After Andy (#6 in the 'Outcast' Series)

Chapter 64

Chapter 64:

I sat up, seeing the time on the clock; it was just after one in the morning and I sighed, lying back down. Brian was completely out, lying on his front with his arm over the edge of the bed, his phone on the floor; it'd clearly fallen out of his hand when he'd fallen asleep a few hours ago.

I grabbed my phone from where it was on the bed, checking it and seeing no messages or anything like usual. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

I sat up again; I was wide awake and had been for hours. I should've been tired seeing as I'd had a full day of doing things and had gone to bed after three. I glanced over at Brian again before deciding that I needed to go out for a walk or something to clear my head; hopefully it would help.

I got up, grabbed my shirt and put it on before putting my shoes on and grabbing the key-card to get back in. I left the room, closing the door as quietly as I could in the hopes that I didn't wake Brian up, before I went over to the elevator and waited for it to reach the level I was on.

I was really feeling it already from earlier on down in the gym and it was probably only gonna get worse before it lessened off in the next few days. I was thinking that maybe I should stay within the hotel, as I didn't really know my way around and I didn't particularly wish to get lost and not be able to find my way back.

I got into the elevator and went down to the first floor, as that was where the gym, the pool and the restaurant were. Once the elevator had reached the first floor I got out, trying to decide what I wanted to do. I hadn't had a look at the pool area yet and now seemed like a good time, as there wasn't anyone around, so I headed through the hotel.

There was someone down here at this time as I walked in and I saw that it was Matt. He seemed to be up all hours of the day and night and I still didn't know how he managed to function correctly. He was sitting on the steps in the shallow end of the pool, writing something in a notebook.

He glanced up and seeing that it was me, he put his notebook and pen out of the way and looked at me properly as I took a seat at the closest table.

"Can't sleep either?" he asked straight out; he looked exhausted.

"How'd you guess?" I asked rhetorically.

Matt shrugged, not looking at me now as he stared off at the opposite end of the pool. He stayed silent, clearly thinking or just not in the mood to really talk.

"Whatcha working on?" I asked, indicating to the notebook and making Matt glance at me before looking to the notebook.

It was open at the page he'd been writing on.

"Oh, just some stuff," he said, his gaze still on the book. "Just some ideas I've had going through my head, so I usually write them down for later use."

I gave a nod, Matt pushing the book further out of his reach.

"Smart," I said, Matt shrugging. He sighed, running his hands down his face. "You ok?"

"Yeah man," Matt sighed. "Just wish my mind would stop working all hours of the fucking day; never ends. Wish it would just shut up for a couple hours at least, y'know?"

I gave a nod, just watching Matt as he sat there, head in hands; he clearly didn't get a lot of sleep which would have been why he was at the gym early in the morning.

"I dunno Ashley," Matt said, resting his chin on his hand. "Just doesn't seem to stop, especially recently which is probably what's been adding to all the stress and everything. But that's just life and I've lived with it for twenty-four years so I guess I'm used to it."