SLEEPSONG (BoyxBoy)✔️

Chapter 45

Chapter Forty Five

The next time I woke up, I had no idea where I was or why I'd been roused. My head was literally killing me with throbbing, sickening aches that seared the inside of my skull... a byproduct of the injury I'd received mixed with my shiny new hangover, no doubt.

Soft silken blankets enfolded my body and a feather pillow cushioned my aching head.

My hands and legs tingled as awareness trickled back to me.

Living heat warmed my neck, and I slowly became aware of a hand stroking the right side of my face, smoothing my hair away. I heard slow, even breathing, but the intruder to my room didn't utter so much as a sound, let alone an explanation as to why they were touching me.

Why they were here.

I opened my eyes and blinked the sleep away, groggily peering around the room.

My head spun and I suddenly felt nauseous, which didn't help matters even slightly.

"Ugh," I grumbled, rubbing my eye boogers away with irritated fingers. "I'm never getting drunk again... I hate hangovers."

I heard a snort and a familiar breathy little chuckle to my left.

I carefully took a moment to sit up and closed my eyes to get my bearings, struggling to fully wake up since I still felt exhausted to the bone. I ran a hand through my messy hair, breathing in and out, then opened my eyes and looked at my visitor.

Sure enough, it was Woody.

He was sitting on my bed, observing me with twinkling green eyes, but for the first time since I'd met him, he was actually wearing nice clothes. I blinked blearily, taking in the rather neat-looking red flannel shirt, baggy bell bottom blue jeans, and his somewhat mud-stained dark brown boots. His hair had been tied back into a casual ponytail and he looked civilized, although to be honest I don't know why I found that so surprising.

"Evening, I assume?" I eventually inquired, letting out a yawn. "Time to get ready to go?"

He nodded and raised a hand, signing, 'It's around eight at night. It looks like you still have a bit of packing to do, so I'll be waiting down in the car until you're ready to leave."

Confusion slipped into my heart. "You have a car?"

He looked at me strangely, but nodded and signed, 'having a vehicle is a necessity even for creatures like us. There's much less risk of accidentally exposing yourself to the world if we try to blend in like everyone else.' He paused for a second, then added, 'Did you really think I was going to make you run all the way to my house with your luggage?'

"I have no idea," I muttered, shaking my head. "At this point, I don't try to assume anything."

He sighed and patted my shoulder, then glanced at my wrist and paused. 'You're not wearing your splint.'

"Huh? Oh, yeah... that." I shrugged. "It doesn't hurt anymore, so I took it off."

Woody nodded, patted my arm, and rose to his feet, signing, 'I'll be down in the car but before you meet me there, Tiffany and Kyle both have something they want to say to you. They're waiting just outside the room.'

"Okay," I muttered, scratching at my hair; I pushed the blankets off me and slid out of bed, being careful not to make myself dizzy. "I'll start packing up so I'm fully ready to go."

He nodded yet again and walked away, slipping out of the room through one of the huge double doors. Not even a split second after he was gone, however, Tiffany and Kyle barged in and swept towards me in a way that made me flinch.