Room 227 | Sunday Morning

[necroslacker]

Sam hadn't slept last night. Usually, that wasn't a huge deal since he tended to sleep alone but now that he was living with his girlfriend, it was kind of hard to hide that from her at the very least. He'd laid there for awhile and then he'd gotten up and puttered around the room and eventually went for a walk.

Look, he'd been trying hard to make sure those ghosts didn't appear at night, okay? It was either not sleeping or wearing the pouch and he chose...not sleeping. Because he was an idiot.

But, he was awake now. He had a bowl of cereal in front of him, his skateboard laying wheels up next to his hip and his back against the foot of the bed. A few records were near his feet and one of them was on the record player, filling the room with quiet music.

But hey, he hadn't been entirely unproductive this past weekend. He'd gone into town, gotten himself a job, and now he was eating cereal and was about to fix up his skateboard.

So, things...could be worse.

[Door closed, post open!]

Comments

[whenshewasnice]

"It's new," Natalie shrugged. This was the first time she was wearing it, and was yet to get used to how it hung over her thin frame and the tank top and shorts beneath. "No other reason."

[necroslacker]

"It's nice," he said, smiling at her. "I like how it looks on you. What made you get it?"

It didn't seem like it was hugely her style but he didn't want to get into an argument or anything if he said that out loud.

[whenshewasnice]

Another shrug. "Whim," she said. "And it was on sale."

And maybe she was turning horribly domestic.

[necroslacker]

"I like it," he said and smiled at her again. "You're gorgeous."

In and out of that robe thing.

[whenshewasnice]

"Why thank you," Natalie replied, and kissed his shoulder. "You're not so bad, either."

[necroslacker]

"I love you."

He said that...just because.

"And thank you."

[whenshewasnice]

"Je t'aime," she said with some more idle, light kisses. Barely there. "Jace laughed at me for moving in with you."

She thought she'd just drop that in there as an observation.

[necroslacker]

"Hmm?" He'd gotten a little distracted by those kisses. "Laughed at you? What for?"

[whenshewasnice]

"It's his thing," Natalie replied, not particularly bothered by it, honestly. "Thinking this kind of thing can only end in tears."

Which wasn't that far from how she herself viewed things. But far enough.

[necroslacker]

"Yeah, I think I heard that same phrase mentioned on the radio the other day," Sam said when he remembered. "What do you think?"

At least he wasn't assuming?

[whenshewasnice]

"I think everything ends," Natalie said, resting her head against the back of his shoulder now. "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't be happy while it's going on."

That seemed to be the crucial difference between her and Jace: she was still willing to risk the hurt.

[necroslacker]

"Oh."

Sam understood her position, he really did, but that didn't mean it didn't sting a little to know she was waiting for this to end. Maybe waiting wasn't the right word but...resigned to it ending.

"Okay."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie closed her eyes and sighed, and let a little silence pass.

That had been too honest, hadn't it?

"Sorry."

[necroslacker]

"Don't apologize," Sam said quietly, shaking his head. "I know you can't help how you feel. It's cool."

[whenshewasnice]

"Could be worse, too," Natalie murmured with another sigh. "Still. Sorry."

[necroslacker]

"Yeah."

He shrugged a shoulder and closed his eyes. Endings weren't that unfamiliar to him. He just supposed he didn't prepare for them like it seemed she did.

"I'll get over it."

[whenshewasnice]

Well, she didn't prepare for them, as such. She just acknowledged they were a thing, then did her best not to think about them.

"Okay."

She didn't know what else to say, so she just kept leaning against him, and holding on.

[necroslacker]

He wasn't sure what to really say either. It was kind of hard to segue from that into something lighter. He was actually trying to think of something, anything, to get his mind off the whole 'ending' thing but he was failing.

He idly picked up a ragged blue t-shirt out of his drawer and held it between his hands.

[whenshewasnice]

"Do you want to get dressed?"

Well, she found some words. Since she'd probably have to let go of him if that was the case.

[necroslacker]

"I'm not in a rush or anything," Sam said, shrugging a shoulder. "Just looking for something that I might wanna put on a little later."

[whenshewasnice]

"Okay."

And there came the silence again. She nuzzled his shoulder but it was a little absent.

[necroslacker]

And Sam could feel that whole absent thing there, yeah. It made his shoulders sag the tiniest bit before he pushed it away and straightened them again.

He wanted to say something else but seriously, he was just blanking on everything right now. What a loser.

[whenshewasnice]

And this had been such a nice morning until now, too. But you know, all things came to an end, and that extended to nice mornings as well.

Natalie felt his shoulders sag (though she felt him straighten them again, too) and wondered if she should let go. She didn't, not yet anyway, for fear that he'd take it the wrong way or something.

Plus she wasn't sure what the right way even was.

[necroslacker]

"You think we have an expiration date, huh?"

It was all Sam could think of to say since it was just running through his head now.

[whenshewasnice]

"That's not what I said." Her hold on him was already starting to loosen, and she regretted ever bringing this up. "But I'm just being a realist."