Page 11 of Sleepless November (Sleepless November Saga 1)

Chapter Five

My head is pounding as I try to ignore the voices of Holden and Brianna from 5 feet away. I groan, putting my pillow over my head and pushing down to silence the noise. It starts to work, until it’s ripped from my grip.

“What’s wrong with you?” Holden asks, holding my pillow just out of reach.

“My head.” I whine. “Now give it back, jerk.” I reach up and take my pillow back from him - holding it against my head again. Unfortunately, a few minutes later, it’s taken away again.

“Holden, will you stop?! I’m serious!” I snap at him.

He doesn’t flinch. He grabs a glass of water from my nightstand, and hands it to me, along with two pills. “Take these.”

I sit up slowly, careful not to make my headache worse, and take the glass. I take a small sip before depositing the pills into my mouth. Taking another sip, I swallow them down.

“Thank you.” I whisper. A half hour later, my headache subsides, and I fall asleep in the late hours of the afternoon.

I WAKE IN THE middle of the night, not even remotely tired. I glance at the clock. 1:47 AM. I close my eyes again, rolling over and trying to force myself back to sleep, but it’s no use. The feeling of the rice cake I ate earlier rests heavily inside my stomach. I sit up and look around.

Brianna and Holden are sound asleep in Bree’s bed. Bree’s facing the wall, while Holden is snuggled up behind her, his arm draped over her waist. I can’t deny the fact that they look adorable together - the picture-perfect couple.

My stomach growls, but the last thing I want to do right now is eat. I know better than to binge in the middle of the night. I won’t be able to do anything to get rid of it. Instead, I grab socks and my sneakers and put them on, preparing myself to go for a run. Just before I leave the room, a sound stops me.

“Where are you going?” Holden asks, voice laced with sleep.

“For a run.” I answer simply, preparing myself for his lecture.

He turns around to look at the clock. “It’s like 2 AM.”

I roll my eyes. “Thank you, Father Time.” He sits up, pulling on his shirt and slipping his shoes on. “What are you doing?” I ask him.

“Coming with you.” He says as if it’s obvious.

“Uh, come again?”

He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. “Well, judging by the look on your face, I’m not going to be able to convince you out of going, and I’ll be damned if I let you go running by yourself in the middle of the night. So, I’m coming with you.”

I shake my head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I’m going to anyway.” He walks past me, patting my shoulder before stepping out of the room in front of me.

Well then, I guess he’s coming with me.

THE PAVEMENT BENEATH MY feet moves quickly as my lungs burst with cool, crisp air. The feeling of hunger is left forgotten somewhere back where I started. I run faster with every negative thought that comes to mind – away from it all. Holden keeps up with my pace.

“That all you’ve got?” He asks, grinning deviously.

I quicken my speed and he follows suit. The two of us take turns speeding up, inching past the other. Finally, once we’re at a full sprint, he caves and stops to catch his breath.

“What’s wrong? Can’t keep up?” I tease.

“H-how are you not e-even tired?” He pants. I giggle and shrug in response. I don’t want to tell him this is hardly the first time I’ve been running in the middle of the night.

“Come on. We’ll sit at the creek and rest for a bit.” I say, walking over to the ledge and siting down, watching the water run beneath my feet. Holden joins me. He lays back, hands behind his head, and stares up at the sky.

“It’s beautiful out here at night.” He whispers, like it’s some sort of secret.

I lay back as well and look up at the stars. There are so many, yet I know if we were away from all the light, there would be so many more.

“It is.” I respond.

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