Stay With Me

“Oh,” I groaned as I sat up. I felt my head swim. I glanced at the clock. “Fuck.” Just as I was about to get out of bed, the phone rang, echoing in my ears. “Shit…”I answered the phone. “Hello?”

“What’s up? It’s like 2:30, and you’ve not called me,” Frankie accuses. I groaned and closed my eyes.

“I know. I just woke up. I was up all night, throwing up,” I said groggily.

“Aw, poor baby. Want me to come over?” He offered cheerfully.

“Yeah, I could use some company.”

“Alright, be there in about ten.”

“Ok, see ya.” I clicked the end-call button and sighed. I didn’t want to move. I threw my legs over the edge of the bed, and slowly stood up. I pulled Frankie’s jacket tight and slowly made my way to the bathroom. The cold of the tile sent chills up my body. I looked in the mirror, and decided that I looked presentable enough. About five minutes later, I heard a knock on the door. I walked down the hallway, and opened the front door. Frankie stood outside, finishing a cigarette.

“Hey, beautiful,” he smiled at me. I smiled half-heartedly. “Want one?” He asked, holding out a pack of Marlboros. I shook my head. “Ha, okay then. You gonna let me in?” I nodded, stepping to the side to allow him in. “So, what do you wanna do, sickie-pants?” I rolled my eyes, and plopped down on the couch.

“I don’t know,” I said as I shrugged. He let out an overly dramatic sigh.

“Well, do you wanna just hang her, watch a movie, maybe order a pizza?” He suggested. I nodded. He smiled at me and nodded. “The usual?”

“You know it,” I laughed weakly. He goes into the kitchen, and about five minutes later, he came back in.

“It’ll be here in about half an hour,” he announces with a smile. “So, whatcha wanna watch, love?”

“Something funny? Or scary? I don’t really care.” He rolled his eyes and nodded.

“Alright, then it’s up to me,” he laughed deviously. He went over to the movie shelf, stared at it for a few minutes, grabbed a movie, and put it in, hiding the box from sight.

“What are we watching?” I asked.

“Not telling. You just gotta wait and find out,” he smiled at me. I rolled my eyes. The previews played as he sat next to me on the couch.

“The Shining? Really?” He nodded, smiling like a dork. “You know I’m going to get scared, right?” He nodded again. I sighed and he smiled at me.

“Come here,” he said. I moved so that I was lying next to him. He put his arm across my stomach, and pulled me to his chest. “I’ll protect you.” I felt my heart beat faster. About half an hour later, there was a knock on the door. I sat up, so that Frankie could go get the pizza. He took the pizza, paid the delivery boy, and disappeared into the kitchen. He came back a few seconds later with two cans of Diet Cherry Coke. He set the drinks and the box on the table. He plopped down next to me, flipped open the lid of the box, and smiled. “Ladies first.”

“Thank you, kind sir,” I said, grabbing a piece. I took a bite, and gasped, fanning my mouth. “Ouch, that’s fucking hot!” He just smirked, and pointed to the Warning: Hot! sign on the box. I gave him the finger and laughed at my stupidity.

After we were done eating, we resumed laying on the couch with him holding me. Whenever it came to a scary part, I would feel his grip tightened, as though he knew I was scared. After a while, I turned to face him. He looked down at me, and smiled, brushing a piece of hair from my face.

“You’re so beautiful, Taylor,” he said thoughtfully. I felt my face burn. He put his arms around me, and I buried my face in his chest. We laid like that for quite some time. He stroked my hair, humming softly. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything…”I mumbled. He waited a minute, before saying anything.

“What do you think of me?” I thought about this for a minute, before smiling at him.

“I think you are funny, and smart, and fun to be with, and sweet…”I watched as he searched my eyes. He slowly leaned down and kissed me. I felt my heartbeat go crazy, and I kissed him back. He pulled away all too soon.

“That’s answers my question,” he said with a smile.