A Minute to Midnight

by Thomas Gomez

  “Include a movie and I’m so there,” I answered.

  “Sure,” Cheyenne added.

  “Yeah, I could go for some Chinese,” John replied.

  “Great, then Cheyenne and I will get the food and you and John can look online for something to watch,” she said as she tapped me on the shoulder.

  “Good timing, we’re here.” John said as he pulled up to Brittney’s house.

  “Okay, but I’m taking your car John. I left my keys in the house and this is more convenient,” Brittney answered.

  “That’s fine, just be careful.”

  “Yeah, yeah. You know I’m a good driver,” she said as she climbed in the driver’s seat.

  John and I walked in the house and turned on the TV. I started looking through the movie catalog when John started teasing me.

  “Stop, I’m ticklish!” I yelled as he gently ran his fingers across the back of my neck.

  “Yeah, I know you are.”

  I looked at him and kissed him, and then as I pulled back I playfully slapped him on the side of the head. He didn’t like that. I got up and tried to run but he was quicker than I was. He jumped up and grabbed me by the waist.

  I squealed and laughed as he attempted to lift me, but failed. We ended up right back on the couch and he wrestled me until he was on top. I looked up at him as we both paused for a moment.

  “Forgive me?” I asked sounding like a child.

  “Hmm… I could, or I could do this!” He yelled as he hit me with a pillow.

  I grabbed one of the other pillows on the couch and tried to hit him back, only to end up getting hit again. I pushed him off of me and he landed on the floor. I burst out a loud laugh.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, still laughing.

  “You’re so dead!” He yelled as he tried to get up.

  I got off of the couch and ran, stopping in front of the front door with nowhere left to go. He ambushed me with his pillow and I swatted mine furiously trying to hit him, but only making one shot. As we were fighting Cheyenne and Brittney walked in carrying the food they’d ordered.

  “I guess you guys are busy,” Brittney said as she walked in.

  “Oh, sorry. We were just messing around.” I said as I finally made my first solid swing at John.

  “So I’m assuming you didn’t pick out a movie then?” She said as her and Cheyenne walked into the kitchen with the food in hand.

  “Again, sorry,” I laughed.

  “Well I’m just glad we weren’t leaving you here all night. I wouldn’t want to have to burn my couch because of what your fun would probably lead to, I mean a pillow fight? Really?” She retorted.

  “Okay, seriously? What’s with the two of you always making sex jokes about us? We’re boys not sex machines!” I snapped.

  “It’s alright Henry; they’re just having some fun,” John replied.

  “Whose side are you on?” I asked him.

  “Okay, fine, no more sex jokes!” He answered.

  “Thanks,” I smiled.

  We all grabbed plates and served some food. Once done we headed to the living room to choose the movie that John and I so blatantly avoided doing.

  “That one!” I called as Brittney scrolled through the list.

  “A chick flick? Seriously?” John snapped.

  “I’m sorry, are we girls too much for you?” Cheyenne retorted.

  “Uh Henry’s a guy remember?” He asked.

  “Think about it, what is so different between him and us other than the obvious?” She asked.

  He paused for a moment before answering, “Point taken.”

  “So is everyone okay with this movie then?” Brittney asked.

  “Yeah, I guess,” John answered.

  After John and I were done eating I curled up at his side and he wrapped his arm around me. I was very invested in the movie but that didn’t stop me from falling asleep. All of that walking made me so tired I could fall asleep riding a horse.

  “Henry… Henry!” I could hear John calling my name as he tried to wake me. “Come on, the movie’s over and we have to go home.”

  I got up slowly, groggily. I held on to John for balance as we walked to the door. “Thanks, Britt.” I nearly whispered as I spoke, I was exhausted.

  “No problem, see you guys later,” she said as she closed the door behind us.

  I got in the passenger seat and fell asleep instantly. John woke me up again when we got home. I walked into the apartment and headed straight for the bedroom.

  “I'm going to take a quick shower okay?” John asked as he headed to the bathroom.

  “Okay,” I answered softly.

  I got undressed and immediately hopped in bed. I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. I must have dozed off because it seemed like just a few seconds later John was crawling into bed.

  His body was emanating warmth more than usual thanks to his shower. It was comforting. I grabbed him by the waist and pulled him closer as I lay my head on his chest.

  “Good night Henry, I love you,” John spoke softly.

  I tried to answer but I fell asleep before I got the chance.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Hey, isn’t that movie coming out this Friday?” I asked John as we passed by a billboard for a new action movie.

  “Yeah, I think so. Why? Do you want to watch it?” He asked.

  “Yeah, it looks pretty good,” I answered.

  “All right, we can this Friday when I get out of work.”

  We were on our way to the store to do some grocery shopping. We parked the car and walked in, I grabbed a cart and we headed toward the refrigerated isle.

  “We need milk right?” I asked as I grabbed a carton.

  “Yeah I think so,” John answered.

  I handed him the bottle and as he grabbed it from me I felt his hand touch mine and in that instant I felt an intense chill shoot down my spine. I shook a bit and John looked at me curiously.

  “I'm probably just cold. Let's go to a different isle,” I said as I pushed the cart.

  We stopped in the bread isle and I grabbed some bread off of the shelf.

  “Are you all right? You look nervous,” John asked.

  “Yeah, I don't know why I'm being so weird. Everything is fine. I promise,” I reassured him.

  “Okay, if you're sure.”

  “I am,” I said as I forced a smile.

  We finished our shopping and left the store. After we loaded everything in the trunk we hopped in the car and headed home. I was silent for a while, staring out the window.

  “Okay, seriously. What's wrong? You're acting too weird for everything to be normal,” John asked hesitantly.

  “Look, I'm fine. I have an appointment with Dr. Monroe today so I'll just talk to him okay?” I answered.

  “If you say so, just remember, you can always talk to me.”

  I half smiled as I turned back to the window again. We pulled in to a parking spot and brought the groceries up to my apartment. Neither of us said much as we put food away. It was too quiet for comfort.

  “Hey, I've been thinking,” I said as I closed the pantry door. “I lost my job so I can't really afford to live here anymore and as of right now you're stuck paying for both my apartment and your condo.”

  “Yeah, so?” He asked curiously.

  “Well maybe it's time we just move in together? That way you won't have to worry about paying for so much, besides I love your condo,” I said smiling.

  “Hmm… well it would be easier that way, and we are basically living together right now. So, sure why not?” He answered.

  “Really? That's great!” I said as I went over to hug him. “How soon can I start packing?”

  “Wow, I didn't realize you would be in such a rush. Don't you love it here?”

  “Well, I did,” I said as I pulled away from him. “Now it's just full of bad memories.”

  “Yeah, it kind of is. I guess I don't really blame you for wanting to leave, but what about y
our lease?”

  “My lease was up last month so I'm free to leave when I want.”

  “Perfect, then I guess you can start packing if you really want to,” he said as he walked out to the living room.

  “You just want me to leave you alone so you can play games,” I retorted as I followed him.

  “I never said that, but if you insist then I won't argue with you,” he said sarcastically.

  “Whatever, that's fine. I'm going to text Brittney and Cheyenne to see if they want to help me.”

  I walked into my bedroom and sat down on my bed. I took a moment and looked around the room. It all felt bittersweet. I did love my apartment; I've lived there for years. But at the same time I was happy to rid myself of the memories it brought in the last few months.

  After about thirty minutes of walking around the room and reminiscing, Brittney and Cheyenne arrived with boxes.

  “Of course, you'll be playing video games while we pack, clearly nothing's changed,” Brittney said as they walked in.

  “Clearly,” I said as I walked out of the bedroom. “Hey guys, thanks for helping.”

  “No problem, it's kind of exciting. I'm glad you're moving in with him,” Brittney answered.

  We all walked to my bedroom and Brittney placed the folded boxes on the bed.

  “So when exactly is this move going to happen?” Cheyenne asked.

  “Well my lease is up so I can go as soon as I want.”

  “You really aren't wasting any time are you?” Brittney asked.

  “Nope, the sooner the better.”

  We each grabbed one of the boxes and started opening them up. I brought mine to the closet and started putting my seasonal clothes in.

  “Cheyenne can you pack my dresser? Everything in and on it please. And Britt can you pack all of the fragile things?”

  “Sure,” Brittney said as she headed toward my nightstand. “Awe! When did you guys take this picture?” She asked as she handed me the picture frame.

  “Last week,” I smiled as I stared at the picture. “We spent the entire day at the beach. I was sitting down staring at the water and he came out of nowhere and took the picture.”

  I took the picture from her and stared at it for a few minutes. In the picture I was sitting down facing the camera smiling and John had his arm around my shoulder and he was kissing me on the cheek. I loved that picture because it was spontaneous and it was the only day we spent together without a single issue.

  “Henry?” I heard Brittney call my name.

  “What?”

  “Can I have the picture so I can pack it?”

  “Huh? Oh yeah, sorry!” I said as I handed it to her.

  “Are you sure you're not rushing this move? It's a pretty big step,” Cheyenne asked curiously.

  “Yeah, I'm positive,” I said smiling. “I've never been more sure about anything.”

  “Okay,” she said in disbelief.

  We spent about two hours packing my room and another four hours packing the rest of my apartment. We finally ran out of boxes when we got to the bathroom.

  “I can pack this stuff tomorrow, it's fine.”

  “Okay, well just let us know when you guys are going to start moving everything. We'll come help you load the truck,” Brittney answered as she grabbed her purse.

  “I will, I won't forget,” I said as I walked them to the front door.

  “Okay, bye Henry, bye John!” She called.

  “Bye guys, see you later.”

  I closed the door behind them and walked back to the living room. “I can't believe it's been almost seven hours and you're still playing! Don't your eyes ever start to hurt?”

  “They started hurting two hours ago,” John answered as he laughed.

  “Then why don't you stop playing and come to bed.”

  “You don't have to ask me twice!” John answered as he jumped off the couch.

  “Actually, that's not what I meant… but okay,” I smiled.

  I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the bed. I threw him down and jumped on top of him.

  “Well, it looks like someone's excited,” he smirked.

  “Shut up, I'm just really happy,” I said as I leaned in for a kiss.

  We rolled around in bed as we kissed. He held on to me tightly, his hands were warm. I could feel his breathing grow faster; he grew more intense as we progressed. He slid his hand down my side and I felt a slight chill.

  About a minute passed and I felt another chill. This one was unsolicited and harsh. It felt threatening but I tried to ignore it. Suddenly images popped up in my head. Eleven-fifty nine. Headlights. Doctors.

  I pushed him off of me more violently then I wanted to and he landed on the floor. “I'm sorry!”

  “What the hell Henry!?”

  “I'm sorry, I just… I started thinking about it again. I didn't mean to push you so hard.”

  “Well do you want to just skip all of this and go to bed?” John asked although I could tell it wasn't what he wanted.

  “No, umm… you know what, I'm just going to go take a quick shower and then we can finish what we started, okay?” I said as I got up from the bed.

  “All right, just don't take too long, I'm getting a little restless,” John called to me as I walked out of the room.

  I turned on the shower and felt the water as it warmed up. When it was warm enough I got undressed and hopped in. I just sat there for a moment, distracted. I felt bad for cutting him short. He just wanted to have some fun and I kept getting in his way.

  “Mind if I join?” John said as he opened the shower curtain and climbed in.

  “John, what're you-”

  “I told you I was getting restless,” he interrupted.

  I smiled as he leaned in for a kiss. “I'm sorry I've been such a bore lately. I just can't shake those images.”

  “You're not a bore, don't worry about it,” he said as he leaned in for another kiss, this one more passionate than the first. We progressed more and more and this time it was easy. This time me and him were alone, no thoughts would ruin that.

  “I love you, John.”

  “Love you too, Henry.”

  The next morning I woke up to my phone ringing. “Hello?” I spoke groggily.

  “Hey Henry, just wanted to call to let you know that you missed your session with Dr. Monroe yesterday,” Courtney answered.

  “Oh gosh! I'm so sorry! I actually have a great reason why I missed. Is there an opening today? I really want to talk to Dr. Monroe.”

  “Yes, there is actually. It's in one hour, and don't forget this time!” She said jokingly.

  “I won't, I promise!”

  I jumped out of bed and headed to the dresser, forgetting I had already packed everything. Once I realized I went out to the living room looking for one of the boxes. Thankfully I hadn't sealed them yet. I pulled out an outfit and got dressed.

  “Hey, Courtney,” I said as I walked into the office.

  “Hey, Henry. How are you?”

  “Good,” I said as I signed in. “Do I need to wait or can I just go in?”

  “I think you can go right in, his last patient left already.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  I walked into Dr. Monroe's office with guilt consuming my expression.

  “You missed yesterday, Henry. Care to explain?”

  “Yes, I'm so sorry! But you might actually like my reason for it,” I said as I walked toward his desk. “I asked John if I could move in with him, he said yes.”

  “That's great Henry!” He said smiling.

  “Yeah, Brittney and Cheyenne came over and helped us pack.”

  “Really? So soon?”

  “I'm ready to move on, to move forward with our relationship,” I said as I twirled my fingers around in my lap.

  “What aren't you telling me, Henry?” He said curiously.

  I half smiled, “You see right through me don't you?”

  “It's in my job description,” he laughed.

>   “Well it's not that I don't want to move in with him, because I really do. I'm just a little distracted lately. I haven't had the dream in a few days but I keep getting these unnerving chills and images that pop up randomly in my head. I don't know how to get them to stop,” I said as I sunk into my chair.

  “Perhaps you're just nervous about the move?”

  “No, this is a recurring thing. It's been happening for a while now.”

  He scribbled some words into his notepad. “Maybe once you've moved in you'll feel better. A lot has happened to you in that apartment; maybe once you've left it all behind you'll start to feel better.”

  “I hope so. I just want to be with him and forget about everything else. Forget about all the bad things that have happened and all the dreams I've had. I feel like I deserve that after everything I've been through.” I grabbed my arm and looked down to the ground. I was skeptical.

  “Everyone gets their chance at peace, Henry. You've just got to find it,” he said as he reached out and placed his hand on the desk.

  “Thanks, I wish I could believe that.”

  “You have to. If you believe you'll be stuck like this forever, then you will be. You have to remind yourself that it will get better.”

  I half smiled at him and looked back down at the ground. I wanted to believe it would get easier but it seemed like every time something stopped, something else would begin. It felt like an endless loop. But I would have to stop pitying myself and start believing. Maybe I would eventually become oblivious to it all. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

  “Hey, John,” I said as I walked into my apartment.

  “Hey, Henry. How was your appointment?”

  “Good, I think I'm making progress.”

  “Great!” He said as he came over to kiss me. “So I was thinking, Cheyenne is out of work already and it's only three o'clock. How about we start moving some of your stuff?”

  “Yeah, that sounds great. But what about Brittney?”

  “She gets off at four thirty so I'll just tell her to meet us at my place and she can help unpack.”

  “Okay, sounds great,” I said as I walked over to the kitchen. I grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, “Let's get started.”

  “Okay! And I don't know if you noticed but I rented a moving truck already, it's in the parking lot. Oh and Cheyenne's already on her way. “