What The Fuck? | An AroAce Story

Three

- Koda

My phone buzzed, getting up from my busy schedule of after school daydreaming, I checked my messages.

It was Kira.

Kira: [ Hey, you wanna take a nap? ]

Koda: [ A nap? Sure, I guess. ]

Kira: [ Alright. See you soon ]

Turning off my phone, I stared at the wall for a second. Sometimes Kira requests odd things but this was a bit different. Eventually my excitement about taking a nap overcame any anxiety or awkward feelings. I did enjoy sleeping.

Putting on my sweatshirt and sneakers, I headed outside towards Kira's house. My breathing was calm and slow, despite my binder digging into my ribs. A dog barked in the distance. As my thoughts wandered, in all of ten minutes I arrived at her house. I knocked. No one seemed to be home. Then Kira tapped her window and I looked up to see her, and let myself in.

Walking inside, I took my shoes off and headed upstairs to Kira's room. Coming in the door, she smiled and looked up to me, she wore a baggy t-shirt and plaid pants. She looked like she hadn't slept... or left her bed the whole day.

"So, a nap?" I said setting my phone down and chuckling at her. She nodded, laughing with me, then quickly averting her eyes. What is with her today?

"Literally. Sorry I just... I feel unstable... and with no one being home but me right now I started to panic..." She said trailing off. She seemed conflicted with herself. I studied her eyes and facial expression, while replaying what she just said in my head. Her tone sounded painstakingly familiar. Oh.

"It's okay Kira. Are you starting to feel... paranoid again?"

"...yes... I thought it would go away." She admitted, not making eye contact.

Kira has a lot of anxiety and sometimes it would lead to bad paranoia about pretty much anything. Slowly, her paranoid thinking got worse and worse until it caused her to panic, sometimes even in the middle of class and she'd have to go home. This was all a few years ago, and since then she's gotten a lot better. Unfortunately, it seems like she's relapsing... maybe not as bad as before, but by her expression, this is clearly scaring her.

"Did you sleep?" I asked gently, sitting down next to her.

"No..." She fiddled with her fingers.

"Figured. Nap it is then. Want me to put on some music?" I replied. She smiled nodding at me.

"Something nostalgic." Kira requested, her eyes far away. She disappeared for a moment under the covers, getting comfortable.

I smiled and put Next To You by Alicks on repeat.

Putting a pillow between us to avoid feeling awkward, I shuffled under the blanket and got comfortable. She faced the wall on her side and I faced the door on my side. The door seemingly drowning in a yellow and orange-ish hue from the sunset. I could hear Kira's breath transition to slow and deep instead of fast and shallow. My back was warm from my body heat transferring to the pillow. My eyes closed.

A sharp pain in my ribs reminded me that I probably shouldn't be sleeping in my binder. However my tired mind didn't seem to care, and I drifted off into a light sleep.