Sleep Texting

{ARMANDO}

I hear a knock on my door and I hope it is not my father or Norah, she had gone to make lunch for me and I fell asleep and heard the worst nightmare, a dream which is not going to get out of my head any time soon.

"What is love?" What am I, ten?

Is my subconscious sick or what? Or is this a vision? I ask myself these questions and my eyes go wide, what if it is my mind which is trying to tell me something, something which has been hidden for a long time and it needs to be let out.

I shake my head and stand up and go to the wardrobe to get myself a shirt so I can go and see who is at the door, seriously, I might as well talk to the person at the door instead of allowing myself to think about what I was beginning to think.

What do I mean by something to be let out?

Nothing inside of me needs to be let out, in fact, I am the one who needs to go out, right?

I hear a knock again and I yell at the person at the door, "relax, I am coming."

I don't hear an answer and I decide to check on my phone, there is a text to Norah, when the hell did I text her, it says, "thanks for the food, I will come down soon, don't worry about me."

And there is another one from Mr. Jaime, "we need to talk." I read and I am shocked at what I sent back to him, "yes, Mr. Jaime. You are family and I would like to talk to you."

Seriously? Was I typing these texts to them while sleeping I swear I don't remember doing that. I just don't, there is no way I am ever going to tell anyone that I would like to talk, no day. So what happened?

"Armando!"

I turn around and look at the boy standing there with a big smile on his face, "I swear to God Arthur, I am…"

"Armando I can't wait." Arthur cut off Armando before he could finish his sentence which was going to be, "I am going to kill you."

Arthur walked to the bed and flopped on top of it, he began shouting at Armando, "oh, I have a lot of things I need to tell you." I could hear him but I decided to ignore him as I looked for a shirt to wear.

I was so focused on the shirts that I didn't even hear Arthur coming, "Armando, here. This will look good on you." Arthur says, I turn and yank the shirt out of his hand. I ask him to go wait for me in the bedroom. He says, "sure."

I look at the shirt and I can't see any wrinkles which means Sally has been making sure that all my clothes are ready for me. Those two women are the best. I start opening the buttons and I feel a touch on my back, I move, and Arthur continues touching me. "Arthur," I call him.

"What? I am admiring your body, you work out, uh?" He asks me and it is an obvious question that I don't think is a must for me to answer.

I turn and face him, "go, wait for me there."

"Fine. I like it though." Arthur said, touched me, and left. I look at my abs and I can feel tingling and in not so good way, do I need to take a shower again? What is wrong with the people in this house liking to touch me.

If it was not hugging then it was touching. I think I will have to put a sign at the door saying, "no hugging, no touching whatsoever." I can see Norah and Sally running to me and asking me if I had gone out of my head, my mother on the other end would definitely engulf me in a hug and not let me go.

Maybe I can tell them I have a contagious disease, that sounds right. Or maybe anytime they move to me, I move backward, it is not like they could continue moving closer to me, they can read in between the lines, right?

I smile, rub my stomach, and wear the shirt.

I walk to the bedroom and find Arthur, he says when he sees me, "I have been thinking, maybe I should start working out, I mean yeah, I run but I need abs like yours."

"But you have toned already, what abs do you want?" I ask him and walk to the door. He follows me, I open the door, close it and look at him. "I am sure that I locked the door, how did you get in?"

"The door was not closed, Armando," Arthur says and looked at me weirdly. I walk back to the bed and sit down, I have not even worn my shoes, did Arthur think I am going without shoes, and no wallet.

I want to ask him if he is joking with me about the door, I am hundred percent sure I locked the door. But I can't ask him because I don't even remember.

It would either go two ways, I did lock and he opened with a key, and two I did not lock and he found it open and if it is the latter then he won't stop looking at me as he is staring at me right now as if I am losing my mind.

I already have a father who thinks I need a fix in the head, so I am not going to give Arthur that idea of me forgetting shit and needing a fix.

Arthur walks away from me and comes back with a pair of shoes for me, "thank you." I tell him with a smile. "Sure," Arthur says and I can detect something in his voice, he wants to ask me something but he is finding it hard.

I wear my shoes and stand up, I pick up my wallet and put it in my pocket, I look at Arthur and inform him, "now, let's go."

"Party?" Arthur says with excitement.

"No, Arthur, where to?"

"Party pooper," Arthur says and exits my bedroom, I lock the door and I am still inside, I laugh at Arthur who is banging on the door saying that he doesn't care even if we go to a coffee shop and that he did not put on his expensive perfume to go back to sleep.

I open the door and before I can ask him again he shouts.

"Esmeralda Hotel."