Page 32 of The Comedown

“What am I going to do with you, little lamb? You’re a mess.”

The saddest part is while everyone knows it, nobody seems to care.

“Ugh,” comes from the front of the bus, so I tear my eyes from the travel itinerary Irelynn forwarded me to watch Julian sit up, frowning at the blanket in his grip.

“What is this?”

“A blanket,” I say, putting my phone down next to my paperback on the table. “Hungry?”

“For the blanket?”

I laugh, saying, “I did promise to feed you…”

He drops his head in his hands, asking a muffled, “What time is it?”

“Noon.”

His head lifts and he finally turns to face me. “Jesus. How long have I been out?”

“A while.”

“Did you find me here or something?”

“No,” I answer, picking at the corners of my book.

“Then what am I doing here?”

“That’s a good question.”

“What are you doing here? I thought you stayed in the hotel last night.”

“I did. I just…” I glance at the kitchen I cleaned twice before I sat down to read. Only a few chapters in though, the constant email notifications coming from my phone pulled me away from the fictional world I was quickly falling in love with. Facing fire-breathing dragons sounds so much easier than the monsters this world breeds. “Want some lunch?”

“You gonna actually eat it?”

I get to my feet, rolling my eyes. “Since somebody misplaced my water bottle yesterday, I guess I have to.”

“You’re welcome.” He groans as he hefts himself off the floor, making me smile. I do eat, just not as many meals as I make it look like.

“So,” I say, grabbing all the ingredients for deli-sliced-ham sandwiches. “What happened? Looks like you had a rough night.”

He drops down into the booth-style table, spinning my book around to read the title. “Fuck if I know.”

“You don’t remember?”

“I try not to,” he mutters before lifting the novel and asking, “You read?”

“When I can, yeah. Do you?”

Sadly, Julian only laughs, setting the book back down. So much for that fantasy.

“The new monitor speakers are supposed to be here this afternoon. They didn’t show up yet, did they?”

At the sink, I shrug. “I don’t know. I’ve been in here.”

“For how long?”

I wash my hands longer than necessary.