Page 53 of Every Step She Takes
And is she still your roommate…?10:28 p.m.
Mal
Well yes but I can’t control that
I’m not going to bug Inez to switch my room after everything she’s done for me10:28 p.m.
Michelle
And is this woman with freckles currently sleeping ten feet away?10:29 p.m.
Mal
What’s your point here?10:29 p.m.
Michelle
Your complete lack of self-awareness is impressive10:29 p.m.
TWELVEVIANA DO CASTELOSaturday, May 17, 2025
Mal
“Sadie. Sadie! Wake up!”
There’s a sharp snort followed by an unattractive throat clearing as Sadie jerks up in bed, blinking into the low light of our room. It’s dark beyond our Viana do Castelo albergue, but I clicked on the bedside lamp when I decided to chase this impulsive urge.
“What? What is it?” she grumbles, wiping her head around the room in search of a cause for this 4 a.m. wake up. “Is everything okay? Is there a fire?”
“Why would there be a fire?”
“I don’t know!” She rubs the sleep out of her eyes. “Why would you be waking me up for anything less?”
“Come on.”
She closes one eye and squints at me with the other. “What?”
“Come on,” I say again. “We’re going for a little walk.”
“This whole trip is a walk.”
I shove my feet inside my hiking sandals and toss my Hokas on the floor beside her bed. “This is an extra walk.”
“Whyare we doing extra walking in the middle of the night?”
“As part of your queer adolescence, obviously. We’re going to hike up to Santa Luzia hill and watch the sunrise.”
Sadie doesn’t move from her nest of sheets and blankets. “No,” she says, and then she flops onto her back.
I’m confused.
This seemed like such a marvelous idea as I tossed and turned until three in the morning, listening to the soundtrack of Sadie’s snores. The views from Santa Luzia hill are incredible, with a sweeping panoramic of the city and the sea and the River Lima that connects the two. It seems wrong to be here, in this town, and miss the chance to see it. I don’t want to miss the chance to share it with her. Even if we were up until midnight talking about everything and nothing and watchingProperty Brothers.
And damn. She appears to be back to sleep already.
“Come on,” I try again, moving close to nudge her shoulder with more enthusiasm. “Sneaking out in the middle of the night is a quintessential teen experience!”
Sadie pulls the duvet up over her head. “It’s not even sneaking out,” she grumbles. “We’re allowed to leave our rooms whenever we want. Because we’renotteens.”
