"We're all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness - and call it love - true love." (Robert Fulghum)
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I'm awakened by a flurry of lightning that illuminates the room brightly, as I forgot to draw the curtains last night. I groggily get up, rubbing my sleepy eyes, then fumble for the nightstand, searching for my phone, which blinds me when I find it and accidentally turn it on. I squint at it a little, my eyes still adjusting to the difference between the darkness from earlier and the light from the phone. Fortunately, I'm no longer bombarded by a stream of messages from Nevin because somehow, he finished the math assignment just before me, and for the last few exercises, he didn't even ask for my help, which hurt my feelings deeply. I understand that sometimes he had to wait hours for a response, time wasted in which he could have made progress if I had the time and willingness to solve something. However, I honestly expected him to have more patience and not turn to someone else because I'm quite sure he didn't manage on his own.
I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep anytime soon, so I get out of bed with a not very clear purpose in mind. Since I've been living at the boarding school, I haven't had too many stormy nights, so for the most part, I've slept undisturbed. When the weather is this bad, I have to wander around the house for a few rounds or do something to tire myself out in order to fall asleep.
I carefully descend the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. I enter the kitchen and have to resist all my strength not to indulge in anything because the Snickers bars are quite tempting. From what I understand, it's not a good idea to eat late at night, especially since I just woke up from sleep, and I plan to go back to bed soon, not stay awake until the next day. To resist the temptation, I turn back, coming face to face with Zayden, who has his hands propped on both sides of the door frame and a confused and slightly sleepy look.
"What are you doing around the house at this hour?" he says in a tone that could fall somewhere between regular talking and whispering.
A lightning flash illuminates the room quite brightly, and I startle a little, not discreetly enough for Zayden not to notice. He raises an eyebrow, and I sigh because I don't want him to laugh at me for my fears that some people might consider childish.
"I used to be afraid of lightning when I was younger too," he says.
I roll my eyes, crossing my arms, but I startle again at the sound of thunder, even though I should have expected it.
"And how did you get over it?" I ask, curious and eager to know.
I watch him shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other, seeming to be deep in thought about something. I wonder what's on his mind that's preoccupying him at this late hour when I'm his only company. He looks at me briefly, then his eyes leave mine.
"Do you want to talk somewhere else, though?" he asks, still refusing to look at me.
Now I somewhat understand his state of hesitation.
