The Broken Pieces Left Behind

Chapter 14

I couldn't sleep.

I was lying in bed staring up at the blank ceiling counting invisible sheep. Jack had given me his room, although I'd protested against it. I could have easily been just as comfortable on the couch. He boasted that his superior breathing wouldn't allow him to use the bed and leave me on the couch.

Now as I lay in his bed my mind refused to calm down, and it had nothing to do with the emotional upheaval of earlier. His scent was everywhere. Images of him in his room bombarded my brain. Sitting in the chair by his desk doing homework or just listening to music, being a teenager. God, this was where he slept; and I could imagine it all in alarming clarity. His long limbs spread out just like mine was at that moment. I wondered what exactly was it that he slept in, if anything at all.

With a groan I hit my closed fist against the bed before sitting upright. Thinking about things like that did nothing to calm me down. Besides I didn't think that he was interested in me like that, I mean he practically saw me naked and shrugged it off. I wondered if I should be offended by that. We were friends, and that was a good thing I supposed, I was reluctant to even let him in my life, anything more than friendship would mean complications. But that still didn't stop me from wondering if he saw me as a girl.

Rising to my feet I walked to the window and drew back the heavy gray curtains looking down at the empty street.

Jack was surprisingly neat. The walls were a plain tan and he didn't seem to need much in the room, where mine had the clutter of furniture his was simple. A bed, with gray and white bedding was pushed against a wall, a desk with a glass top and chair in solid black. The dresser was some kind of dark wood that matched the floor and the sidetables. There was hardly anything out of place, no pieces of clothing were scattered throughout rather neatly placed on a peg on the door or a jacket haphazardly thrown over a chair; if anything his room looked comfortable.

Even more surprising was that I felt comfortable. Being in a strange place and I felt even more comfortable than I did at my own home.

This was where some ice-cream would come in handy, or maybe some Ed. Turning away from the window I silently padded to the door. It creaked and I held my breath hoping I didn't just wake anyone.

Quietly I moved in to the kitchen where light entered from the tall windows with a dim glow. Filling a glass with water from the tap I stood with my hip hooked against the counter. It was quiet here, peaceful almost and I listened as the house settled in.

"Can't sleep?" It was a low, husky rumble and I jumped, the water sloshing over my hand and unto the floor.

"You scared me," I said looking to where he was on the couch. Only his head and shoulders visible with one arm slung across the back of the chair.

"Sorry," he apologized, but there was amusement in his tone. "Can't sleep?"

I shook my head "No. Strange place."

I busied myself with mopping up the dampness before drinking the water. All of which he quietly watched from his perch. Uneasy now, I stood with nothing to do shuffling my feet as we both stared at the silhouette of each other in the dimly lit space.

"I should prob--"

"Want to watch a movie with me? I can't sleep either."

I contemplated it for a moment before nodding and making my way towards him. My steps faltered as I reached closer to notice that he was bare chested. I guess that answered the question of what he slept in – just a pair of pajama pants. I had to avert my eyes as I dropped my body next to his, a little flustered.