Dandelion

Alone Again, Naturally. . .

XX.XX.XXXX

Journal,

I am not looking forward to today. Alex has to go back to class starting now, so I have to come up with something to do with myself. It's probably going to be a day of movies.

I woke up to sunlight breaking through the January snow clouds. The right side of my bed was empty and cold and I remembered that Alex wasn't going to be here all day. Until at least four.

I struggled out of our room, finding a note left under another folded sheet of paper with a smiley face drawn in sharpie. Picking up the note, I squinted my eyes to try and make out Alex's God-awful chicken scratch.

Mornin' sunshine!

I know today isn't going to be easy for you, especially with how miserable you were last night. I left all three Lord of the Rings movies out on the coffee table for you when I left today. I know we started the first one last night, but you fell asleep before Frodo even left the Shire. Hell, I don't even think He and Sam had run into Merry and Pippin yet. I figured you'd probably want to re-watch them and talk along with the characters.

The pizza from last night that we never ate is in the fridge, and I think there's still some ice cream in the freezer.

Uh. . . I think that's about all for now. Oh, you can text me anytime today. My professors all know what's going on with you and they're all 1701% okay with me texting you periodically throughout the day.

I love you, my Dandelion.

--Alex.

I smiled. He was the sweetest thing ever.

I picked up my phone, unlocked it, and smiled again at the blurry picture of us on my home screen. We had been at school, and one of the girls in my playwriting class was hanging out with us and another girl from one of Alex's music classes that he'd thought I'd get along well with. He was right, of course. She had been such a sweetheart, and had made the four of us flower crowns out of the clovers and dandelions (how fitting) growing in the field on the edge of campus. My head was on Alex's shoulder, and he was playing the guitar.

It was a good picture that had been taken on a good day.

I decided to investigate the kitchen, and found the Hawaiian pizza right where Alex had said it would be. Pineapple does belong on pizza, nonbelievers be damned. I heated up two pieces and popped in the DVD for The Fellowship of the Ring while it was cooking.

I sat down on the couch with my pizza just as Ian Holm was slipping on the Ring behind his back. I think I blanked out for most of the movie, drifting in and out of sleep because the doctors told me I needed a lot of it. I don't know why, though. I'd slept for three days straight, then slept a whole lot more before they sent me home. And they told me to sleep as much as I could at home too. How much longer do I have to sleep for?!

I texted Alex between the first and second movies, right around 11:30 or so, asking him how class was going and if he'd had lunch yet. He texted back after a few seconds, telling me that he'd had lunch about ten minutes ago, and now he was walking to his next class.

I swapped out the movie discs, zoning out though most of this one as well. It was probably because I knew the story so well, and before I knew it, the credits were rolling and it was time to put in the third disc.

The Return of the King ended at about four o'clock, and Annie Lennox was just starting to sing when Alex's key turned in the lock, sliding the deadbolt back with a loud clunk. He came through the door slowly, his eyes looking exhausted. He didn't hang up his backpack like he usually did, and his guitar was loose in his hands.

He flopped down on the couch without taking his jacket off, falling sideways and resting his head on my lap. I pulled off his beanie and put it on my own head, taming my wild hair until the moment I would have to take it back off. I played with a few strands of his hair, the two of us sitting in contented silence for a few minutes with only the sounds of the DVD menu in the background.

"Did you have a good day," I finally asked after turning the TV off, still playing mindlessly with his hair.

Alex rolled onto his side and buried his face in my stomach, only turning his head enough so I could see his right eye and the corner of his lips when he answered.

"I had to talk to so many people."

"I thought you liked being the center of attention."

"When it's your attention, yes. And when I was an asshole in high school, yes. But every time I wanted to get out my phone to call you, someone came over to ask me something about you. Apparently, the story made the local news. On top of all the emails, I got handed a ton of letters today. They're in my bag, if you want to look at them."

With my free hand, I unzipped Alex's bookbag, my eyes widening at the huge white blob that I assumed were letters.

"Holy-"

"I told you there was a lot."

"I can't read these, Alex. It took me ten minutes just to read your note, and I know what your handwriting looks like."

"I'll read them to you. Hand me one."

I reached down and grabbed the first piece of paper I touched, handing it to Alex.

"This is math homework, love."

"Ugh, don't read that. I'll probably get high school flashbacks."

"What, you don't want to remember what an charmer I was?"

"You were obnoxious."

Alex laughed, hiding his face in my belly again. I heard some muffled words, but couldn't make them out.

"What?"

"I was agreeing with you. Now hand me a letter."

I handed him another piece of paper.

"These are history notes, Dandelion."

"They all look the same to me," I said indignantly. "I can't see anything!"

Alex chuckled, rolling over to grab a letter. He cleared his throat dramatically and squinted. He was mocking me.

"Dear Lily," he read. "Alex tells me you're doing better. That's great! He played the song he wrote for you in class today, and I think everyone was in tears. Even the professor, which I didn't think was possible! I hope you continue to keep doing great. Stay strong, sweetie, because there are lots of people who care about you. If you need a friend, you can text me anytime at XXX-XXX-XXXX. XoXo, the girl who made the flower crowns."

I won't lie and tell you something got in my eyes, because what I was wiping away was definitely a real tear.

"I knew I liked her for a reason," I whispered. "She's so nice."

"I read the rest of them to you later, okay? Right now, I need a nap."

I laughed. "Sounds good."

He rested his cheek against my stomach, looking up at me with his pine colored eyes, the gentlest smile on his face. I kept playing with his hair until his eyelids started to droop, and I started humming a lullaby until his breathing evened out and his face adopted an expression of pure serenity.

I thought to myself that if this is what I could look forward to when he came home every day, then I could handle a few hours of being alone.