If I Am Sky, Can You Not Be A Cloud

Safe Space

A/N:

Wishing one for everyone.

***

Sky's POV

I flung down on the floor the moment I closed the door to my place.

I just arrived from uni after an especially tiring day of rushing to finish my projects, one surprise quiz, and an especially humid afternoon of needing to stand in line for everything I need to buy: my lunch, the supplies I need for my due projects and that one drink that keeps my entire system from completely shutting down.

To say I had an exhausting day is an understatement but let's just say I am exhausted because my last working brain cell is unable to find a more fitting description.

Still, I crawl from where I am slumped behind my door because I very much prefer my bed than the cold hard and possibly dirty floor.

As I am crawling, I passed by my small table on my way to my room. Something lit up and that's when I realized I left my phone at home that day. I was too busy to notice it the entire time I was at the uni.

I am really tired and sleepy at the time and am thinking of ignoring whoever's text it was because sleep is my priority at this point and also because for the past few weeks an annoying puppy named Prapai has been pestering me for a date and frankly, I have no energy left to argue with him at this time of the night.

Still, I have a soft spot for puppies in general so I decided to check my phone. I'll just take a quick peek, maybe reply him, 'and for the 99th time, it's a no' and then continue crawling towards my bed and finally sleep till afternoon the next day.

I don't always reply to him but I always send one or two messages within a day and if I am planning to sleep until afternoon the next day, said puppy might get worried because I haven't texted him anything today until afternoon tomorrow. Then he may come to check up on me. So basically, me replying him now is actually helping myself get more sleep tomorrow. It's not like I want to assure him that I am fine or anything like that.

With my reasoning sounding reasonable enough, I reached for my phone, unlocked it without actually reading the screen and absentmindedly clicked on the message notification.

My vision was already very blurry at this point. My eyes are really just seconds away from shutting down on me.

The words don't register right away.

". . . find you."

Wait, what?

I rubbed the back of my hand on my very tired and sleepy eyes.

Then I tried to read the message again.

"I will find you."

Are you kidding me?!

Ok, so what? Then find me.

I have no time for this sh*t.

Just who in their right mind will send me something like this in the middle of the f*cking night.

Then my eyes landed on the set of numbers.

It's not one of my saved contacts.

Sh*t.

A chill run down my spine.

Please not this again, is my silent plea.

A strange air blew and I felt the tiny hairs on my arms stood on their ends.

Don't joke with this, I am begging you.

My eyes are drawn towards the unfamiliar number again. Trying to read each of the number again and again and again.

Everything felt like moving in slow motion.

Is it the one? No, but I already blocked that. Does he have a new one?

My tired eyes suddenly strained to open wider. More alert. Checking for any suspicious movement in the room.

Was he? Perhaps . . .  here? I shivered at the thought. No that can't be. For sure he won't . . .

Something in my stomach hurts. I felt acid coming up my throat.

Then suddenly I laughed.

I kept laughing for sometime.

Then I feel the sweat running down the side of my cheeks. But when I check and touch with my hands, it's actually coming from my eyes.

I was crying.

And laughing.

Crying and laughing at the same time. 

Why now? Why now when I thought it's already in the past. Why? Is the nightmare not yet over? I cried hard some more. Please. Please. Make this a dream. A very bad one if you must but never something real. Just something my tired mind conjured. Something unreal.

By this time I am already shaking.

Then came a knock.

I felt the air knocked out of my lungs.

Is dying peacefully too much to ask?

Another knock.

I felt my face drained of color. My lips were ghostly dry.

Then a series of knocks.

"Nong Sky, I know you're home."

Then I feel myself breaking down in big sobs.

Relief washed all over me.

It's not the end.

I was wailing hard and sobbing my heart out for some time before I finally had the strength to stand up and open the door, and when I did. There he was.

My safe space.

My puppy.

My Prapai.

***

A/N:

Just need to let it out.