Erin
After my nightmare and talking with Parsons, I went back to sleep comfortably. I didn't have another dream or anything, but the sound of Parsons' breathing put me in a relaxing state.
When I woke up, I didn't open my eyes immediately. The sound of voices filled my ears and I couldn't be more curious as to who was talking.
"Are you serious, Neil?" I hear one of the boys say. It sounded a little deeper than Ollie's, and less bubbly, so I assumed it was Cam's.
"Yes. Am I crazy?" I feel something under me move and then I realize I'm on top of Parsons. I remember falling asleep on him but I didn't know I had stayed there. His chest rumbles as he speaks. I feel one of his hands messing with a piece of my hair. I smile slightly at the gesture.
"No, you're not. Go for it." I hear Liv say.
What are they talking about?
I should probably move or something.
I move my head and this causes Parsons to tense. He stops messing with my hair and I open my eyes, sitting up. I first make eye contact with Liv. She has that smirk of hers on her face and I can't help but roll my eyes. Ollie sits on the other side of me and he just has this big smile on his face, as if he just won the lottery. Cam looks to me, a very small smile on his lips as he nods to me.
I tuck the hair in my face behind my ear as I look at Parsons. His hair is just as messy as it was last night. His pink lips are formed into a smile and his eyes are soft. They hold warmth and I can't help but smile back.
"Well good morning, sleepyhead. Or should I say afternoon?" He says this, a playful tone on his words.
"What time is it?" I say. I'm caught off-guard by the deepness my sleepy voice holds. I rub my eyes in an attempt to wake myself up more.
"4:30. In the afternoon." I widen my eyes at the time that Cam says. He chuckles at my expression. "I don't know how you didn't wake up the second Ollie walked in here. He was not quiet." Ollie gasps at Cam's statement and holds a hand to his heart, offended. Cam smiles at his boyfriend and blows an air kiss. Ollie blushes and catches the kiss.
"I can sleep through anything. Since I got—" I quickly stop myself, about to expose my secret.
I'm getting way too comfortable with them.
That may not be a bad thing.
I just need more time.
"Since what?" Parsons says, curiosity laced in his deep voice.
"Since I was a kid, I've been able to sleep through anything and everything. My mom would throw freezing cold water on me to wake me up. I just don't hear anything when I sleep." I say casually, shrugging my shoulders.
"Good to know." He says, that smirk on his face. I saw the mischief swimming through his green eyes, taunting me and saying "watch out" in a way.
I shake my head and chuckle. I stand up, maybe a little too fast, and a headache emerges. I sit back down, everyone's eyes on me. Parsons is the first one to worry.
"Beanie, are you okay?" He puts his hand on my shoulder, igniting a spark through my nerves.
Woah. That's never happened before.
"I'm fine." I reassure. I go through my bag and find my meds. "Just another headache." I take out two pills and quickly take them, shutting my eyes and hoping the pounding will subside.
"What's the plan for today?" I ask, my eyes still closed. I sit against the couch. My head rests against the back, tilted towards the ceiling. I could feel his eyes on me, having felt them on me before.
"Liv and I have to be home soon. Our parents are celebrating their anniversary and we have to stay home to watch Jordan." I hear Ollie say this from beside me.
Although Ollie was the one speaking, I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I could feel the worry radiating off of them.
"How long have they been together?" I ask, hoping to get their minds off my current state.
"Fourteen years." Liv says. "It seems like just yesterday our dad was introducing us to her." Liv's statement causes a conversation to emerge and I could feels their eyes lift off me, except for one pair.
About fifteen minutes later, the twins and Cam leave. Then it's just Parsons and I. Sadly, my headache has not yet left.
"Beanie?" I feel his hand on mine. The touch surprises me. I turn my head towards him, looking at his hand on mine before looking into his eyes. The moment I look into his green irises, I melt. There's just something about his eyes that sets something off in me.
"Hmm?" I say, scared that my throat will fail me.
"Are you okay?" His voice lowers in pitch and volume. Worry fills his face and I can't help but feel happy. In front of me is someone who cares.
Maybe you can tell him.
Maybe I can. Just maybe.
"Yeah. Something happened to me a while ago and ever since then, I've had nightmares. They use to be every night but the more I dealt with them, they got more spaced out. However, the more spaced out they are, the greater my headache is the next time I wake up. And last night was the first in about five or six weeks so I expected a bad one. But to my luck, I had one last night and it just continued this morning." I sigh. The pounding in my head isn't as bad as it was earlier, but I still feel it. At this point, it's just annoying.
"Will I ever get to know what happened to you?" He asks this. He sounds afraid, as if I'm going to yell at him for asking.
You did once.
I did? I don't remember so it doesn't count.
"Maybe." I say. His eyes move back and forth between mine. I want to know what he's thinking but he keeps it to himself. I remove my hand from under his and grab my phone. I notice the time and realize Mom would probably want me back by now. "I should probably get going." I stand up, the headache getting worse. I scrunch my face. I feel his body next to mine. He holds my arm in a gentle manner, as if he's scared to hurt me.
"Are you sure you'll be able to drive?" I tilt my head upwards and nod, trying to rid him of this worry he's been getting.
"It's only bad when I stand and I don't stand when I drive so I think I'll be fine." He nods and I grab my bag. I walk to the door and hear his footsteps behind me. When we get to my car—I didn't expect him to walk me to my car, but I don't mind—I realize I'm still wearing his sweatshirt.
"Are you sure you don't want this back? People are going to think we're together if I keep wearing your clothes." I chuckle at the end. He does too, rubbing the back of his neck after. I can tell he wants to say something but he bites his tongue.
"You keep it." He nods, as if confirming his statement.
Thankfully, Zach was able to get my car unlocked this morning before he went to work; I owe him one now. I open the door and get in, turning the key in the ignition and turning on the heat.
I look to Parsons and he has his arm on the door, waiting to close it.
"Thank you." I say. His rose pink lips lift up into a smile.
"Always." He says this before closing the door. I buckle up and look behind me before putting the car in reverse and pulling out of the driveway onto the road. I see him in the driveway still and a smile forms on my lips as I know that he won't go inside until I'm out of his view.
When I get home, another car is in the driveway. It is vaguely familiar but I can't seem to pinpoint where I know it from. I sigh, not really wanting to deal with people but eventually decide to go inside.
I open the door and I hear voices coming from the kitchen. I set my things down on the couch before finding out who's here.
"Uncle Stew!" Immediately upon seeing my uncle, I become happy. He smiles when he seems me and I rush to hug him. He wraps me tight in his arms and we sway back and forth for a moment.
I pull away and he ruffles the hair on my head. "How ya been, buttercup?" He smiles at me.
"I've been doing pretty good." I notice Mom quickly plaster a smile on her face but I know it's fake. "What brings you here?" I ask.
"Just checking on my favorite niece, of course."
I roll my eyes. "I'm your only niece." He chuckles and for a moment I think he's Dad. Uncle Stew and Dad never really looked alike, being half brothers, but they share the same smile, eyes, and laugh. With that being said, that's why I didn't want to see Uncle Stew after everything happened; I couldn't handle seeing someone who looked like Dad so much.
"Hey sweetie, can you go to your room for a bit? Stew and I have some important matters to discuss." Her fake smile still rests on her lips. I want to ask to stay but something about her look tells me not to question her right now. So I just nod and get my stuff from the living room before going to my room.
When I close my door, I hear Mom and Uncle Stew talking. Their voices aren't loud, just the only noise in the house. I place my bag in my chair and plop down on my bed.
While I lay on my stomach, I get a message from Ollie. I open the message and attached is a picture. I click on it and find a picture of everyone awake and posing while I sleep on Parsons. I blush and shake my head, laughing slightly.
Me: You did not!
Within seconds, Ollie responds.
Ollie: Of course I did! :)
I save the picture to my camera roll and set it as my home screen. I can't help but smile at Ollie's goofy face, Liv's annoyed face at her brother, Cam with his arm around Ollie, and a small smile on his lips. The thing about the picture that stands out to me is Parsons, though. He's not looking at the camera, but rather at me. He holds a smile on his lips, his eyes on my sleeping face.
As I'm examining the picture, I get another message. This time, it's from Liv. I open the message and see another picture attachment.
Liv: Just friends, huh?
I find myself confused at her text but when I open the picture, I know what she's referring to.
It's a picture of Parsons and I sleeping. I'm resting my head on his chest and one of his arms are wrapped around me. We're both peacefully sleeping and it looks normal at first. But I find my mouth dropping once I notice why she said what she said.
Parsons and I were holding hands.
I don't remember holding his hand but it's evident that we were.
I can't help but blush at the action. I don't know why it is effecting me so much, but it is.
"I can't believe you!" The sound of my uncle's voice pulls me out of my world.
"You can't believe me? You should hear yourself, Stewart!" The adults continue to yell at each other and I can't stop my breathing from speeding up. I sit up and try to find my earbuds, plugging them in and playing music as quickly as I could.
I lay on my bed, facing away from my door and try to focus my mind elsewhere. But before I know it, I found myself looking at the picture of Parsons and me. The sound of yelling can still be heard but I focus on the picture.
I set it as my lock screen and smile. The picture brings a sense of comfort to me and I find myself drowning out all noises.
About thirty minutes later, I hear a knock on my door.
"Erin?" Mom's voice fills my room and I turn towards her, turning my music off.
"Yeah, Mom?" I sit up and watch as she sits across from me on the bed.
"Are you okay?" She grabs my hands and rubs her thumbs across mine in circles. "I know you probably heard me and Uncle Stew arguing and I know how that effects you."
"I'm okay." My breathing is uneven and she notices.
"I'm sorry for allowing it to get loud. I shouldn't have allowed for it to progress how it did."
"What were you even arguing about? I've never seen you guys argue before." I search her face for emotions but I mainly see anger and resentment.
"It was about your father. Petty stuff, honestly. Stew and I haven't always seen eye-to-eye and today just proves my point." She sighs, trying to rid herself of anger. "But how was it at Neil's?"
This is what Mom does: she changes the conversation when she gets uncomfortable.
"It was good." I smile at the thought of everything that happened but decided to keep the details from my mom.
"Neil seems like a good guy." She winks at me, a playful smirk on her glossed lips.
"We're just friends, Mom."
"Sure." She says sarcastically. "I'm going to make lasagna for dinner. Wanna help?" She stands up and heads towards my bedroom door.
"Yeah. I'll be there in a couple minutes." She nods and walks out. Although she's not in the room anymore, her comment stays in my mind.
Are we really just friends?