Beyond Control

09

"Eli..." 

I stirred but refused to wake up. There was no way my body was going to let me come out of my slumber. 

"Come on, Eli," Emily cooed from the phone. "It's time to wake up." 

"No..." I mumbled sleepily. "Not yet." 

She giggled and didn't say anything for a moment. I almost fell back asleep before she sighed and spoke a bit louder than before. "We have a big day today. The faster we get there, the more time we can spend together. Doesn't that sound nice?" 

Spending an entire day with Emily does sound wonderful. I rolled onto my back and stretched my arms. My voice was still sleepy when I spoke. "Alright, fine. I'll get up." 

"That's more like it. I'll be at your house in about fifteen minutes, okay?" she said before changing her tone to a more questioning tone. "Also, have you told your mom about what we're doing and where we're going?" 

I chuckled nervously. "I brought the idea to her yesterday but didn't tell her why we're going. What was I supposed to say?" 

"Oh, I don't know. She's not suspicious of us, though?" 

"Nah," I responded dismissively. "She trusts me. It's not like me to do these kinds of things. I told her I was going out with a friend for the day. That's all she needed to know, and she seemed satisfied." 

Emily clicked her tongue. "I'm jealous. I have to come up with masterclass lies just to have a chance to hang out with my friends, especially guys." 

"You also have a more rebellious side than I do," I joked, but it was true.

"Strict parents create rebellious children," she replied matter-of-factly. "Anyway, send me your address and I'll be on my way. I'll see you soon."

"I will," I said. "Drive safe, okay?" 

Through the phone, Emily made a noise I could tell she was smiling. "Don't worry, I will. Also, we should do this more often. I enjoyed it." 

"What, fall asleep together on the phone?" I asked, a blush forming on my face. Did she really enjoy it? 

"Yes. It was the best sleep of my life." 

Blushing lightly, I sighed. "So did I." 

"I'm genuinely glad you did," she claimed with sincerity. "We should get going. I'll see you in a little bit, okay? Don't forget to send me your address." 

I pushed the covers off my legs. "I got you. See you in a bit." 

"Okay. Bye, Eli." 

"Bye, Em." 

After she hung up, I let myself fall onto my back on the bed. I'd never fallen asleep the way we did with anyone before. The closest I got was an hour-long phone call with my mother when she was out of the country on a business trip. 

I wondered if we'd do this again. It went well, and besides the nightmare from last night, I slept better than normal. Nightmares were common for me thanks to my childhood trauma, but I've learned to deal with them healthily. Listening to music, reading, playing low-intensity video games, and watching TV always helped. 

However, the nightmares will still return even after I've done all of the previously mentioned activities. Sleepless nights follow, which can cause me to be less focused on vital schoolwork. If I wanted to get into the top university, seeing a professional was an option. 

There was no way I'd take medicine if it were prescribed. I'd rather see a therapist and blab about my problems than take pills. I didn't want to rely on medicine to control my emotions unless it was necessary, which I didn't think it was,