Ice Cold

48

Landon Reilly

When I woke in Wren's bed the next day, I was alone. It felt strange being in his bed without him there, like I was an intruder or I was being left behind somewhere unfamiliar. The bed was cold like he hadn't been there for a while and I suddenly felt cold at the thought of that.

Just as I sat up, the door opened and Wren walked in wearing his running clothes, his cheeks flushed. He had clearly just finished running. I tried not to let it bother me that he went without me. I didn't need to be so dependent on him, but it still felt like leaving me behind was deliberate.

He didn't seem to realize I was awake as he stripped off his shirt and threw it in the hamper by the closet. He ran his fingers through his hair then grabbed a towel from where it hung on the closet door to wipe the sweat off his body.

"Morning," I greeted, my voice sounding like there was a frog in my throat.

Wren's eyes darted over to me, looking intense at first until he schooled his expression into his usual one.

"Morning," he replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I said. "A little groggy but not too bad."

This conversation felt stilted like the two of us had forgotten how to talk to each other. Or like I was a one night stand Wren was waiting to leave.

We looked at each other in silence for a few moments until Wren looked away and grabbed another shirt and threw it on. I couldn't help but feel like there was a huge elephant in the room that I was missing. It was like there was something between us that only Wren could see. I felt naked and exposed in front of him.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked him.

Wren pulled a crew neck sweatshirt from his closet and put that on over his shirt.

"Of course, I am," he replied, still not looking at me. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," I said, feeling embarrassed and looking down at my lap. "I just thought... never mind."

Wren didn't press the issue, which felt so unlike him. He just kept moving around the room, tidying his closet and organizing his desk. I just watched him, unsure of what to do or say.

"Do you want to go get breakfast?" I asked him.

"I heat up some oatmeal earlier, not hungry," Wren said.

"Okay..." I said. "I'm just gonna..." I trailed, getting up from the bed to go into the bathroom.

Once the door was shut, I did what I needed then stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes. I had seen better days. My eyes were a little puffy, my cheeks red, and my hair a mess. I didn't think I had had much to drink last night, but clearly I had. And by the way Wren was acting, I must have done something.

I splashed my face with water and took a deep breath before leaving the bathroom. I couldn't stay in there forever even if I wanted to. I had to find out what I did to embarrass myself last night that had even Wren acting strange.

Wren was sitting at his desk typing on his laptop when I entered the room. He didn't look away from the screen when I made my way in and shut the door behind me.

"Hey..." I trailed. "Did I do something stupid last night?"

"You don't remember anything?" Wren asked, still not looking at me.

"I remember us dancing but it gets hazy after that," I told him. "I don't remember leaving and coming here."

Wren didn't say anything for a moment, just kept typing. It was irritating me how he seemed to want to will my existence away, like he wanted me gone but wouldn't say it. I didn't know how much longer I could stand here with the humiliation of my boyfriend wanting me out of his presence.