Blonde Ivory

36: Kasey Afolabi

Kasey Afolabi (Drummer of Blonde Ivory)

The very second I see Hayden poke her head in my bedroom, I jump out of my bed and race over to her. I squeeze her tightly into my arms, and we both lean back and forth for a few seconds. She laughs when she lets go and finds that my arms are still tightly locked around her.

"If you ever leave without a goodbye, I swear I'm going to break your fucking nose." I sigh into her ear. She wraps her arms around me again and squeezes me tight.

"I missed you too. Egypt didn't have enough sassy assholes like you walking around." She murmurs.

I pull back and shove her shoulder. She smiles before she leans forward to plant a quick, soft kiss on my cheek. I wipe the invisible mark away before grabbing her hands and pulling her into my bedroom. I kick the door shut behind us. She leads me to my bed where we both end up falling back and staring at the ceiling.

"How did things go over there anyway?" I ask. She shakes her head and turns to me with a small smile.

"Not as I wanted them to. 'Ami is still sick. I couldn't take her with me."

I nod slowly. She interlocks our fingers at her side before she pulls them up to her lips and plants a light kiss on the back of my hand. "God, you're coming off extremely gay today." She giggles and kisses my hand again.

"I missed you a lot is all. I feel like it's been ages since I've heard your voice." I roll my eyes before leaning my head on her shoulder. "Please call me a dumb bitch or something. I haven't been insulted in such a long time. I don't want my head to get too big from all the love you're giving me." I snort and pull my hand from her grip.

"I'm not going to insult you, Hayden. Your head is already too small for your body. You look like a reverse bobble-head." She kisses my forehead, and I gag. "Stop before I catch the gay." She laughs and kisses my head again.

She pulls back finally. We lie a few inches apart and continue staring at the ceiling. "I really have missed you, you know. I'm glad I get to spend every night for the next few months with you."

I narrow my eyes at the ceiling. I'm having a hard time deciphering if she's being honest or if her sarcasm has reached god-level since she's been gone. She doesn't say anything else. We stare in silence, and I feel my stomach tighten. The conversation has reached a genuine awkward pause. This never happens.

She clears her throat. She rolls over to face me and leans up on her elbow. Her eyes have reddened considerably as have her cheeks. She swipes her tongue over her bottom lip and sighs.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry." She wipes her cheek. She leans her head into my bed, and her back shakes as her muffled cries leave her body.

I rub my fingers along her back and kiss the back of her head. "You have nothing to apologize for, Hayden... We shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. We always expect the worst from you... We're the ones who need to apologize." She shakes her head and leans up to face me. She continues wiping her eyes, but her tears are faster.

"No... No, not for that." My fingers stop mid-stroke on her back. I raise an eyebrow, and she cries harder at this reaction. "I'm not okay, and I'm sorry. I don't know how to fix myself."

Before she can bury her face back into my bed, I wrap my arms around her shoulders. Her face presses flush into my neck. Her muffled cries hurt my ears and within seconds my skin is damp with her tears.

"Don't apologize for that. The road to recovery is hard... We're all here for you, and we're going to be beside you for as long as it takes." I coo, "I promise." Her cries continue.