Kian Lawley
Almost as if perfectly planned, Andrea fell asleep in the passenger seat, right when I was beginning to get tired. It's almost as if her brain told her to fall asleep, so she could avoid driving a little bit.
I chuckled to myself as I continued to drive on the interstate on the way back to her house. It was 11:47 A.M. and we were an hour away from her house. I had to drive an hour, until I could go to sleep. It felt so far away, and in reality it was. Fifty-six miles away, to the GPS. Still, so far away.
Since the incident in which Andrea landed herself in a coma, I've been extra safe while driving. Especially now, since she's in the car. It terrifies me, that next time she or me will not be so lucky. What happens if we don't make it out alive next time? Hopefully, there is not a next time.
I turned the radio down so that it was only a faint whisper. I placed one hand on her thigh and hummed to myself lightly as we passed by some cars in the slow, left lane.
"Kian?" Andrea sat up slowly and looked at me, "how much longer?"
"Roughly an hour, that is if we don't hit traffic."
She sighed and then kissed my cheek, "can you pull over really quick?"
"Potty break?"
She smiled lightly and nodded, "yeah. And I want to buy a small blanket or something, so I can get more comfortable."
I carefully shifted lanes until I could get to the far right lane. I got off on the nearest exit. A gas station was nowhere to be seen, surprisingly, but I discovered a small Wal-Mart, which I stopped at.
While Andrea rushed to the restroom, I wandered around. Eventually, I bought a large, wool blanket and a pillow. I even bought a small stuffed, pink unicorn for her to lay with. I went ahead to the cashier and paid for my items. Andrea and I met out at the car, and I let her lay in the backseat, across the seats.
She had more room this way, plus she got to sleep with the things I bought her.
"Alright now, I'll drive home, go to sleep sweetheart." I told her.
She yawned and curled up in the blanket, holding onto her unicorn, which she declared was named Sparkles.
I drove for the next fifty-one minutes. Eventually, I was pulling into her driveway. At last.
"Hey, 'Drea, wake up." I turned around and shook her lightly.
She stirred away and frowned at me, "I don't want to wake up. I want to sleep."
"Come on baby girl, we're home." I chuckled to myself. I unbuckled and got her out, carrying her in bridal style. She held on tightly to Sparkles, but left the blanket and pillow in the car. I quietly took her to her room, trying not to wake her family members up.
I gently laid her on her bed, which she simply crawled beneath the covers and quickly fell asleep again. I yawned to myself, but couldn't just leave. I quietly walked around her room, admiring every little detail. I laughed quietly to myself when I saw an old birthday card on her dresser, which she had when she was apparently turned thirteen. Her old laptop sat on her bedside table. She had tons of clothes laying messily around the floor in the corner of her room, which I assume was originally neatly placed in her suitcase, which Anna had packed from Andrea's L.A. home, since she was in a coma at the time.
God, she's such a mess.
It's cute though. The way she so carelessly throws her clothes around, knowing that eventually she'll give in and pick them up, or her mom will get irritated with her messy ways and do it herself. The way she still has her old crop-tops from about five years ago, still hanging on their hangers in her closet. The way she hasn't moved a single piece of furniture since she moved out. It's like nothing's changed.
Yet, everything has changed.
She's different now. The way she dresses. The way she talks. The way she carries herself.
Everything about her is different.
Except her habits. She still plays with her hair, absent-mindedly, when she's nervous. The way she makes a weird face when she messes something up. She still will randomly say a word, just to change the subject, or just to lighten the mood. She still whines when she doesn't get her way, as everybody else still does. The way she says my name, as if there is a trillion more I's, making my name sound more like 'Kiiiiiiaaan', then just plain 'Kian', hasn't changed a bit. The way she still will goofily sing along to her favorite songs, still the same.
The outside of her is different. Her insides, haven't changed. And it's what's on the inside, that counts. She counts. All of her, actually.
I've met plenty of girls. I've had a good share of friends along the way too. And never in my life, have I ever found myself somebody who even comes close to Andrea.
She's her own special, unique person. Her own species, in a way. There is no one like her, nobody at all. And I'm in love with her, and I've known that for a while. But I now know, that I want her in my future. She is the girl I'm going to marry.
"I love you," I turned around and quietly whispered to Andrea.
She mumbled back in her sleep, "I love you too."
Grinning to myself, I walked into the living room, and fell asleep on the couch.
