Sleep, don't weep (Hanako)

Sleep, don't weep



I awake to the darkness of a night well underway and the stifling temperature of a heater left on. I try valiantly to hold on to the remnants of my dream but it slips my mind like sand through my fingers, so I'm left with only a fuzzy head and the body lying next to me.
Not that I'm complaining. It's not the first time I've slept in the same bed as Hanako, but with every time we've managed it, it feels more and more correct, more right somehow. Like this is how it's supposed to be, and every morning I ever woke up alone seems like a wasted opportunity now.
I take in what little I can see of her there, in the dark, her fragile form beside mine. Her hair is a mess, splayed around her delicate features like a haze in the low light. I listen to the soft hush of her breathing, savoring the moment of peace that my sudden awaking has put me in.
Something in the back of my head tugs at me to close my eyes and slip back into the warm mist that threatens to envelope me. But just as I'm about to give in, Hanako's eyes flutter open in a sudden movement that catches me off guard. Her gaze is distant for only a moment, then surprised as she locks her stare with mine. It's only another moment later that her expression brightens though, to my relief.
“Hey. Fancy meeting you here.” I half-croak, half-whisper, still barely awake. Her resulting smile is contagious, but I can't help but notice the glint of something else in her eyes. Hanako is blinking back tears.
It could be anything, really. Our bodies are barely inches apart, but our minds are on the other ends of the world and drenched in sleep right now. A month ago, I would be panicked, or be afraid for her. But here, now, like this, all of that can wait.
Slowly, I brush a strand of stray hair from Hanako's face with one hand, while reaching out and pulling her closer to me with the other. She sinks into my embrace, holding onto me tightly, as if I was a lifeboat, bobbing in the vast, dark ocean.
All of that can wait.
I hold her there in my arms, feeling the warmth of her body and the soft beating of her heart. After a time, Hanako drifts back to sleep, and a few moments later, the tides wash me away as well.







“Sleep Don't Weep” is a song by Damien Rice.