Skeleton In The Closet

Chapter 3

Nikki woke up early that morning & got the coffe started. She got dressed, ready to get some jogging in before everyone else woke up, but a thought came to her head. She didn't hear much from Max & Neil last night. No trips to the bathroom, getting up for a late night glass of water, nothing. Nikki's interest was piqued & decided to check in on her friends. She opened the door & was greeted with a sight she had never imagined. MAX was the one that was being held. She took out her phone & snapped a few quick pics. "Aww. They're so cute!" She said a little too loudly. The two began to rise from their sleep & saw Nikki standing in the doorway, squealing like a child.

"I know YOU like getting up before the sun even comes up, but did you have to wake us up too?" Max asked, rubbing his bleary eyes as he & Neil sat up together, Neil's arms still wrapped around Max.

"I think a better question is why Max doesn't have a shirt on." She replied.

"Because it's hot as hell in here. I don't know how Neil can stand to live in this oven."

"You get used to it." Neil replied as he stretched. "As long as we're up, I might as well make some breakfast. How do omelettes sound?" He asked.

"Sounds good, babe." Max said as he reached around for his shirt, his eyes still a little bleary.

Neil handed it to him as he stood up, offering his hand to Max, helping him up to his feet. Nikki & Max sat at the table while Neil starting grabbing things from the fridge to prepare breakfast. "So if you two weren't up to anything naughty, then why were you so eager to get in bed with Neil?" She asked him quietly.

"We never get the chance to just be close like that." He said, talking a sip from his coffee. "Hey, Neil?" Max called.

"Yeah, love?" Neil responded

"Mind if I get a shower? Your room was really hot. I was sweating bullets in my sleep." He said to Neil.

Neil turned around, holding a plate that held Nikki's omelette "Sure, love. You remember where it is. Don't take too long though, I'll have your omelette done before long."

"Thanks, doll." Max responded as he stood up & walked towards the bathroom. Neil laid Nikki's omelette on the table & walked back to the kitchen to make Max's.

"So, Max is the little spoon, huh?" She teasingly asked Neil, trying to get him to tell her more.

"Shut up & eat your omelette." He told her. They talked a while longer until Max's was done. He set it on the table & freshened Max's coffee for him before sitting down with his own cup.

"You're not gonna eat anything?" Nikki asked.

"I'm not too hungry." Neil said as he reached for the bowl in the center of the table, pulling out a bright red apple. "This is good enough." He said as he took a bite out of it.

"So" Nikki started "You sleep well?"

"Only after Max fell asleep, granted it was pretty quick." He responded.

"What's that mean?" She asked Neil.

"You know what ASMR is, right?"

"That weird thing with people whispering, & crinkling paper, & stuff?"

"Yep. Well he said he listened to that to go to sleep. But it's weird. It's not that he got the 'tingles' or whatever the fuck those people call it. He said as he took another bite of his apple. He just finds the guy's voice really soothing, & he was out like a light. It was just some guy named Niles, or something reading Joseph Campbell's dissection of the Hero's Journey in a really hushed voice."

"Why's that weird?" Nikki asked him.

"Because the guy sounded just like David. I thought it was so cute. It was like David was reading him a bedtime story."

"Aww."

"You can not tell him though. He will be pissed."

"Okay. Fine."

"I turned it off the second that Max fell asleep." He added. "Ugh. I've got a migraine. I'll be right back, Nikki, I need some aspirin." Neil went back to the kitchen & reached for the medicine box on top of the fridge.

As he was rummaging through the box for aspirin, Max came out of the bathroom, putting his shirt on. He walked into the dining room & sat down next to Nikki to eat his omelette. Nikki stared at him with the biggest shit eating grin for about five minutes before Max turned to her & said "What the fuck are you looking at?"

"So, I hear that someone who sounds like David read you to sleep last night."

"GODDAMMIT, NEIL!"