LOVE WITHOUT SLEEP

THE CHAPTER 13

/ / G E O R G E / /

I watched Judith walk around the messy house, catching her adjusting anything she could discretely. She never could stand a messy room, or even a room that was a bit too small. I thought all night, long and hard, about just the right thing I could do to entertain her...impress her, rather. It wasn't nearly as easy as it was with any other woman. She wasn't ordinary, and she knew me...the actual me...there was nothing I could hide or hang onto as a clutch to my cool.

The band wasn't impressive, my drums weren't impressive, my hair wasn't impressive...if anything, my hair was the least impressive. She turned around, her face was smooth and her skin was washed out under the light. Although tired, her eyes were big and dark, just as I saw them, her hair fell and hid them away all over again.

"You guys have vinyl discs?" She asked, pulling it out from the shelf. She loved anything vinyl, and old records the most.

"Oh yeah," I sat up a bit, smiling.

She smiled back, sliding the disc out, "why are you looking at me like that?"

I looked around, realizing I'd seemed like an idiot. Play it cool, "like what?"

She held up the disc, looking straight through it in its transparency, "like you're...lost, or something...or thinking about something." She slipped it back into its case, placing it back onto the shelf and coming to sit down beside me. As she sat, she faced me, almost completely...as if she wanted something to happen. If it were, I'd let it. I didn't move at all, nothing but my eyes which couldn't help but wander to the rest of her other than her face. Even still, her face was the most attractive aspect of her appearance.

She wasn't the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked.

She was the most interesting. Therefor, I found beauty in her flaws. From her knobby knees, to her stupid bangs that fell over her eyes each time I'd finally get a good look at them. To the way she'd squint every time she tried to read, due to neglecting her glasses. Even the way she bit her nails when moments died, and how rosy her cheeks were all on their own. It was simply her.

"I dunno..." I lied.

She chuckled slightly, lifting her feet up to the couch, hugging her knees. She always sat that way, it amazed me how not much had changed at all about her.

"You love stars." I meant to form the words into a sentence that made sense before blurting them out, but through the haze of my high it didn't happen.

We both laughed, she shook her head, "so?"

"D'you mind staying here for a minute? I'm gonna go do something." The vision of the perfect impression was clear. She shrugged, watching me as I got up. I turned on the TV for her, to keep her busy.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I'll tell you when I'm done." I hurried to the closet. grabbing old Christmas lights Matty had used at a party not too long ago. I then hurried to my bedroom, grabbing a few blankets and cushions and running back out front. I could hear her giggling behind me as I made my way through the front door.

"You dropped your...lights." She called after me.

I sighed, hurrying and turning back around to grab them, "do you need help?!" She asked.

"No!" I said, taking the lights and throwing them to the rooftop, the cushions next, and the blankets following...only to have them not make it and drop right at my face.

I quickly caught them before they could touch the ground and tossed them up one last time. I climbed up to the roof from the fences, setting up the lights and plugging them in, then laying the blankets out at the center, looking up at the sky and seeing the brightness of the stars come into view. I placed the cushions all around the blankets, stepping back and taking a look. It was nothing more or less than what I'd envisioned.

I climbed back down, taking a few breaths before walking back inside, she sat exactly the same way she did when I'd walked out. She turned to look at me.

"Let's look at the stars." I said.

She smiled, rolling her eyes slightly...she always did. She got up from where she sat, following me out.

"We're gonna climb the roof, all you have to do is climb from the fence on up." He said.

She crossed her arms, closing her eyes and hiding her laughter, "George...not everyone is above six fucking feet tall like you."

I couldn't help but laugh, causing her to do the same, "right..." I felt stupid. She was so much smarter than me, and even when I tried to sound clever about something in front of her, I didn't...but it it was okay, because she didn't seem to care.

"I can still try it." She climbed up the fence, reaching up to the roof and pulling herself up. I watched her carefully, standing under her for the protection she didn't need.

"Oh my god." She said from up top.

I didn't know if it was a good statement, or a bad one...but it made me smile like a dumb ass. I climbed up behind her, rubbing my hands against the back of my pants.

She turned around to see me, "you're not gonna try to fuck me on the roof are you?" She asked.

I laughed and went to lie down, propping my hands up behind my head and winking, "only if you want me to."

She covered her face, laughing into her hands, "don't say that shit again."

"Alright, that was fucking stupid. But...no. No, I just wanted you to be able to see the stars." I said.

She looked up at the sky before sitting down beside me, looking at me and smiling, "this is really nice, George."

"Ehh it could have been better--"

"No, its perfect."

I knew she meant it. She never said anything she didn't mean, unless she was mad...or drunk...

I scooted in closer to her, lying my head in her lap, "play with my hair."

She looked down at me, "can I cut it instead--"

"Fuck no." I snapped.

I couldn't rid the smile on my face, it staid so long it almost hurt.

"What the hell made you decide to just...not do your hair anymore?" She asked, running her fingers through it gently.

I shrugged, too high to think...but not too high to remember the moment.

"So tell me, what else is new...about you." She said.

"Nothing. I'm just in a band, and I have this hair, and some tattoos...and...well I'm with you." I said.

"With me?" She asked, quietly.

"Well...yeah." I opened my eyes to see her.

"What kind of...with me?" She asked.

"Whatever kind you want." I said.

It was almost as if the universe had stopped completely, from the wind, to the way the breeze swept the trees and caused them to move, to the sound of cars passing by...everything...and there we were.

"I want it to be the kind that's not literal." She said slowly.

"Then you're mine." I said.

Matty's car pulled up to the driveway, his door shutting as he got out. I sat up slightly, he backed up to see us from the roof.

"Oh, stargazing from the rooftop, how romantic, how come we don't ever do that?" He teased.

"Fuck off." I laughed, so did he.

"Hey do me a favor, don't fuck on the roof, we don't want you two falling through it then when it rains we gotta deal with that shit." He laughed.