Sleeping Routine

Matthew

Exhaustion clung to me like a second skin as I kicked off my shoes and shuffled towards the bedroom. The day had been a marathon of sorts, leaving me drained and yearning for the sanctuary of sleep. Reaching the bedside table, I reached out on autopilot, only to pause. Medication. Right.

With a sigh, I shuffled towards the dresser, the familiar creak of the floorboards a lullaby of sorts. Unlocking the top drawer, I retrieved the small amber vial, its contents a reminder of battles fought within myself. Popping a pill into my mouth, I washed it down with a gulp of water, the bitter aftertaste mirroring the complexities of the day.

Collapsing onto the bed, the soft mattress enveloped me in a comforting embrace. Silence filled the room, broken only by the rhythmic rasp of my breathing. My mind, however, refused to succumb to sleep so easily. It replayed the scenes of the afternoon like a worn-out film reel. The warmth in Molly's eyes as she introduced Leo, a man radiating a quiet confidence that felt… decent. A decent guy for Molly, I reassured myself. Finally, she seemed genuinely happy, a lightness in her step I hadn't seen in a while. Seeing Molly so happy, felt good. It has been ages since she was this happy. Leo is a nice guy. 

Then came the flicker of unease that settled in my gut – Leo's reaction when his brother was mentioned. A brief jolt in his eyes, a hesitation so subtle it might have gone unnoticed by anyone else. But with the hypervigilance that had become a part of me, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Was it just my paranoia? Or was there more to Leo's brother than met the eye? Gosh, I hope not. I hope he's not a criminal of some sort.

The image of a man in a dark suit, eyes filled with cold fury, flashed through my mind. A nightmare from a life I was trying to outrun. Pushing the memory back with a shudder, I forced myself to focus on the present. Leo wasn't that man, I told myself. There was no reason to suspect him. He seemed to care for Molly, and that was all that mattered.

Yet, a sliver of doubt remained, a nagging worry that refused to be silenced. With a sigh, I rolled onto my side, willing sleep to claim me. I clung desperately to the hope that Molly's happiness wasn't built on a foundation of sand. As sleep finally drifted over me, I silently prayed that my intuition was wrong, and that the decent guy facade Leo presented was more than just a mask.

I guess this is my sleeping routine, worrying about something or the other until sleep pulls me over to the other side. Gosh, when will I get better?

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