The Memory Playlist

Black Sheep

Andy.

"Baby! I'm home!" I wait for a response and receive none. Her Jeep is in the driveway, and she didn't tell me she had plans, so where is she?

"Baby Doll," I call again. I set my keys down in the kitchen along with my cigarettes and wallet. She has to be somewhere.

I walk down the hallway and into our bedroom. I find her there, sprawled out on the bed, her shirt off, her little boyshorts on, her arms clutching a pillow while her legs twist and kick. I chuckle to myself. She gets exhausted so easily.

I sit on the edge of the bed and run my hand through her hair. "Baby Doll," I say softly. "Honey, wake up."

Niki tiredly moans into the pillow as she awakens and her limbs stretch the way they always do in the morning. She immediately tenses and stops. "Ow," she says, sitting up and onto her elbows.

"What's wrong, Baby Doll?" I ask.

"I did that 5k colored chalk run with Riot today," she sad tiredly. "After I took a shower I zonked out. I'm so sore."

"Mm, I'm sorry," I murmur. I lean down and kiss the back of her head, then I move to the edge of the bed. She starts to ask me what I'm doing, but I silence her with my hands and push my thumb into her calves. She whimpers but not in a bad way. I move the muscles to loosen up and work my way up and all the way to her lower back. My hands get sore but I don't mind. When I'm done, I lay next to her on my stomach.

"God, you're perfect," she says as she looks at me.

I smile and curl up to her. "Well I have to be something to match up to you."

She leans against me and sighs contently. "I don't know," she says. "You may be just a little more perfect than me."

I just nuzzle into her shoulder. I breathe in her skin. "You smell good," I say.

"Thank you," she says quietly. She "mm"s and leans back again.

"How long have you been asleep?" I ask.

"Since three," she murmurs tiredly.

"Baby, you shouldn't sleep any more. You'll fuck up your sleeping schedule." I rub her side.

"What time is it?" she asks.

"Almost six," I answer.

She doesn't move for a moment, but suddenly she sits up. "Fuck! We have dinner with my family at six thirty!"

I sigh and sit up. She runs to the bathroom, but I take my time since I'm basically ready. I change my cut up shirt for a plain black muscle shirt, spritz my cologne on since it's worn off, and run my fingers through my hair. I decide I should gel it, since it looks awkward when I don't, so I slip past Niki and do so. My shaved sides lay flat and the extension in the back lays weird, so I fix that too. I decide to just take it out and leave my hair as it is, since it doesn't look half bad. It's just a little too long to spike up anymore, but I decide I will tonight as the last night. Niki is hurridly putting her eyeliner on. She tries to tease her hair with her fingers when she's done and she can't, so she quickly puts it up in a clip and runs back to our room to get dressed.

I walk out to the living room and grab everything I had set down. I lean against the counter and wait for her, playing with my phone.

"C'mon, let's go," she says a few minutes later.

I look up at her. She looks flustered but beautiful as always. She's just wearing a black pair of torn up jeans, a black tank top, and a shirt that's see-through black with white skulls. A beanie is pulled over her hair, since she apparently didn't like her hair in a clip. I catch up to her quickly as she starts walking out and kiss her hair. "It's okay," I say. "Stop rushing. The restaurant is just up the street."