A slow fall

Chapter 18 - Lucas

    Once inside the house, brief words were shared before everyone separated. Feet moved in all directions, fulfilling varying post drinking habits.

I glanced down at the boy leaning against me. His eyes would occasionally drift shut before his body jolted, keeping him awake and upright. As sleep called to him more, his body became heavier as he allowed me to hold him up.

This time there would be no food. Instead I helped guide him up the stairs, his sluggish body slowly going through the motions, and towards my room at the far end of the hall.

My room was small with the double bed taking up most of the floor space. The clutter that to others seemed chaotic and messy, worked for me. Things that I clung to for comfort when first venturing out in the world, tasting independence for the first time, and those that joined me on my journey.

A small cat figurine my nana deemed lucky and gifted me; a collection of architectural prints; postcards from every new city I've visited.

A slightly deformed frog statue Caleb made me to replace Froggy. It was a clay figure, severely disproportioned, paint chipped and kind of ugly, but he had pride of place on my desk.

After leaving to change in the bathroom, Caleb clumsily padded back into my room, his sleepy eyes glancing up at me with a tired smile on his face.

He drowned in the clothes I gave him, our difference in size made noticeable by the absence of his hands in the hoodie and the bunched fabric gathered around his ankles.

"Bedtime?" I watched as Caleb nodded before easily sinking into my bed, taking the left side, so comfortably as if he belonged there.

I turned the bedside lamp, the soft yellow glow keeping the room illuminating after I turned the main light off.

Sleep found Caleb fast and I allowed the steady sound of his breathing to guide me into my own dreams.

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Morning came all too soon.

My body felt heavy. My head weighted to the pillow. Moving felt like a feat I didn't want to partake in.

I'd turned in my sleep, my body that once faced the wall now looking at a familiar figure sat against the headboard.

Caleb's attention shifted to me when he noticed my movements.

I wished I hadn't made any noise, that it was okay for me to map out his face in the faint light drifting in through the gap between the curtains. That I could openly stare at his soft features, sloped nose and fluffy hair without feeling like a creep.

"Morning." My voice was groggy as I spoke, the word heavily laced with the residue of sleep. Caleb's response was airy, the smile on his face conveyed through his words.

He was well situated against the headboard, phone in hand and the faint drawl of a TikTok video playing on repeat. It looked as if he had been awake for a while, though he reassured me it hadn't been too long.

"Have you had breakfast?" Embarrassment wasn't a look Caleb often wore, but the pink blush coating his cheeks was a sight I wished to see more.

"I didn't want to go downstairs. Also, it's more like lunch now."

I sat myself up, checking my phone to find it was almost midday. "Why not?"

"I didn't want to bump into anyone. I thought I'd wait for you. Less awkward."

I was going to make a comment, but his lack of eye contact and still flushed cheeks deterred me. If he was genuinely nervous and embarrassed then I had no intention to make him feel worse.