Being A Rowland // joey birlem

-25-

Sky's POV

As Joey places his lips on mine, my mind becomes jumbled. He did that on purpose. He kissed me so he could confuse me. Make my rethink my decision of letting him go. Well played, Joseph. But in all honesty, if I was going to break up with him, I would need this. This last kiss.  

Once I savor enough of the moment, I push him off of me. 

"Sky," He mumbles, pain covering his face. 

"I need time to think," I whisper. He places his forehead against mine.

"Ok," He sighs. I back away before I can change my mind. I walk back into the coffee shop and sit back down in the booth with Sophia. I glance out the window to see Joey in the same position he was in when I left him, just staring at the spot I used to stand. 

"I hate to see him that way," Soph mumbles.

"What do you mean?" I question.

"Lost. He looks lost without you," She sighs. He turns to look at me before sighing, running his had through his hair and walking back to his house.

"Where are you going to stay?" Sophia asks, looking at me.

"I don't know. You're house. Maybe in your room?" I question. She nods and sighs before getting up and throwing away her empty coffee cup in the trash. I do the same before walking out of the coffee shop.

"I can't take sides here," Sophia sighs. 

"You don't have to choose sides, you're just giving me a shelter to protect me from the storm." I give her a small smile. She nods.

"But Joey will flip this around and try and use the brother card on me," She sighs. 

"Then take his side. I can probably just stay in a hotel," I sigh. She shakes her head.

"You can stay in my room." I nod. The rest of the walk is in silence. When we get back to her house, Joey is sitting on the couch.

"Sky," He mumbles, looking up at me. I notice his puffy eyes. God those eyes. I want to hug him, to comfort him and tell him everything will be alright. That I'll never leave him. But I just shake my head and follow Sophia into her room. I could hear his sobs as I walked away. And his mumbled, "Sky please." My heart breaks at the sound.

"Sky?" Sophia questions.

"What? Sorry," I mumble looking at the 13-year-old who was getting my life together since I couldn't. 

"Do you want my bed or the floor?" She asks. 

"I'll take the floor," I sigh. 

{~~~}

I check my phone for the time. It's 12:30 AM and I still can't fall asleep. I groan and think of my choices. 

A) I just wait it out and hope I fall asleep. 

or 

B) Wake up Joey and ask if I could sleep with him. 

I know plan A won't work, but plan B isn't helping my case either. I groan and stand up. I cross the hall and open Joey's bedroom door.

"Joey?" I mumble, walking over to the bed. I notice him tossing and turning frantically. My heart starts racing as I think about the possibilities. Joey had told me about nightmares he's had. All of which involve his dad's abuse. I kneel on the bed and shake Joey until he finally wakes up.

"Sky?" He asks, out of breath. 

"You... You were tossing and turning. And you're sweating really badly. And I couldn't sleep," I mumble looking at him. He runs his hand over his forehead, his hair matted to it from all the sweating. 

"Can.. Can I lay.. with you?" I question. I'd never thought asking my boyfriend, if that's what he still is, if it was ok that I lay with him could be so awkward. He nods and moves to the left, letting me lay down next to him. I can tell he feels awkward as he lays on the far end of the bed. I decide to ignore the elephant in the room for at least one night. I can't stand the idea of him having nightmares, now matter how hurt I am because of him. 

I move closer to him and lay my head on his chest. 

"Are we?" He asks. 

"I don't know. But for right now, don't say anything. Just let us be in the moment," I mumble wrapping my arms around him. He nods and wraps his arm around my waist.

"Good night Sky," He mumbles. Memories of our kiss earlier flood my memory. I sigh and turn my brain off, letting my heart decide for me. I reach my hand up and cup his face in it. Then I pull his face to meet mine, placing my lips on his. He seems caught off guard by my actions, but doesn't reject. Instead, he wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him.

----

Don't yell at me. She's not forgiving him. It's just for the night. Trust me, I have drama in the making.