Page 19 of See You Soon
Lights start to flicker again as the hurricane is almost done passing through our town. I check the weather through my phone and the worst should be gone by five in the morning. Of course, it would continue to rain throughout the week, but all the dangerous storms should have passed. Luckily, the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm.
I feel like I need to check on Ari before I go downstairs and sleep on the couch. I also have to grab my boxers and the rest of my clothes. I always sleep naked, but I have a special guest, so I decide to be appropriate and wear clothes.
I softly knock on the door and unsurprisingly, I get no answer. I gently and quietly open the door to my bedroom. The lights is off but the lamp on my nightstand is on. I see Ari curled up underneath my blankets, already sleeping. I smile. Even asleep, she looks so angelic and peaceful. I just met this girl and I already feel something burning within me whenever I get close to her.
I finally step into my bedroom and quietly get my clothes out of the dresser without waking her.
Success.
I'm closing the bedroom door when I see that she starts to move underneath the covers, groaning, sadly. She's muttering words I can't make out. Then I realize, she's dreaming. Whatever she's dreaming sounds like a nightmare.
"Paul, don't go," Ari mutters. Then she quiets down and stops moving drifting into a deeper sleep, quickly.
She's having a dream about Paul. My heart sinks. She's still grieving. I frown, finally closing the door to my bedroom and I make my way downstairs. Almost all of the lights in my house are turned off.
Spending time with me must've triggered her emotions about him.Hell, she's triggered mine.
I passed the worst parts of the grieving stage, and I almost feel healed. With the help of whiskey, cigarettes, and bar hopping. I wouldn't let myself completely feel the loss of Paul.
I'm determined to not ever feel the extent of losing my brothers if I want to keep my career and sanity. I have walls up to prevent myself from enduring the tragedies of death. I go to the kitchen and I head for my favorite pick of poison.
Chapter7
ari
Meredith is driving me back home from Danny's house. Emilia is in the backseat, texting back and forth with a wedding planner. I asked her to pick me up early in the morning before Danny woke up. I want to avoid him and an awkward goodbye. The worst part of the hurricane has passed so it was safer to drive out. The storm didn't do too much damage as anticipated which was good. That means Danny can get on his flight and I can get back to my normal life as it was before I met him.
"Damn, he lives all the way out here in the beautiful countryside?" Meredith exclaims while looking around at the acres of land on each side of the road. There were ranches all around this area.
"Please keep your eyes on the road. I don't feel like dying today." I roll my eyes at her.
"Okay, one rude. And two, it was one time, when are you going to let that go?" Meredith says, shaking her head while her attention comes back to the road. She's talking about the time when she swerved off the road, almost killing us, while staring at some shirtless guy jogging with his dog on the sidewalk.
"Umm... never. We all have the one friend that drives us crazy...and that's you." I say, swinging my face in her direction, dramatically. My eyes glared.
"I feel like I'm a survivor every time I get out of the car with you." I joke, teasing her.
"Ugh, I guess that's fair."
I nod while resting my head against the window.
"So, are you gonna tell me what happened? You're not going to give me the details on how a great mysterious Navy guy is keeping you safe and giving you shelter from the hurricane?" Meredith winks, moving her eyebrows up and down.
I sigh, annoyed.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Cause."
"Cause why?"
"Because… Meredith. We didn't have sex."
"What?" Meredith and Emilia shout baffled simultaneously, her voice high-pitched.
"Yeah, we didn't. And I really don't want to talk about it. All I will say is... or rather ask you is..." I bite my lip wondering if I should talk to her about this part of my life. We do tell each other basically everything so why not.
