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CHAPTER FIFTEEN. narrative
december 17, 2022: iowa city, iowa
I'm awake before Caitlin the next morning. Her head is resting against mine, so I try my best not to move so she won't wake up. During the night, August curled up on Caitlin's lap and she's still sleeping soundly.
After a bit of sitting there, seeing that Caitlin is still asleep, I move slow enough to not wake her up. Gently, I rest her head against the couch and untangle myself from her arms, getting up to feed the cats.
I pour food into each of their bowls. Ziggy darts out from behind the couch as August continues to lay on Caitlin's lap. I smile over at the two of them, noticing the unfinished coffees on the table in front of where we sat. They were each half full, but neither of us would drink them now.
Quietly, I grabbed the cups, pouring the remaining contents into the sink before throwing the plastic cups away. I sit down at the island, my back to where Caitlin is, and I open my computer. It's almost ten. It's Saturday, no classes. Caitlin's practice is earlier than normal. It's at two today when normally, it's around six.
I scroll around on Twitter for a little bit before opening an assignment to finish so I won't have to worry about it later on. I grab a pencil and some scratch paper, figuring out how to finish this math without asking Caitlin or Monika for help.
After a little bit, I hear the shuffling of feet behind me as I write down the steps and answer to a problem I found on Google.
"Good morning," Caitlin says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into her as she kisses my head. I can't help but smile, leaning into her body, "How'd you sleep?"
I look up at her, "I slept well. How about you?"
She smiles down at me, "Better because I was with you."
Heat rises to my cheeks and I have to look away, continuing to write the math down. "Whatcha working on?" she asks, still standing behind me.
"Math again," I say in a grumbled tone.
She hums softly, her hand placed on my upper back, "Do you need help?"
I look up at her and nod, "Please, it's due at noon today because my teacher hates me for some reason."
She pulls the chair she was sitting in yesterday closer to mine, taking a seat and looking over the problems. We ignore the one I just stole from online and move onto the next.
"So how about we write this one down and have you figure it out on here before guessing an answer?" Cait says as she places her chin on my shoulder, tapping the notebook I have in front of me.
