Free The Evensong by Lindsay Payton

my head, and my hand was completely asleep.
    I lifted my head and looked at the rest of the room, remembering where I was when I saw the blank TV screen and another round fishbowl on the old armoire. There was no sound in the room except the gentle sound of the wind outside.
    I sat up slowly, kneading my tingling hand. Looking to the bed, I saw Linden was still lying there though now he was asleep. He was sleeping in a similar position as I had been, though as I looked at him he reminded me of a lion. His hair covered half of his face, and he breathed easily, hugging a pillow to his head with one arm. The other lay in front of his chest, lightly holding the sheets under him.
    I got a good look of his arms now in the light of the TV. Tilting my head to look at the tattoos properly, I identified one as a wave design with beautifully vivid hues of blues and white. All of the tattoos were a bright color and they covered almost all of his arms. Most of them were water themed, and I stifled a laugh when I saw two realistic goldfish on the back of his upper arm.
    I leaned in closer when I felt braver. He was so deep in sleep, I doubted he would wake at all. I wondered what it all meant to him, especially when I got down to his hand where the black lines came down from his wrist. I was reminded of something vague, though I couldn’t place what. It was like déjà vu, but I couldn’t figure out where I’d seen them before.
    Reaching out, I carefully touched the top of his hand, running my fingers over the lines and the faint blue veins. He was such a mystery, and I wish he’d let me know more about him. Hopefully he was moving towards trusting me more, though I already felt we were getting there. Could I call this a friendship? I wasn’t sure how hopeful I could get, and I still wanted to be cautious.
    I realized I was still running my fingers along the tattoos, though lightly, and I glanced up to his face. Between the jagged pieces of hair I could see his eyes were open and two bright gold irises were looking at me.
    It was as if a shock ran through my body. I pulled my hand away abruptly, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks in a hot wave. Linden just stared at me for a moment, then smiled tiredly as he pushed his hair away from his face.
    “How long was I asleep?” he asked.
    I sat back on the pillows I’d originally been laying on, my face still on fire. The real question was how long had he actually been awake?
      “I don’t know, I fell asleep, too.”
    “It must be these boring days,” he said as he stretched. “It makes everyone tired.”
    I nodded mutely, rubbing the Reese’s Pieces stains off my palms. I was beyond embarrassed, and I wasn’t sure I could even look at him yet; my cheeks still felt hot.
    “You could have just shook me violently,” Linden said, sitting up on his elbows. “I just happened to be in a light sleep.”
    “I didn’t mean to wake you up,” I replied, glancing up at him for a second. “I was just looking at your tattoos.”
    It was an awful excuse, but it was the truth. Partially. Linden nodded in understanding, looking down at his hand. I almost physically felt him close up as he muttered something about being cold and got off the bed to rifle through the clothes on the floor. He pulled out a black hoodie and slipped it on, keeping the hood on his head.
    “Well so much for movie night,” he laughed. He sat next to me on the bed again and guzzled down his tea. I noticed my glass was still full, but I didn’t touch it, instead checking the clock on his nightstand. The green numbers read 10:15.
    “God, I have to go,” I burst out, already on my feet. Rene was going to be upset I hadn’t called, and I’d missed the group lesson.
    “I didn’t call Rene or anything.”
    “Oh yeah—damn, I must have been tired,” Linden replied when he noticed the time.
    I didn’t wait for him as I hurried out of the room and down the stairs. Reaching into my pocket, I struggled to get the