The Paper Kingdom

Chapter V: Kindness and the Scarf

gerard
I popped open the fourth bottle. I really wanted to do it.

I really wanted to pour the stale beer in the glass, I wanted her to unknowingly drink it, I wanted to see her vulnerable and weak. I also knew that doing so was wrong and probably meant I had some mental disorder, so I went through the trouble of boiling tea and then icing down. I wasn't exactly sure if that's how you made iced tea, but it made sense to me.

I brought our beer and Jessie's tea downstairs. Mikey was going through our box of VHS tapes, which meant that there was going to be some debate on what to watch. I didn't mind watching a movie now, as it was getting late and we just got The Lord of the Rings. We finally settled on that after some pleading on my part, and the four of us settled down, practically sardines, on one couch. I was between Frank and Jessie, and Mikey was on the other side of her.

"I called Ray," Frank said. "He'll be here in 45."

"Cool," I replied. The movie started--one of my favourites--but before long, sleep's seductive grasp began to take hold on my mind. Mikey had already collapsed on top of Jessie, who was knocked out with her head on my lap. I hadn't even noticed.

I smiled at Frank and pointed to them. He grinned and leaned to grab a blanket, which I put over our two napping counterparts. They looked really peaceful.

Moments later, the door squeaked open and an Afro'd man walked in. Ray.

"Hey you guys--oh." He saw the situation and chuckled softly. "That's actually really cute." His voice was hardly over a whisper now.

"If she moves, I think I'm going to get a hard-on," I said almost silently. And as if on cue, Jessie's head moved ever so slightly. The awake laughed, but nothing happened. "I'm good."

"Come sit down," Frank requested. Ray claimed his spot on the other sofa, and all was well. The movie played on even though we all fell asleep, one by one.

jessie
I woke up in an unfamiliar place, my eyes fixed on a white, bumpy popcorn ceiling. I was wrapped in something warm, a fuzzy blanket that was seemingly large enough to cover a few people. And it was. It was draped around my head so it covered me and the lap of whoever my head rested in. It was Gerard. Mikey laid behind my legs and he had his own quilt.

Now I remembered the night. The video games, the request for tea (which I'm surprised wasn't beer, because I know Frank's was), the movie, and the four of us on the couch in close quarters. Not that I minded the last...

I stretched and instinctively put a hand to my neck. I realized I wasn't wearing my scarf I had come in. I felt for it on the coffee table, but it had disappeared. I turned toward the back of the couch to prop myself up and noticed Gerard was watching me.

"Morning," he said stiffly.

"Uh, hi," I said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to--"

"It's fine. What are you looking for?" His dark eyebrows furrowed, leaving a path to his honey brown eyes. Even in the dim light of the basement, they still sparkled. I wished I had a few hours to just get lost in them.

"My scarf, the one I had on yesterday. Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah," he said yawning. "I was afraid you were going to choke yourself in your sleep so I took it off when Frank got the blanket."

I sat up fully, alarmed. "You--you did?"

He seemed concerned now. "Um, yeah."

"Where's my scarf?" was all I said. My hand was still cupped around my neck.