Insomnia

Chapter 8

Cal eventually had to go back to work.

It was weird coming out of my room to see him in a suit instead of his pajama pants like usual. He was trying to tie his neck tie while watching the news on TV. It was so strange and unfamiliar to see him in a formal outfit with a serious face instead of his usual relaxed manner.

Cal turned to me like he always did when I walked in and smiled. His grin made him more like himself even though he was in a suit.

"Hey," he greeted and tightened his tie. "How do I look?" He stood with his arms spread and did a turn. Even though it was unfamiliar, Cal did look good.

"You look fine," I replied quietly. He gave a soft smile and turned back to the TV.

"Thanks, I haven't needed to wear a suit since my graduation." He laughed liked he was remembering a good time.

I nodded and went into the kitchen to see what there was to eat. For the first time in a week, there wasn't any pie available. I didn't mind, as Cal had introduced me to multiple breakfast pastries. His cupboards were now full of boxes of different kinds.

I grabbed one and returned to the living room where Cal was now shuffling through a satchel-like bag filled with a bunch of papers. He looked nervous about returning to work.

"So, I realized you would be alone most of the day. Not that you're a child, but I figured you want some company." A small smile appeared on my face when Cal acknowledged I wasn't a child. "So I invited Nick over, which I usually wouldn't do, but since he's bothering you instead of me I figured it was okay for a one-time deal." I laughed along with Cal's slight chuckle.

Cal resisted from running his hand through his hair like he usually did, I noticed. I looked more closely to see it looked to be greased back a bit, like the first time I had met him. He paced a bit and rubbed at his stubble that had grown a bit more. He hasn't shaved since I first saw him.

"I'd offer you pie to calm you down, but it seems we're out." He stopped looking nervous for a second when he chuckled.

"And whose fault is that?" He tried to snatch my pastry but I held it away. He tried to fight me over it which ended up in me giggling and him messing up his suit a bit. He was taller and bigger than me so he had an advantage. I ended up falling onto the couch and hiding the pastry underneath of me.

"Aw, how cute," a sickly sweet voice said. We both turned to see Nick standing there with a smile on his face. "Stay there, I have to take a picture." Cal, who had fallen on top of me, quickly got up before Nick even had a chance to pull out his phone.

"How did you even get in here?" Cal questioned while trying to fix his suit again. Nick held up a silver key with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I took the key back." He laughed and put it back in his pocket when Cal attempted to snatch it. "You can't expect me to stay away from my best buddy, can you? Have to make sure you're okay."

"I can take care of myself, plus you have Trinity to look after now." Cal grabbed his bag and put the strap on over his shoulder. "Alright, I'm going to head out. Be good." I almost told him I would, but I saw he was looking and pointing a finger at Nick with a serious expression. Nick grinned back at him and waved his hand.

"I will, I will!" He escorted Cal to the door who kept telling Nick things not to do. "Have a good day at work, Honey." He told Cal sarcastically before shutting the door quickly after him. He turned and came over and sat on the couch.