Air Catcher

Talking Just to Breathe

Alyx's pov

I leaded against Tyler and yawned. He tightened his arm around my shoulders and combed his fingers through my hair.

"You shouldn't have stayed up until four in the morning." He scolded in a whisper.

"I'm glad I did." I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. I should have been eating my lunch, but I couldn't find the motivation.

"I am too." He agreed. His voice had grown sweeter when he spoke to me since I tried to help him the night before, and I loved it.

The others were in the middle of a conversation and completely ignoring us, not that I had a problem with it. I was happy with exactly how the moment was.

Tyler started humming a tune and laid his head on mine. He took a small, barely audible breath and began to whisper. "We don't believe what's on tv, because it's what we want to see. And what we want we know we can't believe." He hummed the next line and I wondered if there were words to it or it was just music. "I need to know that when I fail you'll still be here, cause if you stick around I'll sing you pretty sounds and we'll make money selling your hair."

"Hold up." I whispered back. "Ain't nobody selling my hair."

Tyler chuckled. "I don't care what's in your hair; I just wanna know what's on your mind. I used to say I wanna die before I'm old but because of you I might think twice."

"Darn right you will. I'm not letting you leave anytime soon." I smiled.

"Except for Christmas break." Tyler laughed.

"I don't have a choice about that." I frowned.

"Don't worry. I'll come back." He assured me, our voices still quiet.

"OK. Just don't be too long."

"Only three weeks." He whispered.

"Three long weeks." I sighed.

"There's still the rest of this week, Ms. Overdramatic." Tyler laughed.

"It'll go by faster than you think." I promised.

____________________

"You were right." Tyler said as he hugged me.

"About what?" I asked.

"It went by all too fast." He smiled sadly.

"Oh.... yeah, it did."

"See you in January." He kissed my forehead.

"You better call me." I warned.

"Absolutely."

"Alright, see you in January." I agreed. With that we parted ways.

The days passed slowly but steadily, and somehow the extra time to sleep only made me more tired. Every night Tyler called and we'd talk for hours until both of us were too tired to form words. Those were the only interesting hours for the first week and a half of the break.

When Christmas Eve came my family and I spent the whole day together for once. We went to Johnny Rockets, finished wrapping gifts, played board games, and read Christmas books from when my brother and I were tiny. It was actually really fun. There was an abundance of hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls Christmas morning. I got a set of Panic! picks for my guitar and new white headphones among other things. Tyler and I sang carols together over the phone that night until I fell asleep in the middle of Angels We Have Heard on High.

The last week was more eventful than I would have liked. I was dragged around from party to gathering so much it felt like my head was spinning. Thanks to the time difference Tyler was asleep before I got the chance to call him much of the week.

Finally the break was over, not that I hadn't enjoyed it. A thin layer of snow lay on the ground when I returned to school in a brand new year. A year that promised to bring change in its wake.