Ben McCulloch yawned at his desk. He looked over at his bed and saw a sleeping Alison, curled up with her pillow under her head. Her sneakers were on the floor and she was lying there in blue jeans, striped socks and a gray tee shirt. He gently pulled iPhone buds from her ears, then a textbook and laptop from under her hands, placing them on a bedside table by the window that overlooked Amsterdam Avenue. He could hear the traffic outside.
He unfolded a blanket at the foot of the bed and draped it over her. He then grabbed both cushions from an overstuffed chair in the corner and put them on the floor. He took his pillow from near his headboard and placed it on the chair cushions. He closed his laptop and removed two overcoats from a closet which he spread on the cushions. He eyed a toothbrush and toothpaste tube in a glass on his desk, decided to brush his teeth in the morning, then turned off the overhead light. Deciding to sleep in his flannel shirt and corduroys, he crawled under the two coats and made himself as comfortable as possible. The only illumination in the room was reflected from lighted signs and streetlamps along Amsterdam Avenue. He gazed at Alison on his bed, lying with her hands together under her pillow; her face was bathed in a neon glow from the window. She felt safe and secure.
Ben continued to stare at Alison until the drone of the traffic outside lulled him to sleep. He was falling in love.
YOU ARE READING
WE GATHER TOGETHER by Edward L. Woodyard
General FictionSometimes you have to go far away to realize just how close you really are. A straightforward, honest and emotional journey of the heart, We Gather Together is a perceptive and joyous story about a small-town suburban family that wants to come toge...
