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Before: Sleeping Together


Nick

Ashley was sitting on the floor in the hallway, the guard was leaning over her, perplexed. He was used to yelling, angry men, not crumpled-faced girls with salty wet tears running across her cheeks. He backed away as I dropped to my knees in front of her, "Ashley, hey," I said. I reached for her hands. They were trembling so hard I almost couldn't catch them at first.

I heard the buzzers and doors on the other side as they took Henry away.

The officer stood awkwardly over us, waiting, impatient to lead us back through the bowels of the prison to the doors. Ashley's sobs were making him uncomfortable.

I rubbed her back softly. "It's okay... it's okay..." I whispered.

She hiccuped.

That was the sign she was calming down. She always hiccuped when she finished crying. I looked up at the guard and I pulled Ashley's arms over my neck and helped her to her shaky feet. She clung to me, making fists around the fabric of my shirt. I wrapped my arms around her, tucking my hand under her far arm to brace her up.

"Right this way," the uncomfortable officer said, waving us along the corridor.

The officer at the entry way gave me a handful of tissues for Ashley, concern on his face and I saluted him as we went out the door into the fading sunlight. I slid her into the car and she hesitantly let go of my shirt and I said "watch your fingers" and closed the passenger door.

When I got back in the car, Ashley was folded forward, her eyes covered by her hands. I sat, my palms rubbing against the steering wheel, staring down at my lap, unsure what to say. It took a very long time before she managed, "I look so much like him, what if I - what if what he did is -" she sounded raw.

"Ashley you're being silly," I said quietly.

She shook her head.

"You're not a killer," I whispered.

"Why did he kill her?" she sobbed.

I shrugged, even though she wasn't looking at me. "Maybe we shouldda asked him that," I answered quietly.

Ashley choked back a sob. "I couldn't look at him," she croaked.

"It's okay," I said. "I think he understood."

She looked up at me. "You must think I'm mental."

I shook my head no.

"I think I'm mental."

I laughed and rubbed her shoulder. "Only in good ways."

Ashey let out a slow, low sigh. I wasn't sure if that had hurt her feelings or not. I hadn't meant it to. But she didn't say anything, she just wiped the tears out of her eyes and leaned back in the seat. She looked better, so I assumed she was. She unrolled her window as I backed the car out of the space and started toward the main road.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her.

She shook her head, "I just wanna go back to the hotel and sleep," she answered.

"Okay." I was hungry, but I wasn't gonna say anything. If she needed to go back to the hotel then back to the hotel we'd go.

When we got there, Ashley fell into bed and curled up next to the pillow, her face pressed into it, rolled so that her back was to me, where I'd sat at the end of the opposite bed. I turned the TV on and flipped through the channels aimlessly, but there wasn't much on. I glanced over at Ashey. She was laying on her back now, staring up at the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"I miss Chris," she answered.

I gnawed my lower lip.

"I can't sleep without him anymore," she complained. "I fall asleep listening to his heart beat. I feel safe if I can hear it. I know I'm not alone."

I got up and went over and crawled onto her bed with her. I spread out my arms. "My heartbeat's a little irregular, but you can listen to it if you want," I said.

Ashley smiled, "You're such a good friend," she said. The word friend scorched me but I didn't say anything. She crawled over and pressed her head against my chest and I wrapped my arms around her. She snuggled against me. I breathed in her hair. "See, now I feel safe," she said.

I stared up at the ceiling.

"Remember when we went to your mom's house and I caught you sleep-cupping?" Ashley suddenly asked.

"Yeah," I answered, glancing at the TV. Jeopardy was on.

"Don't do that again," she laughed. "Chris would beat your ass."

"I could take Chris," I answered.

Ashley laughed and closed her eyes and the next thing I knew she was fast asleep.




Ashley

I woke up at ten o'clock, famished and still pressed into Nick's chest. His chest heaved as he snored loudly, his mouth hanging open and eyes fluttering through the REM cycle. I slowly, carefully pulled away, sliding off the side of the bed. It wasn't until I was standing up that I realized what had woken me in the first place: my cell phone was vibrating on the nightstand. Chris smiled up at me. I grabbed my phone and snuck across the room, into the bathroom, and closed the door. I sat on the side of the tub and answered the phone. "Hello?" I said quietly.

"Hey babe," Chris was smiling, I could hear it in his voice. Then he paused. "Shit I woke you up didn't I? I forgot the time zone thing."

"It's okay," I answered.

"You sure? You sound tired. How was your day? Did you have fun with your friend?"

My mind wheeled for a moment until I remembered that I hadn't told Chris exactly the truth about where I was going and who I was with. "Yeah," I said, "A blast. How's the um, apartment?" I asked.

"Quiet without you," he answered with a sigh. "The episode of Planet Earth with the penguins is on Discovery channel."

"Yeah?"

"Yep. I'm watching it, thinking of you. I know you love those goofy things."

"I do," I answered.

Chris changed the topic, "When are you coming hoooome?" he asked.

"Soon," I answered. "Tomorrow. You know the flight schedule."

"I know but I miss you," Chris whined.

In the other room I heard Nick choke on his own snore and wake up with a snort. I heard the mattress creak as he moved. I knew his next step would be to come knock on the door. "Chris, I gotta go," I said. The last thing I needed was Chris to hear Nick knocking at the door and finding out that I lied about going with Nick.

"Already?"

Nick was shuffling toward the bathroom door.

"I'm sorry, I'll call you later, bye," I said the words all in one rushed sentence, then hung up the phone just as Nick knocked on the bathroom door.

"Ashley?"

"Be right out!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes!"

I grabbed a face cloth and washed my face. I had make up left over from earlier caked onto my cheeks. I ran my brush through my snarly hair and gargled with the complimentary mouthwash real quick, then stepped into the main part of the room. Nick was putting on his sneakers.

"Please tell me you're hungry now," he begged, "Cos if I don't eat soon, I'm gonna die."

I laughed, "I was just thinking food would be good."

He finished with his sneaker then looked up at me. "So.. you're okay?" he double-checked.

"I'm okay," I replied.