It All Started With An Apple

Chapter 39

“As cute as the two of you look, I’m afraid that it’s time for you to wake up.”

My eyes popped open and I looked up.  I was still enveloped in Dannon’s arms on the living room floor.  I winced internally as I recollected what happened last night.  Dannon’s tear-stained face was imprinted in my mind, forever haunting my memory.  I glanced at Dannon, who was still asleep, looking as peaceful as ever.  You would never have guessed that he’d fallen apart last night, never would have guessed that he wasn’t as happy as he seemed.

I let my gaze slide over to Garrett next, who was sitting on the couch with an amused, lop-sided smile plastered on his face.  “What time is it?” I asked softly, barely noticing that my voice had returned, not to mention that the only remainder of my illness at all was a stuffy nose.

“Almost eleven o’clock.  I wanted to wake you up earlier, but Mom thought you two looked too cute and peaceful to disturb.”  He cocked an eyebrow.  “Is there a reason why you ended up across the room instead of on the couch?”

I bit my lip, shaking my head.  “Must have woken up in the middle of the night.  I dunno.  You know I never remember anything that goes on during the night when I’m barely conscious.”

Garrett stared at me for a long time before nodding.  I almost sighed with relief.  I didn’t want to tell Garrett—or anyone for that matter—what happened last night.  Even without asking Dannon, I knew that he wanted it kept private. 

Before Garrett could question me further, I shook Dannon’s shoulder gently.  I knew that it wouldn’t wake him up, but I didn’t want to shake him roughly.  He’d had a long night.  I wondered if he’d even slept at all before what happened.  How many hours of sleep had he gotten?  Five?  Six?  Three?  It was impossible to tell.

“Dannon, hon, you gotta get up.”

It took a while, but Dannon’s eyes finally opened.  For a jolt of a second I could see the fear in his eyes.  But it quickly disappeared and was replaced with his usual expression: a smile.  “Hey,” he said softly, unwrapping his arms from my waist and stretching them into the air.

“So you’ve moved on to the ‘hon’ and ‘honey’ stage, have you?”  Garrett guffawed as I scowled at him.  He could be so immature.

“Shut up, Garrett,” I muttered, standing up and fixing my tank top.  I’d barely moved and I’d managed to get it all twisted up.  That was some major skill right there.

Garrett, seeming totally unfazed by my comment, shrugged and sauntered toward the kitchen.  “I would offer you two breakfast, but it’s kind of lunch time now,” he mused, his voice distant.

Dannon shot me a questioning glance before standing up and fixing his shirt.  “What time is it?” he murmured softly, wiping his hands down his T-shirt, attempting to get the wrinkles out.  After a moment he gave up, his hands falling to his sides.

“Apparently eleven,” I replied with a shrug, moving closer to him as Garrett disappeared into the kitchen—probably to stuff himself with junk food.  “What time did we fall asleep?” I asked, gesturing to the spot where we’d just been sleeping.

Dannon returned my shrug.  “It was around three in the morning, I think, when you woke up.”

So we probably fell asleep around four—three-thirty the earliest.  No wonder we’d slept in so late.  Especially Dannon with his weakening body.  “Did you sleep before I woke up?” I inquired, my eyebrows rising.

Dannon shook his head slightly.  I felt an ache deep in my stomach as he moved his head back and forth.  Had he been up all that time listening to me cry as I slept?  No wonder he broke down.  Listening to someone cry over a long period of time would depress anyone.