Warmth

01

I didn't know which was louder, the sound of my clock ticking away impatiently or the deafening silence blanketing my dark room. Waking up in the middle of the night wasn't unusual and happened often these last few months. However, I'd be lying if I said I could never imagine myself sleeping at night and looking forward to waking up with the sun because I can; I have for years.

With a disgruntled groan, I sat up on my bed as I tried to rub the sleepiness in my eyes away. I didn't even bother to open the lights and clumsily made my way to the bathroom. A part of me regretted flickering on the lights as the brightness made my head hurt more but my attention was diverted by my reflection.

The effects of my dream laid prominently out before me. Tear stained cheeks, matted forehead and puffy eyes.

I grimaced at my unsightly appearance. I may not be the prettiest but seeing the train wreck before me called my face made me rethink how I managed to look more disastrous than I already am.

Before I could further wallow deep down in self-hate, I washed my face with ice cold water that I hoped would miraculously cure my withered state. Needless to say, I looked less disastrous now.

Now fully awake, I made my way back to my bedroom and flopped back on my messy bed with a huff. Without looking, I easily grabbed my sleeping phone from the cluttered desk and opened it. The numbers 5:58 glaringly reminded me it was too early to wake up on a Sunday but my fingers that were already tapping away suggested otherwise.

***

Sunday afternoon in the Nicholson household wasn't anything special. We all had different activities planned for the day and stayed our best to not get in the way of each other's quiet time. However, it became different when my little brother was born. He was as lively as any 7 year old kid was which meant that our quiet Sundays turned into who can get the youngest member of our house satisfied enough to let us have our rest after a busy week.

It just so happened it was my turn to keep my hyper brother entertained.

"Where are we going?"

"Are we going on an adventure?"

"I should've brought my binoculars."

"Are we getting ice cream?"

"Alright, up we go," I heaved as I lifted August onto his seat on my bike. I grabbed the small helmet from the bike's basket and clipped it on the fussy toddler. Once I was positive he was strapped in and safe, I sat myself down on my seat and rode down the noisy streets of Brooklyn.

"We're going to the park and you'll be playing on the playground with Max and Tracy," I answered before he could rapid fire any more questions.

"Ice cream?"

The side of my mouth twitched from keeping my smile blossom further. His persuasion techniques have gotten better. From the corner of my eye, he turned to look at me with rounded eyes and pouty lips when he asked for his favorite snack. He knew I had a soft spot for his chubby cheeks with the way he further accentuated them with his pouting and proudly displayed them for me.

"Alright," I chuckled out and turned left to continue our route. "There should be an ice cream truck near the park entrance. Let's buy you some before you play."

A triumphant 'yes' followed after.

By the time we arrived at the park, August was bouncing in his seat and ready to naruto run to the ice cream truck a few steps away from where I parked the bike. "You're so slow," my brother drawled out as I unbuckled his helmet and straps. I helped him down and he bolted towards the truck the moment his feet were on the ground.