Ethan Landry : Oneshots - Scream 6

Insomnia

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep and also cause one to wake up too early and not be able to fall asleep again.

I had gotten used to living on little to no sleep. It's amazing what one can get used to when there's no other choice but. Like many other nights, I was wide awake, staring at the ceiling. Staring like I was trying to burn a hole into it. I've tried all the methods that the doctors have recommended. I have medication, which helps, but it doesn't cure it. I breathed in, blinked, breathed out.

I tried to focus on the sounds I could hear around me instead. I heard a car in the distance, sounds coming from outside of my window. Not surprising to hear cars in the middle of the night, it's New York afterall. Very different from Woodsboro. I could also hear the clock on the wall, which was ticking as time passed by. And then, there was him. I could hear him as well, his breathing. His movements, when he moved beside me in the bed. How the sheets adapted to him. And also, if he were to lay on his stomach, I could also hear snooring.

I slightly turned my head and looked at my boyfriend. Ethan was asleep. These past days he had been exhausted every time he came back to me. We have no matching courses so I rarely get to see him during the busy day. But he had told me a few hours earlier that econ was killing him, and that that's why he's always so exhausted.

I observed as he breathed in and then out, sering as his chest rised up and then lowered. He looked so peaceful. It was comforting to watch him sleep. It might be considered creepy to watch someone sleep, but I don't really care. He looks adorable like this, with his brown curls over his face.

Then, in his sleep, he reached over and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. He snuggled up to me, searching for my warmth. Ethan moved closer with his head and buried it in my neck. It was almost as if he didn't think we could be close enough. His breath tickled the skin on my neck, but I didn't want to move. Having his arms around me, it felt safe. He had this calming effect on me, that no other sleeping pill had managed to replicate.

I smiled and gently placed my hand on his cheek, caressing his skin with my thumb. He slightly moved.

"Why..." Ethan yawned, eyes still closed. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I can't." I said quietly. Ethan doesn't need to be awake for atleast five more hours. "Go back to sleep."

"No... No, I want to be awake with... You..." Ethan said, yawning inbetween his words.

I didn't answer. I only repositioned my upper body so that I could wrap one of my arms around his back, pulling him closer. Sure enough, this was enough for Ethan to go back to sleep.

I rested my head against my pillow, trying to relax the muscled in my neck and throat. I forced my eyes to close. Maybe if I stop trying and simply stop thinking, I'll fall asleep.

Maybe if I focus on my breathing. On Ethans breathing. On his warmth as he laid right next to me.

After another hour or two or not thinking, I must have fallen asleep since I wone up to sunshine, shining through my window blinds. I stretched my arms infront of me, trying to wake them up. I looked around and noticed that Ethan was nowhere to be seen. Had he already left? Without saying bye? We had talked about eating breakfast together, since noone of us had any lectures until afternoon. Had he forgotten?

I picked up my phone from my nightstand and looked at the screen. A few notifications from the news, I swiped those away. A snapchat from Mindy, I'll look at that in a second. Then I saw that I also had a message. A message from ethan.

"Hi, I'm so sorry for skipping out on our breakfast but my study group said that we had to work on this complicated econ groupwork, you know. But I'll make it up to you! I will buy you your favorite pizza and we will watch whatever movie you want."

Had Ethan written in his first message, forcing me to smile. I really like that he is so focused on school. My cute little nerd.