Everything Has Changed: Book Two

Chapter Two: Bath

Chapter Two: Bath

I pull the dryer open and tug my sheets out of the machine. Pepper sits at my feet, her tail wagging quickly. She's waiting for me to take her outside.

"Just give me a minute." I say to her. She licks her lips and continues to stare at me as I walk into my bedroom.

I toss the hot sheets onto my bed and grab her leash.

"Sit down." I tell her when we get to the door of my apartment.

She listens to the command and sits, her tail thumping against the door.

Doesn't that hurt her? I'll never know. Man, I wish dogs could speak like humans can.

I clip the leash to her collar and grab my key by the door, stepping out into the hall.

There are various university village apartments. Some are single, some are double, some are triple, and some are quadruple.Danny and I talked about getting a double together but decided it would be healthier if we didn't move in together until marriage, or at least after college. We haven't decided on that yet.

Each apartment has a tiny kitchen, a bathroom, an in unit washer and dryer, and obviously a bedroom. We don't have living rooms because we don't really need them. I either sit in my kitchen or in my bedroom. It was great when we got rooms on top of each other's. His room is 133 and mine is 233.

Originally my plan was to lie down until he fell asleep and then mute it and stay awake all night, but I fell asleep anyways without drinking tea, and then I had a nightmare, which actually wasn't a nightmare, it was just a flashback of the second time she choked me, when I dropped the glass of water.

I woke up crying and I heard Danny stirring in bed, so I muted it and pretended to sleep.

It's not that I don't want him around, because I do, but he's sick and I'm not going to be selfish and keep him awake when he needs to sleep to get better.

So now, it's three in the morning and I'm changing my sheets and doing things that I've been putting off for weeks.

I get on the elevator with Pepper.

We go down one floor and the doors ding.

A drunk girl is getting on being lugged by her friend, and I make a mental note to take the stairs on the way back up, because when I walk off, she starts to vomit in the corner.

Ah, the joys of being in college.

I reach the warm humid air and take a deep breath, walking Pepper to her favorite spot.

She goes pee and walks right back to the door. I push it open and head for the staircase. The stairs are at the end of the hall, the opposite end of the elevator.

As I pass Danny's room, I hear sounds behind the door. I pause and press my ear against it, and then I draw back to look at the room number.

133.

What is he doing?

Hesitating, I raise my hand and knock.

The noise stops, and a moment later, the door opens and he peeks his head out.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Why are you not in bed?" He asks. He looks exhausted and he looks miserable.

"Why are you not in bed?" I reply back to him.

"I'm not in bed because I woke up and your sheets are in a heap on your bed and your light is on. Why are you not in bed?"