Everything In Between

ten

TEN

The chime of a text notification rouses Meera from a mediocre dream the night after. She ignores it, but then another text comes in, so she rolls over onto her back for a long moment. There's a third chime. With a sigh she lets her hand flops around her bedside table like a fish out of water for a few seconds, before grasping her cellphone and bringing it close to her face. Meera squints at it blearily to find multiple texts from the one and only:

Hey, really sorry, but I have to sleep over tonight

12:34 AM

Are you up

12:39 AM

I'm using the key in the frog, don't freak out if u see me

Now

Her brows rise. Theo hasn't asked to sleep over since they were thirteen.

As quiet as she can, she gets up from her bed and throws on a hoodie. Meera skips the squeaky step on the stairs on her way down, and silently peers down the hallway, where the kitchen and living room are. She can hear a slight shuffling around, and follows it to the living room, where there is a tall silhouette hunkering down on the couch.

Meera flicks the lamp on the piano on, and the figure starts. "Oh, my God!" Theo whisper-cries. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," says Meera with a low voice. Theo watches her with dark ringed eyes as she heads towards the linen closet and returns with a spare pillow and quilt. He takes them graciously and sets up a makeshift bed on the couch. He settles against the pillow, bending his legs towards himself. "What's up?" Meera asks, sitting down near his feet, on the other side.

Theo shrugs. "Their fighting's getting ridiculous. Sorry for just coming in without permission."

"Theo, it's fine, we've told you that. Come whenever you need to."

"I know, but..."

"Really, it's fine," Meera smiles gently, partially because of how tired she is. "Just give me a ride to school tomorrow." Patting his knees, she gets up and heads towards the lamp.

"Meera, thank you," says Theo, and when she turns to look at him her heart breaks at how sad but pretty he looks.

"Of course," she laughs airily, switching the lamp of. "What kind of a friend would I be to not let you sleep over, right?"

"Right." Meera can barely make out his tired smirk in the dark. "'Night." With a slump-y salute, she trudges back up the stairs, to her room, and back into her bed. Slowly, she shuts her eyes, and she finds that her heart is beating a little faster.

⚤

The next morning, Meera wakes Theo instead, getting mugs out. She can hear his loud groan from the other room and smiles a small smile to herself. It widens when she sees him glaring at her from the kitchen entryway. His hair is mussed, and his eyes are heavy. His gray tee sits rumpled on his waist, and one of his sweats' legs is rolled up a little.

"Sleep well?"

"Yeah, thanks."

He says it sarcastically, but she hears the underlying tone of actual gratitude. Meera nods and turns back to boiling a pot of water. A second later she hears Theo's steps move away from her and to the closet to find a spare toothbrush. It's quiet, and then there's the sound of the bathroom door clicking shut.

As the water heats on the stove, Meera slides into a kitchen table chair and settles her head in her crossed arms, watching rain come down over the roof, onto the patio. She wants to ask Theo what happened, since he hadn't asked to come over in so many years, but at the same time she feels like maybe he doesn't want to talk to her about it. The pot starts whistling.

With a frown she gets up and swings a black tea bag into her mug. Meera fills it three-fourths of the way with water, and pours the rest into the french press for Theo and her mom. She hears an exclaim of surprise swim in from the hallway, and then a "Theo! What are you doing here?"

And then a, "Oh, sorry, Aabha. I, uh..."

"Did you sleep over?" Meera's mom sounds just a little sympathetic, and Meera knows it's more sympathetic than Theo wants her to sound.

"Yeah, sorry. Meera let me in last night."

"You slept on the couch, right?"

"Oh, yeah! Yeah, of course," he clears his throat and Meera grins to herself, turning around quickly just as Theo and her mom walk in.

"Good morning, shona," Meera's mom says to her, kissing the side of her head quickly before reaching for the coffee. She pours it into the two empty mugs on the counter, handing one to Theo, who accepts with a nod.

"Thanks, but I have to go get ready after this. I'm taking you to school, right, Meera?"

Meera nods, sipping at her tea.

They watch as Theo practically chugs his coffee, flustered under the two's scrutiny. He flings himself out of the chair, pulls his sneakers on, and leaves with a wave and a thank you.

Twenty minutes later Meera gets a text from him and swings her bag over her shoulder on her way out. She gets into the passenger's seat, and there's a gritty-sounding song playing. Theo always plays gritty-sounding music when he wants to seem fine, and Meera doesn't know why he continues to do that, because that's the only time he ever plays it, so everyone knows that he actually isn't fine when he plays it.

"Hey, you good?" she asks. He puts his arm behind her headrest and twists around to back out of the driveway.

"What? Oh, yeah, thanks for letting me sleep over."

"Of course, I--"

"So what executive order do you think will be signed today?" he interrupts quickly, voice a little too loud. Meera sighs and leans back into the worn seat. She shrugs. She glances at him from the side of her eye, and his fingers are white around the steering wheel. He glances back, eyes a little too narrow. They both look away.  

// whooo thanks for 1.1k reads guys! also sorry for not updating for so long, inspo comes and goes v quick lmao.

a few nights ago i went and saw young the giant and lewis del mar for the very first time and guYs my life will never be the same, it was incredible, they are so AMAZING LIVe and sameer's hair is like 248570294857x better irl somehow?????? and p sure i made eye contact w him multiple times but not 100% sure bc he has narrow eyes lol so thats p chill iM LITERALLY IN LOVE SOMEONE HELp

also i'm just going to start putting photos from my pinterest board for this story in chapters bc why not. tell me what you thought though!

- ana x