"Brett.. have you been lying about something?"
Brett flinched. Eddy saw Brett's delicate hands that were resting on the dooner (duvet) clench into shaking fists.
"Brett.. mate, you do realise you can tell me anything. If you've been lying about something and if that's been eating you up, you can tell me anything and I won't get mad, I promise."
"I.. I think I'm good now to go back to my own room.. thanks Eddy..."
"Brett...!!"
Eddy would have grabbed him but Brett was too quick to slip out of Eddy's bed and run out of his bedroom. After a few seconds, Eddy heard Brett slam his bedroom door shut. Of all the years Eddy had known Brett, he had never heard the older slam a door.
-----------------------------------------
Eddy sat on his bed staring at the empty space that had been occupied by his flatmate and best friend only seconds ago. Initially, Eddy thought Brett was going through some major mental issues, then Eddy had second thoughts and waited for Brett to burst out laughing for giving it such a "sAcRiLeGiOuS" analysis of the story. So naturally, Eddy freaked out internally when instead Brett went all quiet and teary, it really concerned him. Still, Eddy couldn't help but find Brett's intricate and somewhat jaded analysis of the story of the little boy who cried wolf very witty and amusing if it wasn't for Brett tearing up afterwards.
Eddy got out of bed and marched out of his bedroom.
Eddy knocked on Brett's bedroom door.
"Brett"
Silence. Eddy knocked again and called out.
"Brett, c'mon you're suffering from insomnia, I doubt you'd be asleep already. Can I come in?"
Eddy heard a faint groan, followed by a whisper.
"Yeah"
Eddy opened the bedroom door just enough to shove his hand through the gap.
"You forgot this."
"Oh.. thanks Eddy."
Moments later Eddy felt Brett tug on his pillow that Eddy had shoved through the small gap. Eddy let go. Eddy's fingers proceeded to do a little dance up and down the gap. His long fingers opened out wide then one by one his fingers would close into a fist then spread out one by one again and repeat as he flicked his wrist and moved his hand up and down the gap at the door. It then stopped.
"So Brett, did you want me to... go back to my room..?"
The hand suddenly wilted sadly and its index and middle fingers made a pair of legs, slowly walking away mid-air.
Eddy then felt a gentle pull on his hand.
"Eddy?"
"Y, yeah?"
"I don't wanna talk about stuff right now."
"Okay."
"I just want to try to sleep."
"Okay Brett, that's cool. It's okay..."
Saddened by the rejection, Eddy was about to pull his hand away.
Except Brett didn't let go.
"Do you wanna.. come in?"
Eddy raised an eyebrow behind the door.
"Yeah sure."
Eddy wasn't about to ask dumb questions and risk stopping whatever was going on.
Brett pulled open the door and saw Eddy standing with his pillow clutched under his arm. Brett also raised an eyebrow but must have settled on the don't ask dumb questions policy as well and he quietly let go of Eddy's hand and held onto his door with both hands so that the taller could enter the room.
"Which side can I have Brett?"
"Whichever."
"After you. Go on, lie down."
"..So bossy"
Brett mumbled as he crawled into bed on the side where his bed lamp was. Eddy joined him from the other side of the bed.
"Okay, lights out?"
"Yeah Brett."
*click*
Eddy heard Brett sigh.
"G'night Eddy."
"G'night Brett."
20 seconds later.
"Eddy.. you asleep?"
"Nah.. whassup?"
"Sorry, can we swap? I'd like to try your side."
"Um, okay.. just roll across, I'll pass over you."
"What?"
"Okay, you've moved?"
Eddy had managed to get up on all fours, his hands and feet and had shuffled across the bed as if he was a water strider. He had expected Brett to have rolled underneath him and made it to the other side of the bed where he was before. Eddy let himself down and landed on... Brett.
"OMG Eddy!"
"WTF I thought you already rolled across! What the f*ck are you still doing on my side!?"
"I hadn't processed your instructions yet. OMG would you please get off of me!?"
"OMG Brett stop thrashing around I need to prop myself up again.."
"OW that's my arm you just put your weight on!!"
"Sorry...!!"
"Ok, that's it, no propping, just roll off me! Just go left!!"
"..Your left or my left?"
"WTF if you came with me on my left we'll be going cheek to cheek all the way to my side of the bed!!"
"Oh sh*t"
"OMG I can't believe I said that. FFS Eddy stop saying stuff that confuses me, just go your left! I'll go my left!!"
"So that's definitely gonna work? I'm confused, too."
"OMG Eddy, please just get off of me.."
"Okay, okay I'm rolling to my left... go!"
Eddy rolled and fell off the bed. Landing with a large thud.
"OW!!"
"OMG Eddy WTF are you doing!"
"Sh*t that hurt. I was already on the edge."
"You'd already made it to your side you didn't have to roll any distance!?."
"OMG Brett will ya quit lecturing me and help me up please!?"
"Oh, yah, yah, of course..."
"OW!!! You stepped on my stomach!!"
"Oh sh*t, I'm sorry! Hang on"
Brett turned on the bedside lamp. Eddy lay on the carpeted floor in a foetal position, clutching his stomach.
"OMG Eddy, I'm so sorry, are you alright?"
Eddy replied through gritted teeth.
"I'll live.. just give me a minute then help me up.."
"Okay..."
Brett lay down next to Eddy, resting his forehead against Eddy's.
"...What are you doing?"
"Giving you a minute till I can help you up."
Eddy stammered.
"I, I'm good to be helped up now...!"
"Oh."
Brett looked somewhat disappointed.
"Are you sure you're ready, Eddy?"
"Um.. come to think about it, my back hurts like hell as well."
"Cos you bumped it when you fell off the bed?"
"Yeah cos I bumped it when I fell off the bed before somebody stomped on my stomach...!"
"I'm sorry, okay??"
Eddy chuckled.
"I'll be alright, don't worry about it."
"So.. we should still rest like this just a bit longer..?"
"How about we rest like this in bed... we're gonna get cold on the floor soon"
"Okay.. "
Feeling substantially battered than when he first arrived at Brett's room, Eddy slowly got up and climbed back into bed. After checking that Brett was getting in from his side, Eddy turned off the bedside lamp.
There was a bit of thumbing around in the dark till they caught each other's hand, their hands gingerly traced up each other's arms and up to each other's heads, then they slowly pulled themselves towards each other.
"Easy Brett.. I don't wanna bash heads. We can be such a liability towards each other it scares me."
When their foreheads finally made a gentle tap to each other, Eddy used his fingers to move Brett's fringe out of the way as he did of his.
"You're good?"
"Yeah.. I'm good. Thanks.. Eddy...Good ni..."
Brett yawned twice, then he fell asleep. Eddy knew he did. He'd heard it before, Brett's usual out like a light sleeping.
OMG you have got to be f*cking kidding me, had I known that's all it took, I wouldn't have bothered with the frickin' bedtime story...!!