Begin Again--Ari's Story

Chapter Ten: Jon's P.O.V.

I barely got any sleep that night. Most of my time was spent listening to music until I dozed off. Still, as I peered out the window, the sky was a cloudy morning gray. The neighborhood was asleep. It was just me and the sky. I groped mindlessly around for my phone, and raised it up to my face.
13 new notifications from Ari.
The first thing I discovered about parenting was that missing a bunch of middle-of-the-night texts from your adopted daughter on her first night staying at your place was on a whole new level of scary.
I frantically swiped my screen and opened the texts.
Ari: Jon?
Ari: I'm sorry, I think you're asleep.
Ari: I can't sleep. I really want to talk to someone right now.
Ari: Jon?
Ari: God, I hope I'm not annoying you.
Ari: Your apartmemt is so noisy. I can't fall asleep, no matter how hard I try.
Ari: Jon?
Ari: Jon?
Ari: Please don't be mad, I'm just nervous about staying here. It's only my second night.
Ari: I didn't want to go wake you up, so I texted you. Is that okay?
Ari: Jon?
Ari: It's all right.
Ari: I'll let you sleep.
I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut. Since I'm an absolute moron, I'd muted my phone so I could listen to music in peace.
You: It's okay Ari. I was listening to music, and now I feel terrible for accidentally ignoring you. Are you okay?
The reply came immediately. I almost died when I realized she hadn't slept at all last night.
Ari: I'm fine.
She was not fine.
You: Did you stay up all night?
Ari: ...
Ari: Yes...
"Oh no..." I mumbled to myself, remembering one of her previous messages about my apartment being noisy. That didn't seem right, as Ari and I live alone.
You: Why?
Ari: I'm still freaked out about Angie. Plus your apartment is loud.
You: We're all worried, but what do you mean? I never thought my apartment was loud...
Instead of texting back, I heard Ari slide out of her bed and trundle into my doorway. She looked a bit like a ghost, with her face pale, hair tangled, and eyes bloodshot with tears, exhaustion, or maybe both.
Probably both.
I could feel my heart fracturing.
I beckoned for her to sit on the bed next to me, and she quietly obeyed, staring down at her hands folded in her lap.
"What did you mean when you said my apartment was noisy?" I asked, shattering the fragile silence. Ari hesitated.
"Things like the wind blowing against the building, or the floors creaking. They're amplified in my head by my dumb, hyperactive brain." Her voice was stretched thin and strained as if she were about to cry.
Somehow, I completely understood what she was saying, even though I didn't personally experience it. It was like having dilated pupils while looking at a bright light as opposed to normal ones. Ari was hypersensitive, and I wasn't quite sure how to deal with it.
"Well, um, you should really get some sleep. I can sit with you until you fall asleep if you'd like."
She smiled a small and broken smile.
"Sure."

It took a while before her eyes fluttered shut and her uneven breathing smoothed out, but it was nice seeing Ari at peace.