The six-month housemate

Twenty-six

TWENTY SIX

I didn't have trouble going to sleep when I came back to my room after dinner. I was completely knackered because of the previous night, and once my pyjamas on, I just curled up in the heat of my sheets and fell asleep immediately. Bed, o bed, art thou my only friend?

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When I woke up the next morning, it was still dark out, and for a moment, I just sat in bed looking at my surroundings suspiciously, before remembering where I was. I'd had a fairly confusing dream, and though I couldn't remember any of it, I was disoriented by the fact I couldn't recognise the ceiling. Upon checking the time on my phone, I realised it was only 6am; I tried getting some more sleep, but after tossing and turning for another half hour, I resigned myself to getting up.

I tried being as quiet as I could as I went down to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea. I went back upstairs with my precious beverage, carefully setting my feet on the ground so I wouldn't spill any, and closed the door of my room so that nobody would be disturbed by the light, before turning on my laptop. The sun was starting to rise, which made the view from the desk absolutely wonderful, and the silence, only punctuated by the chirruping of a few early birds, was exactly the kind I needed to be able to work without being distracted.

I read through my notes for about half an hour, making more progress than I had in the hours I'd dedicated to revision earlier in the week, before there was a soft knock on the door. I stretched on my chair, finishing my sentence, and got up to open the door. Alex was standing on the other side; he smiled, put his index on his lips, and came in to my room, gently closing the door behind him. I sat at the foot of the bed, and he sat next to me.

"Hey!" He whispered.

"Hey back! What are you doing up so early?" I answered in the same hushed tone.

"I could ask you the same question." He winked, and looked over my shoulder at my computer screen. "Working? At 7am? Good God, girl, you are crazy." He shook his head lightly.

"Probably." I laughed. "So, what's up?"

"I'm going for a jog. Want to come?"

"Yeah, why not? I could do with a break."

"Okay. I'll wait for you outside your door."

He got up and exited the room silently. I changed quickly, grabbed my running shoes and joined Alex in the corridor; we went downstairs like we were a couple of thieves, stopping to glare at each other when one of us made the wood creak, and only walking again when we were sure nobody had woken up. We only put our shoes on once we were outside, and though we didn't really need to, we were extra careful while walking on the gravel. There was something really magical about the dawn's silence, and we ran for a while just side by side, as if any words would ruin the moment.

A car passed drove by speed. I was running on the side of the road, and even if the driver had deviated his path a little, the momentum unsettled me, and I would've fallen down on the asphalt if it hadn't been for Alex, who caught my arm and steadied me on the firm ground.

"Arsehole!" He yelled, though the car was long gone. "Are you alright?" He asked, his forehead wrinkling in concern as he searched any sign of injury.

"A little dizzy... But nothing too bad, don't worry." I reassured him.

"People should just learn how to drive. IT's not because it's early on a Sunday morning that they can go over the speed limit." He growled, glaring at the direction the car had taken.

"Whoa, calm down! I'm fine, don't worry." I was suddenly a little scared of him and his reaction: his fists were balled up by his sides, and he looked like he could actually kill the driver if he were there. He deviated his glare to me, and his expression softened.