Eden’s heart dropped in her chest when her phone began to ring, the caller ID being Sterling. If she didn’t answer, he would know something was wrong. If she answered, he’d know either way.
Still, Eden took a deep breath. It was better to be safe than sorry. She sniffled, trying to clear off any evidence of her being shaken and terrified and of her breakdown.
“Hi,” she greeted quietly once she answered. Her voice was a little raspy, but she hoped it would slip by.
“Hey. How are you?” Sterling asked softly, frowning slightly at her voice. She sounded… like her voice was hoarse. Had she been crying?
“I’m good,” Eden responded, pressing her phone to her ear using her shoulder while her fingers traced the wounds she gave herself. “I guess. What about you? What’s keeping you awake?”
“Just couldn’t sleep. I really was thinking about you,” Sterling said, listening more closely. “Is everything okay?”
The question nearly broke Eden. No, everything was not okay. How could it be?
She sucked in a deep breath, eyes squeezing shut to keep the tears at bay. She didn’t want to break down. Not now. Maybe not ever.
“Yeah,” she forced herself to answer. “Everything’s okay.”
Sterling hummed and pushed himself out of bed anyway. He began to her ready, all the while staying in the phone with Eden. “Are you sure? Because you know you can talk to me about anything,” he said softly.
Eden nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see her, so she opened her mouth and forced the words out.
“I know,” she answered quietly, her breathing heavy. “I know I can.”
“Okay. So what are you doing right now? Just laying in bed?” Sterling asked, pulling his shoes on, his phone stuck between his head and shoulder.
“Yeah,” Eden hummed, falling back and curling up. “What about you?”
“Yeah, ya know, the same,” Sterling murmured, grabbing his keys as quietly as possible and slipping out the door.
Eden closed her eyes, but soon deemed that a bad idea when those cruel blue eyes flashed in her mind. She snapped her eyes open, the breath leaving her lungs again.
“You should sleep,” she finally said, knowing she was close to breaking apart again and didn’t want Sterling to witness that. “It’s late.”
“I want to talk to you,” Sterling protested, shutting the door behind himself and making his way outside to his car. “I’ll stay up talking to you until you can fall asleep.”
Eden ran a hand through her hair, a desperate attempt to make herself calm down.
"Then you'll be up all night," she murmured. "Because I won't be able to sleep at all."
“Well, that’s okay. I probably wouldn’t be able to sleep, anyway,” Sterling mused with a shrug he knew she couldn’t see. He unlocked his car and quietly shit the door behind himself. “Actually, you know what, I have to go to the bathroom, so I’ll call you right back, okay?”
Eden furrowed her eyebrows, but she wasn't complaining. It was good that she had a moment to get a breather, but she knew she'd miss his voice the second they'd hang up.
"All right," she hummed, turning to the other side. "Use the bathroom."
“I’ll see you later, okay? Try to get some sleep if you can,” Sterling said softly before hanging up. He started his car and headed toward Eden’s apartment. He hoped she would let him in…
Eden set the phone away when Sterling hung up, wrapping her arms around herself and curling up some more. Her breathing was heavy and harsh, lip between her teeth, biting hard until she tasted blood. Why couldn't she sleep? Why were her dreams always haunted? It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all.
Tears slipped from Eden's eyes again and she inhaled sharply, wiping them off again. It wasn't worth it. Another sleepless night, but it wasn't something she wasn't used to.
Sterling finally pulled up to Eden’s apartment after what felt like hours. Really, it was only minutes, but he wanted to be there for her. He jumped out of his car after parking and walked up to the door, dialing his girlfriend’s number.
At this point, Eden had given up trying to calm herself down, so she wrapped herself in her blanket. Her phone rang again in the silence and she opened her eyes, reaching out for it. Sterling. She took a deep breath and answered the call.
"I thought you had fallen asleep," she murmured. "Which you should, Sterling."
“Sorry, did I wake you up?” Sterling asked softly, leaning against the door to her apartment. “I just thought you might want to open your front door.”
Eden's red eyes widened, her back straightening. What? She ripped the blanket off of herself, setting her feet on the floor, careful not to fall face-first on the floor.
"What?" she shook her head. "Sterling, what are you–are you at my front door?"
Sterling chuckled, smiling at her reaction. “Maybe? You’ll only know if you actually open the door, though, now will you?”
Tears glistened her eyes again as she hurried out of her room, uncaring of what she was wearing. She set her hands on the doorknob, twisted the lock to unlock it and opened the door, eyes wide, breathing ragged.
Her phone slipped from her hold when she saw Sterling on the other side, clattering to the floor. She ran into his arms, wrapping her own around him.
Sterling stuck his phone in his pocket and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “Hey, beautiful… I’m glad you’re happy to see me,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head, burying his face in her hair. “Let’s go inside, yeah?”
Eden breathed him in, gripping his shirt tightly, biting her lip again. She merely nodded, pulling away to let him inside. Once the door was shut, she turned to him, knowing she couldn't hide her situation anymore.
"What—what are you doing here?" she finally asked, her voice hoarse.