Bitten Lips And Lost Souls

Charles uneasily stirred in his sleep, small creases beginning to form on his forehead as his eyes clenched tightly closed. He let out a heavy groan, and his eyes snapped open, revealing that he hadn't really been sleeping, but dreaming. His nightmares had sent him reeling into the past, where things he had hoped to forget haunted him.

But now...

He turned over to find the source of the small buzzing noise he had detected earlier, and found Alex, with a peaceful expression plastered to his face, nuzzled into his pillow, snoring away. Charles felt his heart swell, and a knot in his throat brought on a new kind of safety, as he reached forward and brushed a stray lock of hair from Alex's eyes. Alex mumbled in his sleep and shifted, causing Charles' hand to slide down to the mattress. The darkness in Alex's expression was gone, without drugs, without interference- it was amazing. It was honest. It was real. The gloom and depression was replaced with something child-like and innocent. He was just a kid. He was still the same- even though that nasty exterior he put up barely ever came down, when it did, he was perfect.

Thinking of Alex and his addictions made Charles think of his sister, and suddenly, that moment of warmth and safety he had felt had vanished. As his clock ticked to 6:00 am, and the sky began to lift from a hazy purple ink to a dark blue shadow, Charles was wide awake, and was throwing back the covers. He didn't know how he would stand not driving over right away- he had to waste some time. The morning air was light and his head was empty, so he felt a bit dazed and light-headed. Right away, he wished to be back under the covers, but if he went back to sleep now, he might not ever wake up. In the new found light, he could make out more details in the room. Stumbling, he reached the door, and with confidence, headed out into the hallway.

The bathroom was only a little ways away, but it was still a long enough walk for Charles to reconcile with himself, assure himself everything would end up okay. Passing the closet, he grabbed a towel and entered the blinding white room. His eyes stung when the lights flicked on- he closed them and reached out, pulling the shower curtains back. They opened with a ruffle and a squeak of metal on metal. The taps hissed on- water spouted out. Charles stepped in, forgetting he had clothes on. Whatever. He began to discard them while the water soaked through.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Charles was left standing there with only the curtain to shield himself. When the curtains drew back, and he was staring into Alex's eyes, he suddenly felt exposed, but he smiled with all his teeth.

"Hey sweetie. Joining me?"

He gripped the shampoo tighter in his hands, squeezing some into his palm. To his surprise, Alex grinned back and undressed, stepping in after him.

"Let me." Alex said, yawning. "God, you're up early." He swiped the shampoo from Charles' hands and began to massage it into his hair. Charles smiled and turned, offering the same duty to Alex.

"I couldn't sleep." Alex rose a questioning eyebrow. "It's Jess."

Looking distraught, Alex began to rinse.

"We can go get her about eight. How does that sound?"

Charles nodded in agreement. He knew that Alex was none to impressed with the idea, and that he thought his sister was just a big hold up. But he was trying- maybe to make up for the night before. They were reconciling.

Rinsing.

As the soap and conditioner foam slid down the drain, Alex reached over and turned off the taps. The shower head died with a drip and a gurgle, and they were left with only one towel to wrap around themselves. Charles smiled and offered it up.

"It's okay. I'll wait."

He could.