Page 130 of Lessons In Grey

A humming filled the room, the vibrations of his chest reverberating against my spine as he gently rinsed my hair and moved onto my body.

I knew this song. I recognized it, but the name escaped me even as the words drifted through me. An echo of a memory I might never have a full grasp on. It was beautiful, tragic, and I was shocked someone like him knew it, but I was more than grateful of it too.

I was finding it too hard to stay awake. All I wanted to do was melt into him and never leave him again. I was safe here. I would always be safe with him.

I was home.

~~~

December4th, 2021

I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled my knees up, Sirius purring under my chin. It was her favorite spot now. I think she liked the sound of my heartbeat, which was comforting in and of itself, knowing I still had one.

I stretched as much as I could, which wasn’t much, and rubbed my eyes. My mouth was unbelievably dry, I needed more water. I needed to text Rags. Five days until he came home. Five days until I could see him again.

I could manage that.

I blinked a few more times, crust dried to my eyes. How long had I been asleep? Maybe I’d skip writing class today. I had gotten ahead in the last week, so skipping one class was fine, I was sure.

I reached for my phone.

Emily:Hey, slept in this morning, how’s the conference?

I didn’t actually know if I had slept in, but it sure felt like it.

I dropped my phone on the couch beside me and reached for the glass of water I had left on the table the night before. I couldn’t remember leaving it there, I couldn’t even remember getting home last night. Fuck, did I drink last night? I don’t remember drinking.

Sirius’s eyes found mine as she squished herself into the couch, used to me moving around her. She waited patiently until I glugged down the entire glass and set it back. I laid back down, releasing a breath. Shit, I was really sore.

“Mrow.”

“I know,” I mumbled, closing my eyes.

“Mrow.”

She wanted me to get up. She did this every morning. As soon as I showed some semblance of life, she was pushing me to get up. Spoiled. I wondered if Rags had given her what she wanted or just grunted and groaned until she gave up. The thought brought a small smile to my face.

“You’re so annoying,” I grumbled.

She purred loudly and stood, lifting my arm with her.

I whined, wanting nothing more than to fall back asleep. “How are you this strong?”

She tapped my nose three times with her little paw.

I cracked an eye, glaring at her. I didn’t want to get up. I wanted more sleep.

She pulled her paw back for a moment, blinked, and slowly, like cats do, put it right back on my nose. “Mrow.”

I grimaced but knew she would never stop. “God, you’re the worst.”

Her purring became louder.

I released a hot breath and slowly pushed my blanket off, instantly too cold as the air graced my skin. I shivered and forced myself up, crying out as I pulled my legs out, dropping them to the ground.

“Fuck,” I whimpered, wrapping my arms around myself, frowning when I felt how thin I was.

I looked down. I was wearing a two-piece pajama set. Black with little grinches all over it, long sleeves, pants. I’ve never worn this before.