Don't Be in the Bath When Opportunity Knocks
Love Ya Like a Brother
Tre woke up alone. He sat up and looked around Audrey's room, blinking at the sunlight coming through the window. He rubbed his eyes and went out into the front room.
"Morning," Audrey said, shoveling a spoonful of store brand Cheerios into her mouth.
"Hey," he said sitting next to her on the couch. He stared ahead for a few minutes before flopping to the side and laying his head on her shoulder.
"I'm tired," he said to no one in particular.
"I know," she said, pulling his head down on her lap. "Hungry?"
"Not yet," he yawned. She wrapped his hair around her fingers absentmindedly.
"Why'd you make me sleep with you?" he said quietly, before correcting himself. "Sleep in your room, I mean."
She smiled. "I didn't make you."
"Well, why did you want me to?" He rolled over on his back and looked up at her. She sighed.
"I didn't want to be alone."
Tre squinted at her. She sighed again.
"I didn't want to wake up and find you gone."
"I wasn't going to leave. You know that," he said grabbing a spoonful of her generic Cheerios and shoving them into his mouth. She smiled down at him.
"I know. I was just paranoid, I guess."
"Oh," he said. It was quiet for a minute before he said, "Why?"
"Why what?" she asked playing with his hair again.
"Why were you paranoid? About me?"
She thought a moment.
"This is going to sound really stupid, and it might embarrass you," she said pushing her hair behind her ears. "But- oh how do I say this?"
"Just do. I don't care," Tre said.
"Okay. I care about you. You know that, we talked about that already," she waved the thought out of in front of her. "And even if it's not in the same way, I know you care about me too. That's something I've never gotten. Not from my parents, not from my siblings, not from school people, not from any extraneous 'boyfriends' I might have had." She put air-quotes around 'boyfriends'. "Not from my place of work. No one. And here you are: some random kid I happen to take pity on and let crash on my couch at my shitty apartment. You are the only person who's ever given a shit about me. And that means a lot."
Tre blinked up at her.
"Really? You feel that way about me?" he said, followed by, "You thought that would embryos me?"
She smiled at him and nodded.
"I know you, I know you must care, or want me to at very least be okay, otherwise you wouldn't have been so mad at me for working at the club."
"I'm sorry about getting mad about that," Tre said, looking away from her.
"Don't be," she said. "I know where it's coming from. Three-quarters of the girls in there don't have anyone worried about them."
"Then stop," Tre said. Audrey sighed.
"It's not that easy," she said.
"How come?"
She was quiet.
"This is something we're just going to have to disagree about."
Tre nodded. He could tell this was one he was not going to win.
"Morning," Audrey said, shoveling a spoonful of store brand Cheerios into her mouth.
"Hey," he said sitting next to her on the couch. He stared ahead for a few minutes before flopping to the side and laying his head on her shoulder.
"I'm tired," he said to no one in particular.
"I know," she said, pulling his head down on her lap. "Hungry?"
"Not yet," he yawned. She wrapped his hair around her fingers absentmindedly.
"Why'd you make me sleep with you?" he said quietly, before correcting himself. "Sleep in your room, I mean."
She smiled. "I didn't make you."
"Well, why did you want me to?" He rolled over on his back and looked up at her. She sighed.
"I didn't want to be alone."
Tre squinted at her. She sighed again.
"I didn't want to wake up and find you gone."
"I wasn't going to leave. You know that," he said grabbing a spoonful of her generic Cheerios and shoving them into his mouth. She smiled down at him.
"I know. I was just paranoid, I guess."
"Oh," he said. It was quiet for a minute before he said, "Why?"
"Why what?" she asked playing with his hair again.
"Why were you paranoid? About me?"
She thought a moment.
"This is going to sound really stupid, and it might embarrass you," she said pushing her hair behind her ears. "But- oh how do I say this?"
"Just do. I don't care," Tre said.
"Okay. I care about you. You know that, we talked about that already," she waved the thought out of in front of her. "And even if it's not in the same way, I know you care about me too. That's something I've never gotten. Not from my parents, not from my siblings, not from school people, not from any extraneous 'boyfriends' I might have had." She put air-quotes around 'boyfriends'. "Not from my place of work. No one. And here you are: some random kid I happen to take pity on and let crash on my couch at my shitty apartment. You are the only person who's ever given a shit about me. And that means a lot."
Tre blinked up at her.
"Really? You feel that way about me?" he said, followed by, "You thought that would embryos me?"
She smiled at him and nodded.
"I know you, I know you must care, or want me to at very least be okay, otherwise you wouldn't have been so mad at me for working at the club."
"I'm sorry about getting mad about that," Tre said, looking away from her.
"Don't be," she said. "I know where it's coming from. Three-quarters of the girls in there don't have anyone worried about them."
"Then stop," Tre said. Audrey sighed.
"It's not that easy," she said.
"How come?"
She was quiet.
"This is something we're just going to have to disagree about."
Tre nodded. He could tell this was one he was not going to win.