Drake

I’m no stranger to staying up all night. I’ve had insomnia off and on since I was diagnosed with macular degeneration. The thought of going to sleep and waking up with no sight is terrifying no matter how prepared I am.

Then I woke up a couple weeks ago, and the dreaded gray blob in the center of my vision was darker. I haven’t slept more than two hours at a time since. I could take sleeping pills, no problem, but I don’t want to sleep. If I’m awake I know I have my sight, no surprises, no sudden bombs dropped.

Watching my inebriated friend sleep, however, may just be the cure for my insomnia. If it weren’t for the fact that his sex-kitten sister was yards away sleeping in her bed, Jayden’s rhythmic snoring might have put me out.

It’s six o’clock, the sun is up, and Jayden is still sleeping on his side softly snoring. I’m hungry and stiff. Usually, I’ve run five miles by this time and am making breakfast. I leave his room and take careful quiet steps down the hall toward the stairs but the closed door on my left, Tiana’s door, calls to me.

She said she hadn’t been drinking and I believe her but I still want to check on her. Why? Maybe to make sure she didn’t get a wild hair and take off last night because her brother lost his damn mind over her being out with a man, a gay man.

No, I would have heard her doing that. I know why I want to see her, because she intrigues me. The way my chest tightens when she looks at me and the zing that shot up my arm when she shook my hand last night is like nothing I’ve ever felt. God, that sounds like a fucking heart attack, not intrigue.

I must stay away from her, not only because Jayden will kill me but because she’s the closest thing to perfection I’ve ever seen and she deserves so much more than me.

At the rate I’m going, I could be blind by the end of the year, and nobody that looks as good as she does should go unseen. I hesitate outside her door, no, yes, no… fuck, yes. Without making a sound, I turn the knob and push the door open a crack. I turn my head to the side to look for her but the bed is made up neat and tidy with throw pillows placed uniformly at angles. She’s gone. Fuck, could she have snuck out last night?

I open the door all the way and look around for something personal. This woman is either a neat freak or she’s packed up and gone like a whisper in the night.

“What are you doing in here?” Her sharp accusing voice comes from behind me. She’s standing at the top of the stairs with one hand on her curved hip and the other on the curved railing. She’s dressed in shorts, an athletic tank top and coordinating running shoes. I can’t tell if she’s being fashionable or if she’s ready for a run.

Either way, her stance and her clothing accentuate her beautiful breasts, which makes my cock twitch. If she weren’t so off limits, I’d have her underneath me in a heartbeat.

“Looking for you,” I reply.

Her eyebrows draw together in a frown and she drops her arms to her sides, more alert now.

“Why? Is there something wrong with Jayden?”

“No, he’s sleeping like a baby. I was checking on you.”

Her eyebrows flow from a frown into two high arches over her distinctive multicolored eyes.

“What for? I told you I didn’t drink last night. I’m fine. Breakfast is ready in the kitchen if you’re hungry. I’m going for a run before it gets too hot.”

She’s going running, great. I need to run and I’d love nothing more than to run just one stride behind her but I shouldn’t, I can’t.

“How far do you run?” Why did I ask her that? I’m not supposed to get involved.

“Back home I did five miles on a treadmill, it’s different running outside, though. The humidity slows me down.”

“Impressive.” It’s easy to tell she’s not lying, the lean muscles in her legs say it all. I bite my tongue to keep from telling her I run five to ten miles every morning too. Chances are high that I’ll see her out and about anyway. There aren’t many places to run and the few who do tend to take the same paths.

“I’ve got to go. Jayden is going to feel like shit today, tell him not to worry about watching the game later.”

She rolls her eyes and steps out of my way when I pass.

“Yeah, now I get to do the yard work alone. Way to go, big bro.”

With my back to her in the hall, I stop and close my eyes to take a deep breath. I am used to getting what I want. Keeping Tiana at a distance is like punishment for a crime I didn’t commit. Yet.

“Come over when you’re ready and I’ll help you.” It’s not my fault he got so drunk he can’t help her plant her flowers.

“You don’t have…” She begins and without looking back I raise my hand in the air signaling that there is no room for argument. When I reach the front door, I open it and glance back up the stairs where she is still standing with her mouth agape holding the railing. I chuckle and saunter home to run on the treadmill.

I’m already pushing it by offering to help her with the yard work, no sense in torturing myself further by bumping into her on a trail where no one is around. I’m a good friend but I’m no saint.