Double Vision

17

017. reha .

mar. 1, 2024.

2:11 a.m.

"Rehaaa!" Bella shouted, throwing her arms around me. I stood there dumbfounded before lightly pushing her off of me, glaring up at her.

"It's two in the morning, why the fuck are you here? And be quiet."

She shrugged, looking everywhere but at me. She was fucking soaked. "I went to a bar. Closed a few minutes ago, though, soooo..."

So she's wasted. Great. "Come inside." I shut the door behind her as she walked in, and she flopped onto the couch. 

"Why are you awake, huh?" she asked, gazing up at me with half lidded eyes. "You look like you have a fixed sleep schedule."

I narrowed my eyes. "Could you talk any louder?"

"I'm not loud!"

"Said while yelling."

She frowned. "Don't be so mean."

"I'm not mean." I sat next to her on the couch. "How much did you drink?"

"Can't remember," she murmured, sliding her hand over on top of mine. Fuck. "Got into a fight with my sister earlier, so..."

I turned to look up at her. "About what?"

"She doesn't want me to go to college." she shrugged. "I don't really care, I'm going to apply to some anyway."

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know what you want to major in? I haven't really talked about stuff like that with you before."

"Wanna be a detective, so criminal justice..." she laid her head on her shoulder, and my heart skipped a beat. "I'd like to go to college with you."

"Oh." I swallowed. "I get that, but going to college just to go with me—"

She interrupted with a soft laugh. "I didn't mean it like that. It would be cool if we went together, but I want to go for myself too. Be my own person, you know?"

I nodded, a sense of relief washing over me. The tension in the room began to ease, and I found myself feeling more comfortable talking about the future with her.

"Being a detective, huh?" I smirked. "That's a badass goal. You think you can handle that?"

"You barely know anything about me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah." she smiled. 

I laughed. "Well, I know you like to show up uninvited at ungodly hours, soaking wet and drunk off your ass."

"You're so mean. I'm nothing but nice to you." she took off her glasses, cleaning them with her shirt.

It might just be because I'm used to her wearing glasses all the time, but she looks like a different person. I watched as she put her glasses back on. "I like you better with glasses."

She turned to me, raising her eyebrows. "You do?"

"Yeah." I pressed my lips together, staring at my lap. I really hope she's too wasted to remember I ever said that. "You never told me what you want to do after high school. Besides college, I mean."

She laughed. "This sounds stupid, and completely unlike me, but honestly I just want to settle down and be a housewife or something once I'm older."

"That's not stupid."

"Yes it is."

"No, it's not. Everyone has their own dreams and aspirations. If being a housewife is what makes you happy, then it's a valid goal."

Bella's eyes softened as she looked at me. "You're not making fun of me?"

"Why would I? It's your life." I replied, gently nudging her shoulder. 

She smiled. "I expected you to be a lot different when we first met."

I raised an eyebrow. "And what did you expect?"

"I don't know. Someone cold and distant, I guess. But you're not like that."

"I'm not?"

She shook her head. "No. You're just quiet."

"Good to know," I said, leaning back on the couch. The room was quiet for a moment before she broke the silence.

"You never told me your plans after high school either," she said, tilting her head.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I haven't really figured it out yet. I'm in college, yeah. But I'm not sure about the specifics besides my job."

Bella raised an eyebrow. "You, Mr. Meticulous, haven't planned out your future?"

"I was kind of hoping I'd meet my future wife here. It's hard to plan when that part isn't going well."

"We're both a mess, aren't we?"

"You're not a mess."

"I'm just good at hiding it." she laid her head on my shoulder again, sighing. "You're kind of dumb."

"How?"

"I'm obvious."

I narrowed my eyes. "Stop being so vague."

"Forget it." she closed her eyes. "I'm tired."

"Do you need a ride home?"

"Just let me stay here."

"Oh. Uh, okay. You can't sleep on the couch like this," I mumbled, standing up. "You can sleep in my bed. I'll take the couch."

Bella raised her eyebrows. "Trying to be a gentleman now?"

I rolled my eyes. "Just get some rest. We can figure everything out in the morning."  

I watched her stand up shakily. "My rooms upstairs. Uhh, just follow me."

"I know where your room is." she grumbled. "I'm not that drunk."

I led Bella upstairs to my room, feeling a mix of emotions. She stumbled a bit, leaning on the hallway walls for support. As we entered the room, she immediately flopped onto the bed, her wet clothes dampening the sheets.

"Thanks," she mumbled into the pillow.

I sighed, realizing how exhausted she must be. "I'll get you something to change into," I said, searching for spare clothes in my closet.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "You're too nice, you know that?"

"For being worried about you?" I asked, tossing her a t-shirt and shorts. "I'm not exactly sure anything else I have will fit you."

"You're tiny." she grinned, taking the clothes.

She changed clumsily, and I averted my gaze to give her some privacy. Once she was done, she crawled back into bed, looking at me with a soft expression.

"Reha," she mumbled. "You're not mad at me, right?"

I shook my head, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I'm not mad. Just worried about you."

"You're a good friend. The best."

I hesitated for a moment before replying. "You should get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning when you're sober."

Bella nodded, snuggling into the blankets. "Yeah, sounds good."

I got up from the bed, making my way to the door. Before turning off the lights, I glanced back at her. She looked vulnerable, way different than the confident and carefree persona she usually carried.

"Goodnight, Bella," I whispered.

"Night," she mumbled, already drifting off.