Amor

~Epilogue~

Waking with a start, I sit up in bed and grasp at the bedsheets as my eyes frantically scan my surroundings.

Nothing but my laboured breathing can be heard through the piercing silence of the room, causing the sleeping body beside me to stir. Without making any sudden movements, I wait for the quiet snores to continue before relaxing.

Staring up at the ceiling of the bedroom, I laugh softly to myself at how pathetic this all is.

It was just another nightmare.

Exhausted from another night of interrupted sleep these past few weeks, I sigh and decide to go make myself some tea. While being careful not to wake them, I gently scoot closer to the edge of the mattress and swing my legs over the side.

Standing on shaky legs and still adjusting to how dark the room is, I slowly make my way to the door and out into the hallway. The cold air of the apartment kissed the exposed parts of my skin, causing me to shiver.

Despite it being the middle of Spring, the air in here is always so chilly at night. Even with the heater on it's still hard to keep warm. There's really nothing to do but bring a blanket or sweater wherever you go, which is why I sleep with a long sleeve shirt these days.

A dim light at the end of the hall caught my attention as I got closer, like someone had turned on a flashlight or was using their phone to illuminate the room. Startled, I thought about going back to alert the sleeping boy still in bed, but that strange feeling in my gut told me that there was no danger.

Still, I was cautious and grabbed the nearest object to defend myself if need be. It just so happened that my hand wrapped around the base of a wrench that one of the boys left at my place the last time they came over. Holding the tool close to my chest, I quietly come to a stop just before peeking around the corner and into the kitchen.

There, standing with the fridge door wide opened and searching for food, was the culprit wearing a zebra onesie I'd bought them a few Christmases ago. Letting out a relieved sigh, I walk in and turn on the kitchen light.

Caught by surprise, the little trespasser slammed the fridge door shut and turned to face me with a guilty look on her face.

"Did I wake you?"

Shaking my head with indifference, I leave the wrench on the counter. "Not at all. But, I was worried when I came out here to see that someone was hiding in the kitchen."

Sure enough, a frown formed on her lips as the girl lowered her head to avoid looking at me. She hated feeling like all she did was cause trouble.

Figuring that I'd get started on that tea before confronting the situation, I open the top cupboard to grab the small box labeled chamomile and gesture for her to fill the pot with water. Silently following instructions, she puts the metal pot on the stove and turns it to the lowest setting.

With the water now getting hot, I lean my back against the countertop and cross my arms to keep warm. I know she wouldn't be the first to speak up so it was my responsibility to initiate the conversation.

"Wanna tell me why you're here and not at that sleepover with your cousins?"

Her response came out sheepishly, but she knew that I wasn't mad for any of this, just curious. I rarely ever got angry and I made it a point to never direct that anger at her. Consequently, that usually leads to me taking it out on Donovan instead, but he knows how to calm me down so it works out.