Andreas - Part 3
I seemed to understand why Andy wasn't up and about the next morning. After that awkward little moment in the hallway the previous night, I could guess why. So, I went downstairs and got myself a rather lonely breakfast. The day was Sunday, probably my least favourite day of the week. They just seemed slow and boring, and then you'd have to be up and early for work the very next day.
Anyway, as I was sitting there, I could hear Andy's footsteps coming down the stairs after crunching on my cereal for about ten minutes. He wandered into the kitchen, got the toaster and some bread out of the pantry, and made himself some breakfast without so much as a glance at me.
"You okay, Andy?" I asked, even though I was sure he was still wondering about last night.
He paused, then turned to me and gave what looked like a forced smile and a nod, then turning back to his toast, buttering it and squirting some honey on top. He was sitting at the table soon after, across from me. He ate slowly, and never looked up from his food.
"Look, about last night..."
He coughed and spluttered, thumping his chest harshly to dislodge the half-chewed toast he had accidentally swallowed. He reached down when his throat was cleared, pulling out his sketchpad from his pocket and scribbling some words down before sliding the pad over. It read:
~Yes, I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me. It won't happen again. ~
I looked up after reading his words, to see a solemn expression on his face. I pet his hand softly, telling him;
"Don't worry about it Andy, I don't mind. Let's just put it behind us, yeah?"
He nodded, soon finishing his toast and depositing his plate in the sink. He paused there for a minute, before coming back over and writing some more words on a different page.
~Would you like to join me on my run today? I could use the company, and I guess moping around isn't going to help much. ~
Seeing as though I really had nothing better to do, I accepted.
About an hour in, I started to rethink my decision. Andy could have been an athlete if he wanted to, as he never seemed to tire, and he never seemed to stop. I probably wasn't used to running, that's all. Surely. Of course, he was being polite as always, occasionally slowing down to let me catch up... and then sprinting ahead again.
"Okay, you're just doing that on purpose!"
He gave a silent laugh, shooting off around the corner. It seemed he liked teasing me. Time passed, and eventually, he stopped. By that time, I was just about ready to die. Lying on the grass beside the footpath, I noticed that we were a fair distance from home, as none of the streets I could see were recognisable. Andy didn't bother to tell me where I was, only leaning against a tree that was looming over a quiet, dirt path that lead away from the main street.
"Heh, hey, where does that lead?"
He looked down the path, then back at me with a smile pulling across his face. He reached down and pulled me to my feet, much to my annoyance. Why did we have to move again, so soon? He ignored my various complaints, running off down the path, and so I had to follow. I would, on occasion, find him lazily leaning against trees, or sitting on the soft patches of grass that littered the track.
I soon found Andy sitting under a tree in small clearing surrounded by the dense forest. The ground was mostly dirt, but up against said tree was a large grass "bed" of sorts, where he was lying. He waved me over with a smile. Seeing as though I couldn't walk another step, I chose to fall down next to him, glad that the weight could finally be lifted from my feet. There was a quiet rustling of pen against paper, and a note was dropped into my lap.
~ Sometimes, after my runs, I come here to think about the day. I found it around a month ago, and I thought you might like to see it. ~
"Yeah... this is nice...I wondered what kept you when you go out."
~ Now you know. ~
We returned home soon afterwards. It was getting late, and the air was starting to get cold. Neither of us could really be bothered to cook dinner, so, I made the decision to order pizza instead. I guess it was a bad idea not to stop for lunch during the run. We ate in silence, watching T.V. He finished before I did of course, obviously due to having a bigger mouth than I did. When I finished mine, the show was over, and it was getting pretty late. And Andy was snoring softly. Indeed, when I looked over, his big eyes were closed, head lolled to the side.
I put the box down, scooting over to wake him up. But as I put my hands on his arm, he shuffled, unconciously wrapping his arms around me in a loose hug. I was feeling pretty awkward at that point. But actually, it was kind of nice. His heart was beating quietly and slowly, and his breaths were long and deep. I couldn't bring it to myself to wake him, so I opted to shuffle -- gently-- over to the end of the couch so he could lie down. I carefully lifted his arms from my body and placed them next to him, and got up to go to bed.
Or I would have, if he didn't grab gently at my arm. I turned, to see that his eyes were open slightly, and he was smiling just a little. I think I knew what he wanted.
"...What, do you want me to stay?"
He nodded slowly, softly tugging at my arm.
I didn't consider resusing, after all, he had done so much for me, why not do something for him? I laid down against him, my head resting on his big chest, his heartbeat sending me off to sleep.
As it turns out, he makes a great pillow.
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There you go guys, remastered and refiltered, Part 3. Again I apologise for the first version, and comments and reviews are still welcome.
And yes, I know I said it would be longer than the first two, but it might go in to a Part 4, so stay tuned for more updates and stories.