Chapter 6: Falling Asleep

Upon waking I took a shower and got ready for work, I decided to text Orion.  TEXT: Lara: Good Evening!  After sending the text I was wondering what I wanted to eat.  The thing is, I never know what I want to eat.  Basically, it’s never fun or fulfilling to cook for myself.  It feels lonely.  So, I just settled on drinking some orange juice, that should be good enough for now.  While I was drinking my phone bingged with a text message.  I looked at it.  It read Orion.  I swiped the message open. TEXT: Orion: Good Evening.  How did you sleep.  I replied TEXT: Lara: It was pretty restful.  How was your day? He replied TEXT: Orion: No problems at work, just a lot of paper work.  TEXT Lara: Sounds boring.  Hehe.  What are you doing now.  TEXT: Orion: haha, it is boring, but worth it.  I’m hanging out with a friend.  TEXT: Lara: Nice.  So, I was wondering, will it be ok if I brought someone to your party?

     Ok, so after I asked that question, I wanted to take it back. It’s not like I was going to bring a date or something.  I just wanted to make sure that I would at least have someone there to talk to.  Would that be too much? Well, this is exactly how I get myself into trouble.  At least I had someone to talk to.  Orion didn’t reply right away, so I just started getting ready for work not really worrying over if I said something wrong or not.  When I was just about to start my shift, I received a message from Orion.  Text Orion: Yes, of course, was the reply I read.  After reading the text I felt ok and continued to load my lab cart with various test tubes, blood culture bottles, tourniquets, gauze, tape, various needles, and everything necessary for my shift. 

     This shift came and went quickly without any incidents. Thank goodness, I don’t need to be making any mistakes.  I asked Shantel if she wanted to come with me to Orion’s party since she is also off tonight.  “Would you like to ride with me” I asked Shantel.  “Sure, drop a location pin in the text” Shantel said.  “Awesome, I’ll pick you up around 7pm.  I’ll text you before I come” I replied.  “What should I wear” she asked.  “Well, it’s a backyard house party so, comfy casual I guess” I answered. “Alright, see you tonight” she added.  Then we both walked towards our own cars.  Oh, before I forget, Shantel also works with me at the hospital.  She and I knew each other when we both worked together in Hawaii.  She belongs to an organization that has traveling phlebotomists.  It’s kind of like traveling nurses, but for phlebotomists.  Apparently, there is a market for everything.

     At home, I took a shower and made something to eat.  It wasn’t anything special or grand, just chicken bouillon soup and toast.  When it was made, I took my soup and my toast to sit on my couch in the parlor.  While eating, I was scrolling through the apps on my phone and decided to read a romance novel.  I love reading how the characters fall in love.  And since I don’t have a romantic life right now, living vicariously through the characters is the closest I can get to falling in love.  It’s pathetic really, but since I am 38 years old it’s just a way of life.  After I finished eating my toast and drinking my soup, I washed my dishes and went into my bedroom to lay down on my bed and continue reading.  But before I could continue, I realized that I didn’t get a message from Orion.  Hmm, I wonder if I should send him a message.  After some thought, I messaged him.  TEXT: Lara: Morning (smiley emoji).  After sending him a message I continued to read my book.  It was 5 minutes later when he messaged me back with TEXT: Orion: Good Morning.  Are you heading to bed? I replied straight away with TEXT: Lara: Sort of.  He replied back with three question marks.  I giggled a bit to myself and sent him another message TEXT: Lara: I am laying in bed reading a book.  TEXT: Orion: Ah, will you be up for a few.  I can come over for a bit? Reading that made my mind totally overthink, however I replied with, TEXT: Lara: Are you at work?  TEXT: Orion: I took the day off, I’m the boss (smiley emoji).  TEXT: Lara: Oh, sure but please excuse me if I fall asleep while you’re here. TEXT: Orion: haha, I understand.  TEXT: Lara: Ok, will you text me when you arrive.  TEXT: Orion: I will see you soon.  When I received his last text, I didn’t bother to reply back and just continued reading while waiting for him.  The book I was reading was about vampires, werewolves, and Greek gods.  This author really created a world that is fantastic to imagine.  It makes the reader believe that these characters are real.  So, I got sucked in.

Orion

     When I parked my car, I sent a text message to Lara saying that I was at the door, then I walked towards her front door. I am not sure why I asked to come over since I would see her tonight. She is on my mind a lot lately and I’d like to get to know her. I’m not talking about intimately, however, that will come later.  I want to know what makes her, Lara.  My chance to get to know her is now.  She may like me.  She may not like me. I’d like to at least try my best to worm my way into her heart.  The door opens and my heart flutters a bit.  Geez, the fact that I was getting excited with anticipation to seeing her right now blows my brain.  I never get this reaction for any woman, but for some reason, she still has some effect on me.  She gave me a little smile.  “Hi” she says.  I smile back.  It wasn’t a full-blown smile but a decent smile, I mean I did keep some of my dignity as a man.  “Hi” I reply back to her.  Lara gestures me into the house.  I entered the threshold of the door and step to the side for her to close the door.  She leans in and kiss me on my cheek.  I know it is an innocent kiss so I’m not overthinking her actions.  And plus, it’s a Hawaiian thing, they do that with people they know.  She leads me towards the parlor, and we sit on her couch. She sits down with her back against the side of the couch, her head is resting on the back cushion, while her legs are tucked up to her chest. I just turned my body a bit, but my feet are still on the ground.  I’m not sure if this situation is awkward for her, but to me there is nowhere else I would rather be.  “So, what are you going to do on your day off” she asks me.  “After I leave here, I’ll go buy some stuff for tonight” I answer her. “Do you need me to bring anything or maybe I can give you some money to help” she asks me.  My mind goes blank.  What is wrong with this woman? I invited her to come and enjoy a party with me but she wants to bring stuff or help me pay for it.  I shake my head side to side.  “No, you just have to bring yourself.  Don’t worry about anything else” I reply.  I noticed her phone screen was illuminated.  “How is your book going” I asked.  A smile slowly spreads across her face. “It’s good.  The storyline draws me in and makes me live vicariously through the characters.  The fighting scenes are pretty awesome. The dialog is also entertaining.  I had to stop reading for now because my eyes are getting tired” she says in a lazy way.  “Do you want me to leave so you can rest” I asked.  I can tell she is thinking how to answer.  I want to stay, but I don’t want to scare her.  For now, I have to go slow.  Her eyes focus on me in a lazy way, and she says “No, not yet.  I like the companionship, even if it is for a little while” she responded.  At that response my heart just couldn’t stop beating so hard and my face couldn’t suppress the corners of my mouth from turning upwards.  I probably look like an idiot. She adjusts her body to slouch on the couch and she stretches her legs out towards me and says “so, what do you plan to buy for tonight.” My eyes noticed her pretty little feet and it looked like she just got a pedicure.  Dang! Do I have a foot fetish?  Her feet was close to me but not quite touching me and I’m not disgusted but staring at it.  “Finger foods, soda, beer, paper plates, utensils.  You know the normal.  Why, do you want to request anything” I said.  Her eyes are closed a bit, I really should leave cause she looks tired, but I still can’t bring myself to leave just yet.  “Um, Boston Market corn bread.  It’s been a while since I had that” she offered hesitantly.  However, she immediately said “never mind, I guess I can just get it myself.”  Then she inched her body even lower on the couch.  She bent her knees slightly, but if she were to stretch them out, her pretty little feet would be in my lap.  “I’ll see if I can go get some for you” I said to her then asked, “you want to me to go cause you look a like you’re going to fall asleep?”  I looked at her and she said lazily, “Um, maybe not yet.  Do you want to watch something?  I mean, I normally just stream from my phone.”  I smiled a bit because that’s the second time I asked if she wanted me to leave and she refused my offer.  I’m feeling pretty great with myself.  Geez, do I really need to subject myself to trickery and subtly for reassurance.  When has my feelings become so sensitive?  When did I become like this?  “I’m ok. We can just sit here talking or not talking.  Do you have any other requests for tonight” I said.  “No, I’m sure I’ll be ok with whatever is there” she responded her voice became more lazy sounding.  I looked at Lara.  Her eyes were still closed, and she seemed to be very relaxed.  Does she even have a sense of awareness?  “Lara” I whisper her name.  No response.  I shake my head and I smile a bit.  Then, I think about it. How could she just fall asleep with me here?  On one hand, it pleased me that she is comfortable enough to let down her guard.  On the other hand, I’m totally pissed off because how often does she do this.  Do men come over all the time that she thinks nothing of it?  Does it happen so much that she is even ok with it?  I shake my head trying to dispel the thoughts I’ve been having.  “Lara” I whisper again.  Lara still doesn’t hear me; she doesn’t even stir.  Not even a little.  Before thinking, my body moves.  I stood up, looked at the layout of the house.  I see a hall just off the parlor.  I picked up Lara in my arms, holding her close to my chest and searched for her bedroom.  I walked down the hall and saw a soft light coming from the back left doorway.  I walked towards that light hoping that it was the bedroom.  I turned into the doorway, and I was correct.  It was her bedroom.  Her bed was already turned down.  It doesn’t surprise me since I messaged her earlier and she was in bed already.  I placed her on her bed softly, not wanting to disrupt her sleep and I covered her with the blanket.  Standing there for a few seconds I look at Lara.  Thoughts start entering my mind.  The main one, if Nathaniel knows she is back, what will he do?  When she asked not to mention to him that she was here, I was taken aback.  Why after all these years would it matter?  My eyes look at her face.  In looks, she is average looking.  Nothing really outstanding.  My eyes traveled down the outline of her body under the blanket. Her body isn’t as tiny as it was back then.  She was too skinny; I doubt there was any skin to hold on to.  Now, she is still thin, but she has something to grab.  With that thought, a smile appears at the corners of my mouth.  As perverted as my mind can get when it comes to Lara I decide not to go there.  Turning around, I walk out of the bedroom.  As I was walking past the couch, I heard a notification ding.  I checked my phone, but it wasn’t me.  I heard another one coming from the couch.  I looked over and saw Lara’s phone.  The messages are from a Dr. Cameron.  Who is Dr. Cameron?  I read the message which asked what she was doing and then followed up with did you already fall asleep.  Hmm.  After a brief pause, I picked up her phone and took it into her room.  I placed it on the bedside table and plugged it in to charge.  Then walked out of the house, making sure the door was locked.  As I was turning on my car, I received another message from that number again. What am I going to do?