Graceland: Family Affair

Chapter Five

I awake to the sound of my phone buzzing on the bedside table. The sun is still streaming through the window, and I cover my eyes so they can adjust to the light. I feel an arm underneath my head, and I roll over to lie on my other side – Mike is there, out like a light, sleeping on my bed. And then I remember – I must have fallen asleep while we were talking, and I'd fallen asleep on his arm. I feel a little bad – I hope he's not offended that I dozed off during a conversation with him, and I sure hope his arm hasn't gone dead underneath my head. The sight of Mike there brings a smile to my face at the memories that seeing him there stirs. Back at Quantico, he was just finishing as I was starting, but we still managed to strike up a friendship. We met in the library there, of all places, and from then on, we'd study together. It just started off that we'd sit silently together in the library, not really talking. And as time went on, we started to get to know one another. There were a couple of times that he would come to my dorm to study, or I would go to his, and more often than not, by the end of our late night study sessions, we were a couple of snoozers instead of a couple of scholars. This little afternoon nap was just like old times, I guess – and that was strangely comforting to me. I carefully get up of my bed, trying my best not to wake Mike. I slowly open the zip on my suitcase, trying not to make a loud noise with it, contorting my face into a cringe at the low murmur of the zip. I pull out my 'London' hoodie (one of my souvenirs the time my family spent living there) and shove my phone into the front pocket. I stand at my window and look out at the view, opening the window a little to let in the ocean breeze. I take out my phone from my pocket to find out what the buzzing was from, and find that there's a message from Paul:

Dinner at 6:30pm. We'll talk after...I think I owe you an explanation... xx

 

No kidding he owes me an explanation! Understatement of the year! My eyes move from the message to the top of my phone screen to check the time – 6:25pm.

            "Fart!" I murmur to myself. I turn back to look at Mike, unsure about what to do. He looks so peaceful and contented laying there – he even has a little smile on his face. I'm going to have to wake him...this stinks! I gingerly sit back on the bed and lean over to Mike.

            "Mike...Mikey..." I whisper close to his face. He starts to stir a little, with a tiny whimper escaping from him. "Wakey, wakey Warren..."

            "Paige?" He mutters, smiling softly.

            "Paige?! It's Sarah..." I say softly, slowly climbing from the bed and towards the door, a little disheartened that he thought I was someone else. And why would he think that, of all people, I was Paige...

As soon as I move from the bed, Mike eyes fly open and he sits bolt upright, realising his mistake. He immediately flies from the bed and over to me, taking my arm and spinning my around to face him.

            "Sarah! I am so sorry –" He says, gripping my shoulders.

            "It's fine..." I answer quietly.

            "No, it's not fine!" He sounds so annoyed at himself. "I'm so stupid!"

"No you're not..." I say, trying to make him feel better.

 "Of course I knew it was you –" He carries on from where he left off.

            "No, I get it. You're in her old room, and I've just got here and it'll take some adjusting –" I bring my hand to my head, trying not to get upset.

            "That doesn't make it right though...I'm so sorry..." He whispers stroking my cheek.

            "It's okay..." I whisper back, resting my head on his chest as he wraps his arms around me, resting his head on mine. We stand there for a moment, and then I remember about dinner. I lift my head, Mike's arms still around me, as I lift my phone from my pocket. 6:32pm. "We're going to be late!" I look up at him and smile.

            "Well we better make a move then", he says, grinning back. He takes my hand and leads me out of the room and onto the landing. "I'm so glad you're here", he beams as he squeezes my hand before letting it go.

            "Me too..." I say, trying to sound like I really mean it. I guess part of me does, but part of me would still rather that I weren't here...or that I was in D.C. with Mike, with us both living the dream that we used to stay up late talking about. Mike had been so full of big plans. He used to talk about them with such wide-eyed wonder and determination – and the closer it got to his graduation, the more determined he became...and the more excited he became. Many a sleepless night was spent confiding in one another, planning what we were going to do when we made it to the top in D.C. We were going to be Warren and Parker, partners – joint-running the F.B.I. And here we were, walking towards the kitchen in Graceland – the beachside resort for Agents. We've swapped our Quantico dorm rooms and D.C. apartments for being across-the-hall neighbours in California. I've swapped a life I'd always wanted for living under the same roof as my brother again for the first time since I was eight. And Mike and I have swapped our dreams of a desk in D.C. for surfboards...and I still don't know how I'm feeling about that...