Something About Sarah

Chapter 3

 Benjamin

 I woke with a start around 2:30 a.m. Something sweaty and cold was lying on my bare chest. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I realized that it was Derek's foot. 

"Gross," I muttered, pushing it off my chest and pulling an old t-shirt. Seemingly unable to fall back asleep again, I shuffled into the kitchen. I looked in the fridge. The milk was no longer fresh and Derek had eaten basically everything else.

About to head back to my room, where I would ultimately stare the ceiling until I fell asleep again or Derek woke up, I stopped short. A small light was coming from one of the chairs at the table.

It was Derek's phone. It had probably fallen out from his pocket when he was sitting there, eating me out of house and home. I would've been a good person and moved it to the counter without intruding on his privacy, but I saw one word flashing on the screen that made me want to open his newest text message. Layla.

What was Layla doing, texting my best friend in the middle of the night? I held down the button to unlock the phone and I read. 

Sarah's asleep. wanna meet somewhere??? -Layla 

Were they dating? How blind must I have been to let this go on without my noticing? And why were neither of them compelled to tell me? I racked my brain to think of any signs that they were and I couldn't think of anything.

I put the phone on the counter and went into the family room, where I jumped on the couch and proceeded to spend the rest of my night staring at the white ceiling, wondering how I could be so stupid. 

***

My eyes, not getting one ounce of sleep since that text and probably not having blinked as I stared up at the white wall above me, struggled to see Derek walk in and sit on my feet, squishing them under his butt. 

"Good morning, sleepy pie," he said mockingly.

"Shut up," I mumbled, kicking him off. He stood up from the jolt.

"Well someone's a grumpy-gus," he said, unfazed. 

"I found your phone last night. There was a text on it. From Layla," I said, trailing off and just staring at him. His face went from goofy to serious in an instant. "Listen, man. I was going to tell you. I just didn't know when, or how."

"I'm your best friend. I would do anything for you and you have a hard time telling me that you're dating my cousin?"

"You're so protective of her. You would've said no." He looked down at his hands, which he was wringing. "I should get going," he muttered. 

Laying back down, I heard the door close behind him. And I didn't do anything about it.