Nights That Never End

Tom sat at the end of our his running his fingers through his hair. I put my hand on his shoulder before sitting down beside him. “I don’ think ‘m goin’ ta work today,” he mumbled balling his fists up and rubbing his eyes.

“Tom, go. We have to get over it sometime.” He looked to me, his blue eyes cold and grey. The white’s of his eyes bloodshot.

“Yeh don’ understand, I realleh wanted this. I wanted ta see me kid grow up. Didn’t you?” Tom’s lower lip quivered his eyes threatening to cry. I looked away taking my hand off his shoulder.

“To be honest, no. Tom it’s not you, it’s me. I’m too young for this and I don’t want to go through it again for a while. The needles, the gel, the labor, the damn contractions, you leaving, I don’t want any of that again,” I whispered wiping under my eyes.

“I should’ve known betteh than ta leave yeh, I should’ve known not ta lie to yeh,” he mumbled, “’s me fault. I didn’t use a condom because I didn’ ‘ave one.”

“So you hurt me for your own self enjoyment, okay Tom I get it,” I mumbled standing up as he tried to reach for my shoulder, “I was only there for your enjoyment. Curtis was right all along.”

I walked swiftly out of his room and down the hall to the stairwell. Stupid Thomas Sykes. I continued to exit the house until I ran into a body that sent me to the floor. “Oh God ‘m sorreh!” Oliver’s voice rang in my ears. I looked up meeting his bright eyes.

“Oli,” I whimpered, “can you take me home?” he nodded scooping me up from the ground. As he set me down I could hear feet padding behind us. I knew it would be Tom. We continued out to Oli’s shiny car. “I hate men,” I muttered crossing my arms over my chest.

“Yeh ‘ate me?” Oli asked with a sad look on his face. I turned my head to look at him, a smile pulled on my lips.

“Oliver please, I cannot hate you. It’s impossible.” He grinned putting his hand under my chin bringing my face to his. Oliver’s soft pink tinted lips grazed mine slowly. I kept my eyes closed as I adjusted back into my seat. “I miss that.”

Oliver nodded, “me too.” We drove in silence except for what played on Oliver’s radio. Apparently it was going to rain, and severe thunderstorms were going to be rolling through.

“You missed my street,” I squeaked pointing out the window.

“I know tha’, but yeh know when it rains it leaks into yeh apartment. Yeh really should get it fixed.”

“The lady in the office said it would be three weeks before someone could get to it,” I sighed slumping down in my seat. Oliver used his free hand to run it through my hair. “So how are you and…Amanda?”

“Eh…she’s alrigh’ I guess. Keeps nagging me for no reason,” he mumbled, I looked over to him. What happened to the young Oliver with the black hair and the crazed personality? How he used to just want to do everything all the time, and how he knew how to have fun.

“Oh,” I kept staring straight forward, “why don’t you dump her then?”

“Wha’ else do I ‘ave besides ‘er? Realleh nothin’.”

“You have me,” my eyes darted to him as I spoke in an almost inaudible voice. “But I guess that doesn’t really matter.”

“It matters.”