Britney's P.O.V
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I shot up in bed, yet again drenched in sweat. The same nightmare pulling me from my sleep. Alex wasn't bursting through the door so I must have not screamed this time.
Alex.
Memories of last night flood through my mind. The things he said, the way he held me, he even hummed a little to help me get to sleep. The blush that had become usual around him crept its way back up to my cheeks once again. At least with this blush I didnt always look so pale, it gave me some color.
I got out of bed for what felt like the first time in weeks. It is the first time in weeks. My subconcious snaps at me in the usual smart mouth way. I roll my eyes internally at her and stretch my legs. God it feels amazing. I walk into the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror, shocked to see what I couldn't believe was me. It looked like a complete stranger staring back at me, wide eyed and mouth opened in shock. My skin was paler than usual, my hair a wild untamed mess. I had bags under my eyes that made me look aged at least a couple years more. I looked thinner. Under other circumstances I would have been happier about that, but now it just made me look sick.
I part my hair down the middle and lie both half's over my shoulders. In an attempt to control the mess I call hair I decided to brush through it. When I picked up my brush and made the first stroke through my hair, I knew that wasn't going to work out to well. The brush got stuck in my hair towards the top, pulling at the very roots of it. I bit my lip and tugged downward on the brush slightly but it pulled ruthlessly on my hair. I groaned in defeat and pulled it out carefully, though it still took a couple strands of hair with it. I dropped the brush back into the drawer with a clunk and stepped out of the bathroom. My bare feet padded against the floor as I made my way to my drawers, pulling out a clean change of clothes.
The warm water flowed over me, taking away some of the worries I had with it. For the moment at least. I brushed my teeth in the shower to avoid getting the floor too wet from my criss-crossing back and forth. The conditioner luckily softened my hair and loosened most of the knots that had formed and hardened in my hair. At least I could now manage brushing my hair back to its regular state. Once I was dressed I dried my hair so that it wouldn't drip along the floor, avoid as many messes as you can was my moms motto.
I heard something from downstairs sounding like a groan. I bit the inside of my cheek and wrapped my arms around myself. Either someone got into the house, or Alex brought home a girl. He wouldn't bring a girl, would he?
My stomach was turning as I made my way down the stairs. Everything seemed to be in order so far. No clothes on the floor, nothing turned over like a fight, just the same boring living room arrangement we had.
Relief flooded through me when I saw Alex lying on the couch. His eyes closed, one leg hanging off the side of the couch. His arms rested loosely over his chest as it rose and fell slowly. He looked younger when he slept. As if all the worries he held inside him daily just floated away for the time being. I slipped past him quietly into the kitchen to get started on breakfast. I poured some water into a large jug and dropped a couple ice cubes in to keep it chilled. I put in two packets of tea that Alex had learned to love over time. It usually put him in a good mood, having a glass of tea after waking up. I had learned what needed to be done when each different side of him came up. Broken Alex needed affection no matter what he said. Leaving him to himself would lead to over-thinking and confusion, which was not an Alex I liked having around. Angry Alex was the one that I had learned to shut up and listen around. Alex had a lot of patience, especially with me. What that meant was that once that the patience was gone, there was no stopping him. Then there was sweet, funny, young Alex, I loved when that one was around the most. He seemed so carefree, like he had nothing to worry about, honestly I don't understand what he could possibly have to worry about all the time but that's just him.
