would, but in all fairness… I never specified who I was talking about when I said I already loved someone.” I frowned.
“… Exactly.” Lakin’s eyes were blazing, burning straight through to my soul.
My feeling of gloom was quickly replaced by one of irritation. I already had to deal with Eric acting ridiculous while I was conscious, I wasn’t about to take the same attitude while I was asleep. Though I knew I had been wrong for letting Eric assume I had deeper feelings for him than those of friendship or family, I thought Lakin would have been more understanding.
“Look here, mister. I love you more than I have ever loved anything else in this world... and you know how much I loved my hamsters before they ate each other! You know it’s the truth, and nothing can ever change that. I did what I thought I had to do at the time. I know it was a mistake, but I make those sometimes, you know! And so do you. Everybody does. Now, you can either accept that I screwed up, and talk to me about the more important event of the day, or you can be mad at me until you wake up, but you know anger gives you indigestion,” I exclaimed, forgetting to keep my voice hushed.
I was very aware that there were four other sets of eyes staring curiously in our direction, but I didn’t care. Lakin turned back to face me, considering my words. My heart dropped as a sly, crooked smile spread across his face.
“You are adorable when you’re angry,” he grinned in defeat.
“ I try,” I said simply, crossing my arms to appear as if I was still disgruntled.
Lakin saw right through my charade, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and kissing me on the forehead.
“Let’s make it clear that I’m still not fond of this situation,” Lakin divulged in a slightly worried tone.
“ I know, I’m sorry. I will take care of it in the morning,” I promised, as the others’ eyes shifted away from us.
“ Don’t do anything to make waves. Just don’t, you know… don’t get too close to him,” Lakin requested tolerantly.
“ I patted him on the head today. I patted him on the head like a dog. How close do you really think I would be able to get?” I said, half joking.
“ Fair enough,” he laughed, drawing my head onto his shoulder. “So this Al guy…”
“ Don’t tell me you are worried about him, now?!” I sat up in my seat.
“ What? No. Isn’t he who you wanted to talk about?” Lakin laughed.
“ Oh, yeah. Sorry.” I shook my head at my own absurdity, returning my cheek to Lakin’s welcoming shoulder.
“ You think he knows something about us? About our kind?” Lakin asked inquisitively.
“ I don’t know. There is just something odd about him, isn’t there? Having him in the lab seemed to make my powers stronger. You felt it. As soon as I locked eyes with him, it was like my abilities were amplified by a hundred,” I explained. “And the way he said ‘sweet dreams,’ it was like he knew what happens when I go to sleep.”
Lakin was silent, thinking over my words. I could sense him recapping the feelings that I had experienced during the day.
“Maybe he just, you know... wanted you to have sweet dreams?” Lakin offered, raising his eyebrows at me.
“ Well, if you’re going to be a jerk about it...” I began.
“ Are you talking about your new therapist?” Nadia questioned from across the room.
“ He told her to have sweet dreams, so she thinks he knows about the Room,” Lakin said, a hint of mockery in his voice.
“ Can I see?” Nadia asked, lifting her feet from Bryant’s lap.
“ I want to see, too!” Lyla exclaimed, nearly knocking over the table between herself and Joseph as she jumped to her feet.
Before I knew it, everyone in the room had their hands on different parts of my body, cloudy eyes reliving my evening. I shook my head at the thought of how strange the scene would have looked to a normal person; surely, it would have given me an undesirable reputation.
“Oh, he’s very
“… Exactly.” Lakin’s eyes were blazing, burning straight through to my soul.
My feeling of gloom was quickly replaced by one of irritation. I already had to deal with Eric acting ridiculous while I was conscious, I wasn’t about to take the same attitude while I was asleep. Though I knew I had been wrong for letting Eric assume I had deeper feelings for him than those of friendship or family, I thought Lakin would have been more understanding.
“Look here, mister. I love you more than I have ever loved anything else in this world... and you know how much I loved my hamsters before they ate each other! You know it’s the truth, and nothing can ever change that. I did what I thought I had to do at the time. I know it was a mistake, but I make those sometimes, you know! And so do you. Everybody does. Now, you can either accept that I screwed up, and talk to me about the more important event of the day, or you can be mad at me until you wake up, but you know anger gives you indigestion,” I exclaimed, forgetting to keep my voice hushed.
I was very aware that there were four other sets of eyes staring curiously in our direction, but I didn’t care. Lakin turned back to face me, considering my words. My heart dropped as a sly, crooked smile spread across his face.
“You are adorable when you’re angry,” he grinned in defeat.
“ I try,” I said simply, crossing my arms to appear as if I was still disgruntled.
Lakin saw right through my charade, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and kissing me on the forehead.
“Let’s make it clear that I’m still not fond of this situation,” Lakin divulged in a slightly worried tone.
“ I know, I’m sorry. I will take care of it in the morning,” I promised, as the others’ eyes shifted away from us.
“ Don’t do anything to make waves. Just don’t, you know… don’t get too close to him,” Lakin requested tolerantly.
“ I patted him on the head today. I patted him on the head like a dog. How close do you really think I would be able to get?” I said, half joking.
“ Fair enough,” he laughed, drawing my head onto his shoulder. “So this Al guy…”
“ Don’t tell me you are worried about him, now?!” I sat up in my seat.
“ What? No. Isn’t he who you wanted to talk about?” Lakin laughed.
“ Oh, yeah. Sorry.” I shook my head at my own absurdity, returning my cheek to Lakin’s welcoming shoulder.
“ You think he knows something about us? About our kind?” Lakin asked inquisitively.
“ I don’t know. There is just something odd about him, isn’t there? Having him in the lab seemed to make my powers stronger. You felt it. As soon as I locked eyes with him, it was like my abilities were amplified by a hundred,” I explained. “And the way he said ‘sweet dreams,’ it was like he knew what happens when I go to sleep.”
Lakin was silent, thinking over my words. I could sense him recapping the feelings that I had experienced during the day.
“Maybe he just, you know... wanted you to have sweet dreams?” Lakin offered, raising his eyebrows at me.
“ Well, if you’re going to be a jerk about it...” I began.
“ Are you talking about your new therapist?” Nadia questioned from across the room.
“ He told her to have sweet dreams, so she thinks he knows about the Room,” Lakin said, a hint of mockery in his voice.
“ Can I see?” Nadia asked, lifting her feet from Bryant’s lap.
“ I want to see, too!” Lyla exclaimed, nearly knocking over the table between herself and Joseph as she jumped to her feet.
Before I knew it, everyone in the room had their hands on different parts of my body, cloudy eyes reliving my evening. I shook my head at the thought of how strange the scene would have looked to a normal person; surely, it would have given me an undesirable reputation.
“Oh, he’s very
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