The Andrew Complex

TAC: 15

The room gets silent almost immediately and I try to break the silence by scoffing. “Why - Why would I ever?”

I look up at him when I realize that he hasn’t replied and suddenly, everyone else in the room is getting up and muttering excuses to leave.

Andrew grins at me, “Well, because I’m handsome and funny? And I care about you?”

I try to scoff again, but it comes out as a cough. I glance at the clock and realized that somehow, almost an hour and a half had gone by and I was now too mentally and physically exhausted. “I’m tired. If you want, you can go home.”

“You really think I’m gonna leave you alone after what I just found out?”

We spend almost half an hour arguing about where it’s going to sleep. In the end, we settle for the guest room across the hall from mine.

The next morning, I find myself struggling to open up my own bedroom door. After a couple seconds of throwing myself against the door repeatedly, I was now completely awake and trying to figure out what the cause of the door jam was.

“Andrew!” I call through the door, hoping that maybe my voice would travel to across the hall where I knew he was sleeping. The door opens up less than a second later and I blink, stunned into silence at the sight of Andrew's disheveled appearance.

His hair was matted down on one side and I could see visible drool at the corner of his mouth. His shirt was wrinkled, as if he had used it as a pillow and he was blinking blearily at me. When I open my mouth to ask him how his night went, he pushes me backwards into my room and shuts the door behind him before pulling us to my bed and forcing me to snuggle under the covers with him.

To be honest, this was actually kind of my ideal Sunday afternoon. I find myself turning towards him and shutting my eyes. Just as I start to fall asleep, I feel his grip on me tighten.

I wake up before Andrew and pull my head away from his warm chest and look up him, studying the way that his long eyelashes fanned out and the way that his lips were so delightfully, deliciously pink. I stared at the way that his skin was smooth and the way that while sleeping, he was so delicate looking. Well, as delicate as a gang member can look. I pull away from him gingerly and mumbles something but doesn't protest too much. I slide out of the bed slowly and make my way to the kitchen where I find Adam and Tessa bickering quietly near the granite island. I stop just before I turn the corner and try to grasp pieces of their conversation.

“- doing with her?”

“- loves her.”

“- you know?”

“- obvious. He doesn't know yet.”

“He doesn't love me. We're just friends. We're only ever going to be friends.” I say as coolly as possible, trying my best to hide that I really wanted him to just like me back.

Adam tsks and turns to the stove, turning on the fire and sighing. “I'm getting really tired of this nonsense, Lena. Almost anyone can see that he likes you, at the very least.”

“He doesn't!” I protest to Adam's turned back. He starts noisily pulling pans out from the cupboard and I sigh, settling myself into one of the stools. “I think it's obvious that I like him. I'm pining for someone that could never like me the way that I like him and -”

“Like who?” Andrew's voice cuts through the noise in the kitchen and everyone freezes. Silence falls over the kitchen and I shift uncomfortably on the chair. I shoot Tessa a 'help me!' look but she shakes her head and turns towards the stove. “Lena? Who do you like?”