Insomnia

Chapter 23

I thought about our trip to see Cal's parents a lot. I thought about what they told me, and how it contradicted with what Laura told me. I couldn't tell who was lying to me. Maybe neither of them knew.

Cal apologized what seemed to be a billion times after we got home. He saw how dejected I looked and couldn't seem to get the image out of his head. Let's just say, I have a lot more pies.

It was about mid September now. The hot weather was starting to cease, but I didn't mind. Autumn used to be my favorite season, but I wouldn't get to see the leaves change color in the city. I'd get cold weather, gray skies, and tall buildings. Cal seemed to enjoy autumn as well, but not for the same reasons. He liked the hot chocolate, warmer clothing, and Halloween.

I, of course, was not familiar with recent Halloween times. Although I've read about it, it was nothing like described in the books. Cal told me it was usually a time that people looked forward to. People, mostly kids, would dress up in costumes and try to collect candy. The whole idea seemed pretty silly, but Cal seemed to love it.

Cal said that this season was the time for sweaters, so one day after he came home he dropped a bunch onto my bed. They were all different sizes, colors, and designs. Some fit me very well while others seemed to be even bigger than his size.

"It's okay, they'll good on you," he said. I grumbled, blushed, and looked away. "Plus, that just means I'll be able to wear them, too." Now that sounded like a good idea. I had become more accustomed to it, but Cal's smell was still a scent I would make into a candle if I could. The sweatshirt he lent to me no longer smelled like him. I was almost tempted to give it back to him just so he could wear it and give it back.

Cal also got me a lot more hats, or beanies. The moment he put one on my head, I couldn't see anything but my curls that were now matted to my face. He started to grumble and go on about how I needed another haircut, so that's what we ended up doing that day.

I thought maybe it was the seasons changing, but I couldn't explain they way I feel all the way now. It was like I had a background sense of happiness all the time. It drove me insane trying to figure out why I was so happy all the time.

It also made me crazy thinking about Cal. I could go on and on in my own head just thinking about him. I remembered the smallest things he does. I remembered the times he's almost tripped on the sidewalk. I remembered the times he takes a deep breath when walking outside. I remembered the way he seems to laugh more when something is involving me. I didn't think it was normal to remember this much small details, so I kept it to myself.

It was raining today, and very hard. I got up way earlier than I meant to, because of the rain pounding against my window. I shot up and looked around for signs of what woke me up. I ended up finding none and let out a deep sigh. I laid back down and realized I heard the rain. It was a nice sound. It was like music to my ears, and sounded almost like a melody. I didn't close my eyes to go back to sleep, but instead kept them open and stared at the ceiling. I just listened until I heard a loud roar of thunder and shot up again. I shook my head and threw the covers off of me.

I wasn't as tired as I thought I was going to be. I walked steadily down the hallway and into the living room. I was surprised to see Cal was neither in the living room nor the kitchen. It was strange since he was almost never in his bedroom, but I checked anyways. He wasn't in there, so I closed it again. I let out an aggravated sigh. I couldn't believe he would go out in this weather.

I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, only to find it was not working due to the weather. I didn't complain, but instead grabbed one of the many books Cal bought for me. The rain set a peaceful background for me while I read. There were no sounds of cars since no one would want to be out in this weather. And if there were, the rain surely eliminated the sound of them.