Conrad
I get woken from my sleep with my cell ringing. I searched for it in the dark and finally found it. I answered it without even checking who it was.
“Hello,” I answer tiredly.
I hear a familiar whisper on the other end, “Hi.”
I am quick to wake up when I realise it is Maya calling. I sit up, “Is everything okay?”
“I am sorry I am calling so late.” She sighs.
“Don’t be beautiful. I told you to call me, no matter the time.”
“I know, but it is three in the morning.” She says.
“It is fine, angel. Are you okay?”
I hear her draw in her breath and let it out, “No, not really. At first, I could sleep, but I eventually fell asleep, but then I started having horrible nightmares and woke up sweating.”
I can hear in her voice she has been crying, but she is trying to hide it from me. I wonder if they have to do with her past the nightmares she has.
“I am sorry, angel. Do you want me to come over?” I ask softly.
She falls silent on the other end, “I don’t want to be like this.” She whimpers.
“Like what?” I encourage.
“Needy. Pathetic. Weak.” She lists.
“Maya, you are none of those things. I will be over soon, okay?”
“Conrad, you don’t need to come over. I will be fine.”
“I want to. I will be there soon, beautiful.”
I hang up before she has the chance to protest. I pull myself out of bed and change into sweatpants and a hoodie. I will need to take my work clothes with me. I pack an overnight bag, carry my suit, and head to my car. I need to make sure I focus hard on the road since I am still a little sleepy. I don’t mind being up at this time because Maya needs me. I put the radio on and hum along to keep myself occupied. I soon arrive outside of her building.
I text her to tell her I am here so she knows when the buzzer goes. I hope she answers since she didn’t exactly say yes for me to come over; even though I know it was the reason she called, she was too embarrassed to ask directly.
Maya answers within seconds and lets me in. At least she didn’t ignore me. I make my way inside the building and up to her floor. Maya is already waiting at the door for me. She looks tired.
“Hey, beautiful.” I smile.
“You didn’t need to come, Conrad.”
“As I told you on the phone, I wanted to,” I reply, kissing her forehead.
She whispers a thank you and steps aside to let me in. She locks up behind us. Maya turned back to face me and stood there, staring. I believe I know what she needs, but she doesn’t want to ask. I wish she would feel at ease enough with me to tell me what she wants. I extend my arms to hers. Maye hesitates for a second but then steps into my arms, and I wrap them tightly around her and hug her too tightly to my chest.
She buries her face in my hoodie and slips her arms around me. We don’t say a word for the next couple of minutes, just hug. I feel her body relax in my hold; she becomes less tense.
I kiss the top of her head, “Should we go to bed and try to get some sleep, beautiful?” I ask.
“Yes, please.” She answers and pulls away.
I nod, take her hand in mine, and lead us to her bedroom. Maya slips back into her bed. I hang my suit up, remove my hoodie and join her. The second I lay down, she scoots over and cuddles into me, resting her head on my chest. I bring the cover over us and wrap my arm around her.
Maya nuzzles my neck with her face, “Thank you.”
“Any time, beautiful. Now, try to rest.”
She reaches up and kisses me softly before cuddling back, “Goodnight, Conrad.”
“Goodnight, angel. I am right here.” I say and kiss her forehead.
I really hope she can sleep. I am tired, but I will probably stay awake until I know she is asleep. And if she has any more nightmares, I will be right here for her because I won’t fall into a deep sleep in case she needs me.
To my surprise, she falls asleep quickly, within a few minutes. I don’t know if it is because I am here or she was exhausted, and her body finally decided to let her sleep. Whatever the reason, at least she is asleep. I ensure she is still covered up before I allow my eyes to close and wait for it to take over me. I will be shattered in the morning, but it doesn’t matter; I will push through the day nonetheless.
****
The sound of my alarm wakes me from my sleep. I groan because it can’t be that time already. I quickly switch it off and then realise I am in bed alone. Where did Maya go? She must already be up. I take a moment to wake up before I go to search for her. I find her in the kitchen, making breakfast.
“Morning, beautiful. How long have you been up?”
“About an hour. However, the few hours of sleep I did get has done me the world of good. I don’t feel as exhausted.” She replies, smiling over her shoulder at me.
I stroll over, rest my hands on her hips, and brush my lips over her shoulders, “Can I help?”
Maya moans softly and shudders, “No, everything is nearly ready. Help yourself to some coffee.”
I kiss her cheek, and she giggles. I chuckle and step away to pour some coffee for myself. I hop on one of the stools at one of the kitchen counters. I am here if she needs help with cooking. She joins me soon after with a dish of food. Scrambles eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast.
“Help yourself.” She smiles.
Maya goes to sit down, but I don’t give her the chance. I grasp her hips and pull her to stand between my legs, “I will in a minute. How are you feeling?” I ask.
She snakes her arms around my neck, “Better, much better. Thank you.” She smiles.
“Good. Can I have a kiss before we eat?” I ask.
She bites on her lower lip and nods. I motion her down to me, and she moves, letting her lips cover mine. I instantly smile when our lips connect. I bring her closer to me and kiss her softly. She whimpers into my lips and kisses back. I smirked; I couldn’t help it. I liked the effect I had on her. I run my hands around to the small of her back and hold her tighter to me. She doesn’t seem to mind. If she did, she would back away from me.
“Mmm, we should eat,” I mumble into her lips.
“Soon.” She mumbles back and climbs into my lap, straddling my waist.
I was not expecting her to do that. I make sure to keep a grip on her in case she falls. She sure does seem to be doing a lot better this morning. Maya presses her lips a little harder to mine, and I groan loudly. It was her turn to smirk.
She removes her lips from mine, “Yes, you are right, we should probably eat.” She snickers and climbs off my lap.
I laugh loudly, “Mean.”
Maya smiles innocently at me and sits on another stool, pretending like she just wasn’t teasing me. I chuckle and shake my head before we focus on breakfast. I like that she seems a little more confident today; hopefully, that will continue to improve.