Sunny Side Down

Sleep (Matt)

I stared at the ceiling as my head rested against the pillows. I turned to my side to reach for my phone, discovering it was already a quarter past one in the morning. I needed to sleep, but somehow I knew that was a far off dream. I tried to get comfortable, swashing through the blankets recklessly, but alas, this was hopeless. How long had I been here? An hour, maybe two? I rolled on my side and let out a sigh, taking notice of the green flashing light on my phone; I had a text. Only one person ever texted me this late and I'm pretty sure I knew what she wanted to talk about.

Megan<3;-):.......r u up 1:16 A.M.

Me: Uk i am 1:16 A.M.

Megan<3;-): I miss u...1:17 A.M.

I knew what I wanted to say, but not what I should say. I could tell her how badly I missed her lips, or her laugh, or even how she wrinkled her nose when she was upset. Instead I typed,

Me: Same here 1:19 A.M.

Smooth. What was wrong with me? Just tell her you miss her, you ass. I couldn't bring myself to swallow my pride at the moment, but I had to do something. I was not about to let her just walk out of my life. She hadn't texted back, probably upset at my response. I took the initiative.

Me: wanna go for a walk????1:23 A.M.

Her house was a skip and a jump from here; I could get there within minutes. All I needed was her answer. One minute went by, then two then three. Each passing second felt like an eternity. The wait was a literal killer, stabbing at my resolve. Ready to give up I saw the familiar green flash again. I fumbled through my lock code, accidentally locking myself out of the device. Damn. I had to wait the minute, which I'm sure would be another 60 eternities. Finally I got into my phone and saw,

Megan<3;-): rn? 1:28 A.M.

Me: Yeah lol 1:28 A.M.

I didn't want to sound over eager, but I didn't wait for a response either. I climbed out of bed determined to not let this woman go. As I tied my shoes my phone began to buzz. I shuffled over to it, raising it to my ear.

"Hey," I whispered.

"Hey," she replied in equal tone.

"Wait, so, are you down for a walk?"

"It's the middle of the night."

"There's no time like the present."

She muffled her laugh. "Are we really doing this?"

I hesitated before saying, "I think so. See you in 10?"

She waited a moment before whispering, "Okay."

I hung up and tiptoed my way out of the room. I attempted to stay as quiet as possible, but the old house didn't agree. The floors creaked with every gentle step. The carpet was coming up so I only had to withstand the creaks for a few more seconds. The soles of my shoes met the soft carpet, now I just had to choose a door. Going out the front meant that I could lock up, but it also meant that my unlocking could wake someone. Going out the back sliding door made way less noise, but I wouldn't have a way to relock it. Was I really selfish enough to leave my house unlocked? The front it was.

As I opened the door as carefully as I could I heard someone behind me say, "Where are you going?"

I turned around to see Jay standing in the dark with what looked like a glass in his hand.

"What are you doing up?" I asked.

"I just got in not too long ago," he whispered back.

"Oh. Okay. Well I'm gonna go see Megan."