.
   "I've never had green tea before," I said.
   "Would you like a drink of mine? Just to see if you like it or not," she said, offering me the mug.
   "Sure," I replied, carefully taking the mug from her small hands into my much larger ones. I brung the cup of the unfamiliar beverage to my lips. It nice and sweet, but had an unique flavor; exactly something I would expect her to enjoy.
   "Do you like it?" she asked. I nodded. "Would you like a cup?" I nodded once again.
   She rose to her feet, adjusting the black sweatshirt that she wore that was about three sizes too big that swaddled her. She walked over to the mini-kitchen and began to boil some water. She climbed onto the counter to get something from one of the higher shelves. I quickly put my hands on her waist to steady her. She grabbed what I could now see was a box of tea. She began to climb down, but before she could, I wrapped my arms around her and helped her down.
   "Thank you," she muttered. She looked up at me. I expected her eyes to be dull and tired, but were bright and happy, just like always.
   However, under her eyes were a deep grayish purple that I had never noticed. Either I never really looked at her or she was really good at putting on makeup.
   She quickly looked down at her feet and turned around to face the stove. She grabbed a mug, identical to hers, and poured boiling water into it then gently sat the packet into mug.
   "Give it a minute to set," she said. After a moment, I took a sip, scalding my tounge. I hissed. She giggled. "And cool down."
   "So," I said, "why, don't you sleep during the night?"
  "I never really did. I never truly slept soundly, even as a baby." she said. That silly, lazy grin I've come to love, spread across her face. "I guess I've always been an insomniac."
   "A tea loving insomniac," I corrected.
   "Exactly," she said.
   "Cheers," I said, raising my cup in the air.
   "Cheers," she said clinking her cup to mine.
   Looking at her in the pale moonlight streaming through the windows made me realize just how lovely she is. Everything was perfect about her to me; her pink lips, her wavy hair, her little, upturned nose.
   However, she was so much more than beautiful. She was smart, funny, passionate, talented, kind, and so much more. I could write a book longer than Moby Dick filled with everything wonderful about her. Her heart was so full of love and all she wants is to help people.
   She is probably one of the most wonderful people I have ever met in my life.
    I think I'm in love.