What It Seems | Wattys 2023

Chapter 62

I was in the midst of falling in and out of sleep - rather there being a noise here and there or just having Baylor on my mind. Every time I felt myself falling asleep, I always had gotten woken up by something.

I was almost asleep.

"Dammit!" My eyes popped open. The night lights that lit up the hallway were on and I saw a dark shadow pass the door I was behind.

I pulled the duvet from over my body and slid out the large, tall bed. I opened the door and began to walk to Baylor's room. I opened his door and the sound of water was running from his bathroom. I began to get sincerely nervous and I ran to his bathroom. But he wasn't in there. His bathroom smelled of barf and it reeked. I shriveled up my nose and cut the water off and sprayed some Febreze and Lysol around the toilet.

"What are you doing?" Baylor asked.

I jumped at the sound of his voice. "Coming to check on you."

He sat his bowl of cereal on his nightstand. "Why are you sleeping in there?"

I looked at him like he was crazy. "Well for starters, you're drunk." He rolled his eyes at that and I huffed. "And I was trying to help you earlier but you shrugged me off. And I'm tired as it is but you had to come home drunk and with an anger problem."

I threw my hands in the air in defense. I began to head back to the guest bedroom down the hall.

"Just stay in here," he said. I looked at him and saw how pleading he looked.

"Why bother when all you're gonna be is be a butthole?"

I turned back around and headed back to the room. He groaned. I closed the door behind me and went to lie back in bed.

The door opened and the light shone through. Baylor stood in the doorway and he closed the door behind him.

"Well if you're not gonna sleep in there, then I'll sleep in here." He pushed the covers back on the opposite side of the bed. He got in and laid on the opposite side of me, looking at me. I turned over, making him look at the back of me.

"Oh, c'mon babe. I'm not that drunk." He placed his hand around my wrist and I hissed.

"That happens to be the wrist that hurts." I snatched my wrist away from him.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't worry about an apology." I laid my head on my arm.

"Babeee," he slurred.

"Baylor, just go to sleep. I'll have some Aleve ready for you when you wake up."

I felt him inch closer to me and he rested his hand on my hip. When he pressed his chest to my back, he nestled his cheek on the side of my head.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked.

I wasn't mad about him being drunk; I was upset that he treated me with a bit of disrespect. I was trying to be helpful with him stumbling here and there and getting sick to his stomach. But he shrugged me off.

I breathed, "No."

He hummed. "Yes you are."

I didn't say anything.

"Is there any way I can make it better?" he questioned.

"Yes you can by going to sleep."

He groaned and unglued himself from me. His body shifted to the other side of the bed and it stilled.

He didn't budge for a few minutes and I thought he had fallen asleep.

I crawled to his side of the bed and I wrapped my arm around his torso and kissed the spot between his shoulder blades like I had done that night he was in the hospital.