Ethereal Love (Book 2 LS Series)

Chapter 20

Michael's POV

After tossing and turning for hours with Skipper burned onto the back of my eyelids, and attempting to drift off into sleep, I give up, staring at the ceiling of my bedroom and imagining the times we laid here together. If I think about it just hard enough, I can feel her arms around my neck, and I can smell her floral perfume...

The phone beside my bed has been ringing off the hook, interrupting me every time I think I'm falling asleep. I don't know who the fuck is calling me at this time of night, but I couldn't give two shits.

Yawning, I turn to lay on my side and stare at the bright white moon shining down on me through the window. I begin to wonder where my Skipper is, the lord knows she isn't in her dorm room. Skipper is my everything, but she can be selfish and stupid sometimes. Just like me... we're more alike than she will admit.

I close my eyes, breathing in quickly. I can taste her skin on my tongue, just barely, sweet and smooth. What would she do if she were here beside me? She would trace my jawline with her fingers, her legs tangled in mine. I would hold her close to me, my arms wrapped around her waist, and lay soft kisses on her eyelids. The thought makes me warm and cold at the same time.

The damn phone rings again, snapping me out of my thoughts of her for the millionth time. Angered, I pull myself away from the warm sheets to answer the annoying thing, snatching it off of the receiver and groaning into it.

"What? It's 3 in the damn morning." I snap into the phone, waiting for an answer. "Well! That's no way to talk to your mother!" I roll my eyes with an exasperated groan. "What do you want and why the hell do you keep calling me?" "Michael! I have something important to tell you!" Her annoying voice sounds through the line.

"Get on with it." She sighs, taking way too long to just spit it the hell out. "I'm getting married!"She yips so loudly into the phone that I have to pull it away from my ear to avoid hearing damage.

"What? Married? When did you get divorced? And who the hell are you marrying?" "Well, if you talked to me like a son should, you would know that I got divorced right after Thanksgiving, and I am marrying John."

A cold pit of anger settles in my stomach at that name. John? The douche bag neighbor from my childhood who always stuck his goddamned nose where it doesn't belong? Fan-fucking-tastic.

"Congrats," I tell her flatly with a yawn. "Is that all you wanted from me?" "I thought you'd be a bit more excited, truthfully," She says with an edge of irritation audible in her tone. "Sure, yeah, whatever. Bye." "Wait! One last thing!"

"What?" "I want you to come to the wedding, in two days. And bring that wonderful girl with you." "Skipper?" "Yes, I assume you two have made up by now. The wedding's at the house, two days and it starts at noon! Bye!"

"Wait! I don't wanna go to your-" The line goes dead. Groaning in frustration, I slam the phone back down and plop onto the bed. "Fuck." I mutter. How could she just call me at three am and drop some big ass bombshell like that? And then just hang up the phone? And now I have to go to Gary again, with Skip. Nothing good ever comes of that.

I'll tell her later, I guess, but in the meantime, I have to get some sleep.

The images of Celeste and Joseph, as well as Kate and goddamned John keep me from getting any rest whatsoever. Sometimes I wonder... when will the nightmares end? Skipper seems to be my only cure.

****

I don't feel tired in the slightest as I march across campus at six in the morning. Trying to sleep proved to be a waste of time, so my only other option is to go see Skip, it's the only other thing I can focus on.