Chapter 31 - Mistaken Tension

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    Lightbulb hummed happily as she skipped her way down the sidewalk back home. She had her usual wide grin plastered on her face as she listened to Cigarettes Out the Window by TV Girl through her wired earbuds. As she walked, she thought about her day at work.

    It was Valentine's Day, and the chocolate stock was almost out by the end of her shift. I guess this town's just really romantic! She thought mindlessly, hopping up the stairs to her house and pulling out her keys.

    She unlocked her door, revealing her familiar home behind it. To her surprise, she saw Paintbrush on her couch talking with her mom. They both heard the door open and turned their heads to the foyer. "Oh, hey honey! How was your day?"

    Lightbulb's smile widened as she ran over to them and leaned over the back of the couch, "Heya! It was good!" She cheered merrily to LED, then turned to Paintbrush and tilted her head, "But what are you doing talking to my mom, Painty?"

    They chuckled and glanced away, opening their lips to speak; but Mrs. Bright beat them to it. "Oh, we were just having a small chat, LB. Nothing to worry about! They wanted to hang out with you and they forgot you were working today."

    "Oh, okay!" Lightbulb said, standing up straight, "So, where did you wanna go?"

    Paintbrush seemed distracted as they answered her, "Oh, uhm, I was thinking we could just hang out here. I'm not in the mood for driving."

    Lightbulb squinted dramatically at them, then shrugged. "Alright then! That's okay with me!" She chirped, walking over to the stairway. Her feet tapped at the worn wood as she ran upstairs, then stopped right before she turned the corner, "You coming?"

    "Huh?" They asked, looking up from the silver rings on their hands. They cleared their throat and glanced at her mother, then back to her as they stood up, "Uh, yeah, sorry."

    "Hurry up! Stop being so slow!" Lightbulb complained. They rolled their eyes as a small smile grew on their face. There it is! I wonder what was bothering them, though.

    "Okay, okay! I'm coming, be patient." She scoffed and ran up the rest of the way to the second floor, "It's my house! You should wait for me, not the other way around!"

    They caught up to her and walked into her room, their appearance a bit more disheveled than usual. She noticed and decided to point it out. "Why do you have eyebags?" She wondered.

    A sigh escaped them as they glanced away, "Nothing. I just... didn't get a good night's sleep last night." Their hand grabbed her doorknob and closed the door carefully, not wanting to slam it. She crossed her arms and looked them up and down with suspicion, "Are you sure that's all?"

    Paintbrush laughed gently and walked over to her bed, "Yes, that's all. Don't worry about it." They spoke softer than normal, and they only had two rings on. It looked like they'd come there in a rush.

    "Well you can spend the night here tonight, so I can cuddle you and then you can get a better night's sleep!" She argued, sitting on the edge of her bed beside them, "You need to sleep over more often, Painty, it's really nice when you do. I can actually fall asleep."

    "Yeah, uh, I kinda wanted to talk about tha-"

    "Or maybe is it just a coincidence? I mean, we've only slept together a few times, but I've always had the best sleep!"

    "Lightbulb."

    "I wonder if being with you helps or it doesn't? That's a good question! I'm gonna search it up-"

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