Chapter Thirty Six

On Monday, I woke up to my stomach being full of butterflies and the feeling that a kid has when they know they get to open their Christmas presents when their parents wake up lurking inside my body as the thought of Aaron coming home tonight plagued my first thoughts that morning. I knew that inside my head, I was beginning to sound like a crazed four year old, but I honestly could not keep my mind off of it. I couldn't wait to be able to snuggle up against Aaron in the middle of the night and know that I was safe in his arms.

Most of my day was a blur, and at the same time it seemed to drag on forever and ever. I was starting to think that time slows down when you can't wait for something that's going to happen after school. It's like the laws of the universe or something, I tell you.

The second I got home, I raced upstairs to change and get ready.

As I looked into the mirror after applying my eyeliner, I had this sudden twinge of idiocy. Why, exactly, am I getting dressed up for a guy that tells me he loves me even if I look like I've been hit by a car?

"Well," I said out loud, sounding kind of crazy, "it's always nicer in a relationship when you've got a better view." I sighed, pulling my mascara wand out of the bottle. "Honestly, Caitlin, you need to stop talking to yourself. The neighbors are going to start calling the loony bin if you're not careful."

By the time five o'clock came around, I was bouncing around the house with excitement. Jessi wasn't at home because she was off to get Aaron, and I was home all alone. To occupy myself, I went around, meticulously organizing things until they were in perfect order. I blamed that on my mother for giving me god dammed obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In the midst of my organizing, pacing, and muttering, I got hit with a sudden wave of vertigo. Stumbling towards the couch, I hastily thought, I really hope I don't puke. That would suck beyond words.

I crashed onto the couch and closed my eyes, waiting for the wave after wave of nausea to stop and for the room to quit spinning. I guess while waiting for that to happen, I fell asleep like the smart person I really am deep down inside.

_ _ _

"..Caitlin.. Caitlin.." Someone shook my shoulder lightly. I lazily flapped my hand at them.

"Go away."

The person chuckled. "I don't really think you want me to do that." My heart skipped a beat, and I opened my eyes.

Aaron was sitting next to me, his face mere inches from my own.

"Aaron!" I squealed, propelling myself off the couch and tackling him to the ground and kissing his cheeks repeatedly. "You're home, you're home, you're home!"

"Yes, I am, now stop raping me!" I stopped the assault on his face.

"It's not rape," I paused, "if it's willing."

He grinned. "Damn, you caught me."

I sat up and crawled off of him and then helped him up to the best of my ability.

Wrapping my arms tightly around him, I said, "Do you wanna go upstairs and snuggle? I miss snuggles."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sounds fun."

Jessi popped her head through the kitchen door. "If you two are going upstairs.. Please, please, keep it down. I really don't need to hear noises and receive mental images, thank you."

"We aren't going to do anything," Aaron said, smirking.

"Yeah, we're just going to snuggle."

Jessi's eyes flitted between me and Aaron. "Is that some new kind of slang or something?"

I was silent for a moment. "Wow. You really sound like a mom."

I hit Aaron's arm. "Ow."

"That's kind of the point," Jessica muttered, and went back to whatever it was she was doing.

I practically dragged Aaron upstairs and then nearly pinned him to the bed in the effort to get as close to him as I possibly could without melding us together in some creepy scientifical way. Aaron wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close, burying his face into my shoulder while I kissed the top of his head.

"I missed you so much," I whispered, rubbing his back with my right hand and shivering slightly as his breath fanned out over my shoulder repeatedly.

"I missed you too." Aaron pressed a small kiss to the spot where my shoulder and neck connected. "Despite how much I saw you, I missed your voice, your hands, your body, your smell.. Your everything." My heart did a large somersault and skipped a few beats.

I kissed his head again. "Same here. Same here. I'm just so glad to have you home. I was getting kind of lonely here all alone with your sister."

"Did you just diss my sister?"

"I dunno if I did or not."

I could practically hear his eyes roll. "It doesn't bother me because I know how lonely it can be to just live with one other person. But, living with just you is amazing, so don't take that the wrong way." He kissed my shoulder again.

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Good."

After that, we stopped talking and just reveled in the nice comforting feeling of being whole again.