He Sees You When You're Sleeping by Sara Dobie Bauer

Author:Sara Dobie Bauer [Dobie Bauer, Sara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-12-09T18:00:00+00:00

Although Jack asked Kris to stop watching him, Kris didn’t listen. As soon as he “left” Jack’s apartment the next morning—while Jack went off to work—Kris walked right back inside and sat on Jack’s couch, just waiting. Christmas Eve was in two days, and Kris knew how long Christmas Eve would take. He wanted to be close to Jack as much as possible.

Kris suspected Jack knew he was there because as soon as Jack walked in from work at 6:45 PM, he paused in the doorframe with one snowy boot in and one snowy boot out. His studied the space with eyes squinted. Then, he sighed and walked on in before toeing out of his soaking wet boots and slipping into a pair of worn navy blue slippers he kept by the front door.

He tossed his bag on the kitchen counter, full—Kris knew—of reports from social workers and his computer. Another night of working from home then. Jack warmed up leftover macaroni and cheese and broiled a hot dog in the oven before cutting it into pieces and stirring it in with the creamy noodles. Jack turned on the TV and sat right next to Kris on the couch, although he showed no additional trepidation. Perhaps he thought Kris had really gone.

When Jack’s eyes started wilting halfway through an episode of Law & Order, he set his empty bowl on the coffee table and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. He forlornly glanced at the bag on the counter before muttering, “Fuck work,” and returning his dishes to the kitchen.

Kris was accustomed to Jack’s usual before bed routine, starting with distracted teeth brushing, scrubbing away grit and grime as his brain rewound the day. Although Kris had considered Jack’s crooked childhood teeth charming, he also liked them now, straight and white.

After the preoccupied brushing, Jack washed his face with a black bar of soap. The suds turned blue on his skin before he rinsed them down the drain. He finished by applying a light orange cream all over his face. Whatever store-bought magic he employed, it worked, as Jack’s skin always glowed clear and bright.

He would then use the facilities, turn out the bathroom light, and amble to his bed, where he stored his discarded pajamas under his pillow every morning to await the night.

That night, though, he didn’t reach for his pajamas. He tugged a green Polo over his head and tossed it on the rocking chair he kept in the corner. A rocking chair that was already covered in other articles of clothing. Kris knew Jack reused clothes if they still smelled clean, so why put them back in a closet or drawer? Jack unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans and pulled everything off in one go: the jeans, his boxers, and even his slippers and socks while Kris watched from the doorway.

Jack pulled the covers down and sprawled on his back down the center of the bed without pulling the covers back up. The lamp from his bedside stand painted the room in a pleasant shade of light gold.

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