Will You Keep Me Alive?

The sun shone through the window, sending lights into my room. I squinted as I opened my eyes, covering them with my arm. Feeling someone else’s presence in the bed, I turned my head to my left to see who it was. I smiled as I saw John sleeping, slightly snoring.

I sat up, stretching my torso before turning to look at him again. My fingers trailed his face, every inch of it. When they trailed his cheek, I suddenly had a thought if this was a dream. To make sure it wasn’t, I slapped his cheek. His eyes snapped open and he sat up in a flash, holding his sore spot.

“What on earth was that for?!” he asked.

I giggled. “Did it hurt?”

“Of course.”

“I’m sorry. I was just making sure this wasn’t a dream.”

His face softened and his hand fell from his cheek. “Why would you think this was a dream?”

“Kenny told me you were going to visit today, but you spent the night in here. Why didn’t you wake me up?” I lifted my hand, stroking his cheek that I slapped with the back of my hand.

“You look so peaceful when you’re asleep. And cuter.”

I blushed and he smiled, leaning in to give me a peck on the lips. “Well, it’s” – he looked back to see the clock on my nightstand – “Half to nine. Let’s go downstairs and have some breakfast,” he said.

“IHOP sounds better though.”

“Works for me. I feel kind of grungy right now,” he told me, “So I’ll pick you up in an hour?”

“How about half an hour?”

“I don’t drive a fucking jet. Forty minutes?”

I giggled. “Yeah. Forty minutes.”

He took his shoes next to my bed and wore them before leaning in again and this time kissed my forehead. “See you in forty minutes.” He got up and exited my room.

“Bye!” I shouted after him.

I sighed, stretching for a bit more before getting out of the bed. I immediately went out from my room and went to the bathroom to take a shower. After taking a shower and washing my hair, I stepped out of the shower to dry my body and wrapped it with a towel. I went to the sink and brushed my teeth before carelessly drying my hair with a hairdryer and went out of the bathroom.

Kennedy who was about to enter his room widened his eyes when he saw me. “You should stop roaming around in a towel!” he yelled.

“What? As long as I’m not giving YOU a boner, I don’t care,” I replied.

He cringed. “Thank god we’re related,” he muttered, going into his room.

I rolled my eyes and went into my room, locking the door. After five minutes deciding on what to wear, I was finally dressed up. I grabbed my bag and phone on the nightstand before going downstairs.

“Hi honey, are you going somewhere?” Mom asked as she was stirring her coffee.

“Yeah, breakfast with John at IHOP. He’ll pick me up in” – I glanced at the clock on the wall – “Ten minutes.” I placed my bag on the chair across her and went to have a glass of water.

“You guys are going well, huh?” she asked again, typing on her laptop.

“Yup.”

“Four years of relationship, am I correct?”

“Yup.”

“Well, I don’t like to say this, but I have a... not-so-good feeling about him.”

I froze, trying to process the words she said. Does that mean she doesn’t like him? “What do you mean?”

“I have a feeling something’s bad coming.”

“Mom,” I walked and stopped in front of her. “I thought you liked him!”

“I do! It’s just a mother’s intuition – just... be careful, okay?”

I sighed. “You’ve known him for years, why are you telling me just now?”

“The feeling just came.”

My phone vibrated, syndicating a new message.

I’m here. –John

“John’s here, I’m going now,” I said, taking my bag and walked over to kiss the top of her head. “I’ll try to be careful.”

“Bye, honey.”

I went out of the house and saw John’s car in the road. A smile broadened on my lips as I approached it and took the passenger seat.

“Hey,” I said, leaning over and kissed his cheek after closing the door. He hey-ed back and started to drive. I plugged my iPhone into his radio and “Voices” by Saosin came on shuffle.

“Brings back memories,” he responded.

“Mmhm.”

A second later, we were singing (or screaming) along to the song. Oh, I also headbanged. The song finished and changed to “Into Your Arms” by – well, we all know it – his band.

He groaned, leaning back into his seat and changed the song.

“What?” I asked in confusion.

“It’s weird to hear my own voice, okay?” he reasoned. I laughed at that. “Hey, don’t laugh!”

“Blah Blah Blah” by Ke$ha and 3OH!3 started playing. John turned up the volume as he stopped at a red light and we pretty much sang and danced along to the song. I looked to my right and the driver in the car next to us gave us a thumb, grinning. He rolled down his window and I could hear he was listening to the same song.

I laughed. “John, the dude next to us is listening to the same song!”

“Oh my god,” he laughed. “This is amazing!”

I gave the guy next to us a thumb up and a grin as a reply. The light turned green and John started to drive again. “Time Goes By” by Air Traffic started to play and I turned down the volume.

IHOP was starting to appear in our sight and he parked the car near the entrance door. We got out and went inside hand-in-hand, choosing a booth next to a window and started reading the menu. A waitress in her early twenties approached us and by the look on her face, I could tell John caught her attention.

“I’m Deirdre,” she said, faking a ‘cute’ voice, “And I’ll be serving you today. May I take your orders?” I hid my face behind the menu, mocking her.

“Yes, I’ll have waffles and coffee please?” John answered and she wrote down. “Daphne?”

“I’ll have pancakes and tea,” I answered in a flat tone.

“Your orders will come in a few minutes,” she said and left, but not before giving John a flirtatious smile. I rolled my eyes at her. John realized and he chuckled at me.

“What? Can she not see you have a girlfriend?” I protested.

“We didn’t do anything boyfriend-girlfriend-y since we get here.”

“Besides holding hands.”

He smiled before gazing down to my hand that was on the table. He took it in his hand, drawing imaginary circles on it with his index finger. He glanced at something behind me and I turned around to see what he was looking at. “Deirdre” was walking towards us with our drinks in a tray.

I turned back to look at John and he smirked before lightly kissing my hand. I hung my mouth open.

“Here are your drinks,” Deirdre said, placing our drinks on the table. I spontaneously snatched back my hand.

“Oh, uh... thanks,” I said. “John, you really shouldn’t do it,” I told him after Deirdre left.

“You said you wanted her to see I have a girlfriend.”

“Yeah but not like that! I mean –“

“You don’t want me to do that?”

“No, that’s not what I meant – I don’t like attention, remember?”

“Oh, yeah,” he chuckled. “You dislike it.”

“Just drink your fucking coffee,” I muttered as I lifted the cup filled with tea to my lips.

We spent the last twenty minutes talking and eating our breakfast. We argued on who was paying the bill – he insisted to pay, but I insisted for us to pay together. I ended up losing because he slammed money onto the tray of the bill and gave it to Deirdre. We got up and left the place.

“Do you want to go anywhere?” he asked as he was driving.

I thought for a moment. “Yeah, actually, I want to check if a CD I ordered is arrived yet.”

“Which music store?”

“The one near Barnes & Nobles.”

“Oh, that one. Let’s get Red Mango after that?” he offered.

“Sure. But I’ll pay for it, okay?”

He groaned. “I was just trying to be a gentleman!”

“You don’t have to pay all the time. I don’t want to drain your money, you know,” I told him as I plugged my iPhone.

“Fine,” he huffed.

“Move Along” by The All-American Rejects blasted through the speakers of his car.