I Love Red Ch. 03

I held back my sobs, counting down from ten, shaking my head, reciting "ice-pics, tooth-pics" in my head; anything that could stop the tears. I gulped down the ice-cold water. The coldness calmed me down, and the tears ceased. I heard the toilet flush and the sounds of hand washing.

I quickly made my way back to the couch, got under the soft yellow blanket, and turned the TV on, deciding to leave it on whatever was on. Richard came over to the sofa, chest puffed in pride.

"I told you I'd put in that work baby," he smugly said.

"Mhm, you sure did," I replied.

He lifted one end of the blanket and got under it. I thought he would move closer to cuddle, but he didn't. So, I scooted over and laid my head on his shoulder, he didn't move to create more contact. Instead, he briefly looked at me before pulling out his phone and began perusing Instagram. I didn't say anything. I felt tears prick the back of my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. I sighed.

"Are you sleeping over?" I asked, half of me hoping he would and the other hoping he wouldn't.

"Yeah," he said without looking up from his phone.

"I'm gonna get in the shower and head to bed, then, okay?"

"Yeah, you do that," he began, again, not looking from his phone.

I went off to the bathroom to shower and perform my night routine. I dressed, putting on an old T-shirt, boy shorts, and black socks. I walked back to the living room to check that I had locked my door and made sure things were secure for the night.

"Is that what you're wearing to bed?" He asked.

"What's wrong with this? This is what I normally wear," I self-consciously responded.

"Well, I thought you would've put something sexy on all things considered," Richard remarked.

I just stared at him, dumbfounded. I shook my head and went to my bedroom, shutting the door behind me. He could find my room if he wanted to. After all, I only had two bedrooms in my apartment.

I looked around my room. It was the only part of my house that was fully put together and decorated. I splurged on my bedroom, making sure my sanctuary was as me as it could get. I had a simple black velvet tufted bed frame. My sheets were a basic white, but my comforter was a deep royal blue and my decorative pillows were baby pink. The throw blanket was tomato red. My dresser, vanity, and matching end tables were black laminate with glass tops. I liked to believe myself to be a maximalist, so the area rug in my room had a white tiger on a forest green background. The art in the room was a mix of rainforest scenes and gold accent pieces, with my coup de' resistance being an ornate, bronze-framed mirror that sat in the corner of my room. Of course, I had several plants strewn about the room: snake plant, ZZ plant, pothos, and philodendrons.

I moved the extra pillows to the foot of the bed and turned down the sheets. I put my bonnet on before tucking myself in. I watched some short DIY videos, waiting for Richard to come to bed. I heard the TV turn off and began to ready myself for him. Then, the shower turned on. Sighing, I put my phone on the charger and pulled myself into a ball under the covers, falling into a fitful sleep.