Insomnia

Chapter 22

About a week has passed since Nick told me about Cal's sister. I still did not know that much information about her, but I was too scared to ask Cal. I didn't want Nick to get in trouble because he told me, but at the same I time I worried for Cal.

I still stayed up with Cal a lot. It was a whole different experience than talking to him during the day. During the day he was much more carefree and lively. At night he was tired, but very thoughtful. Even though he didn't tell me a lot, I feel like I learned new things from him at night. I felt like it was a bit of a bonding experience, even though he probably didn't think so.

Cal was going back to work now too, but I was too tired most of the time. I would insist he wake me up like always, but he would always let me sleep in. I also noticed Cal being a lot more anxious since he started work again. I thought it was the job stressing him out, but I now knew it was something else.

"I thought a lot about what you told me," Cal told me one morning. We were pretty quiet, so it surprised me when he started talking.

"Told you what?"

"About your parents." I paused and looked up at him. He was staring down at the meal he had cooked with a stressed out face. "And how you said that my parents might know your parents."

"Oh, that..." I said sheepishly. "That was just random, it's a far shot-"

"You can meet them." I raised my eyebrows.

"What?" He was still looking down.

"We're going to drive out to see them today. So you can meet them and find out for sure."

"Cal, that's really not necessary-" I cut myself off when I remembered what Nick told me. It was Nick who told me that Cal didn't have a good relationship with his parents, so Cal probably doesn't know that I know yet. "You don't have to go out of your way-"

"What do I keep telling you, Rory?" He interrupted and looked up angrily. "Don't feel bad when I do things for you anymore. I wouldn't go out of my way if I didn't care. I like to do things for you." I blushed and looked away.

"I'm sorry..." He let's out a sigh.

"It's okay. I want to leave soon. They live in the suburbs, which can be about an hour's drive. You should be excited, you might finally get the answers you've been waiting for." Cal scooted his chair back and got up to leave. His overall demeanor today seemed depressed, and I was afraid this meeting was not going to go well.

I hurried to get myself ready and told Nick that about our plans. It took me forever to type out a clear message that wasn't filled with mistakes. However, he was very quick to text back and tell me to take care of him. I blushed a bit and grumbled to myself. It wasn't him who needed taking care of, it was me.

It was a nice day out. It had put my in a better mood as soon as we stepped outside, but Cal's attitude stayed the same. He looked very reluctant to get in the car. I was tempted to tell him we didn't need to do this again, but I knew he would be angry.

It turned out that I really liked car rides. Something about getting to listen to music and stare at nature was very relaxing, almost homey. I prevented myself from falling asleep even though I was very tired. I knew Cal wouldn't be able to sleep not only because he's driving, but because he couldn't close his eyes. So I decided to stay awake to remind him I was alive and next to him.

I didn't attempt to cheer him up this time. I tried to talk to him at first, but there was nothing I could do. This was an internal conflict that I couldn't touch base with this time. So I endured a long car ride without conversation.

We eventually reached a very neat neighborhood. All the houses were two story, had nice yards, and seemed to be very groomed. I wanted to drop my jaw in amazement even though it wasn't something to be gawked at. Maybe it was because I only ever experienced the forest and the city, but nothing in between.