"Yeah, like I say ... we met in college back when we were sixteen, seventeen. I think I was the Year above her." Sean turns his head to look at Laurie. "What year were you born, Laur?"

"Nineteen-fifty-nine," Laurie answers. "I'm twenty-nine, almost thirty."

"Thought so," Sean says. "Mike and I were born in fifty-eight."

"So, what did you study in college ... all those years ago?" Michael asks Laurie.

"I studied English Literature. And honestly? I don't remember much of it," she admits. "Just a whole bunch of Shakespeare and shit like that. I suppose it helped me with my writing, a little bit."

"Interesting." Michael nods knowingly, but it is merely a façade for his nerves. "So, what do you currently do? Anything related to English at all?"

"To be honest, I have a pretty dead-end job at the moment. I write a little on the side, but it's just a hobby for me at the moment." She heaves a soft sigh, preparing to keep her justification brief. "I've not had much time to pursue being an author yet. Life has gotten in the way."

"Yeah, life tends to do that for me too," Michael answers. "But at least you have a job. I've got to start looking for one tomorrow."

"How long have you been in England for?" Laurie asks.

"He arrived today," Sean responds on Michael's behalf. "He's only been here for a few hours, now."

"So what actually brought you to England?" Laurie makes sure to direct her question at Michael, so that her friend knows not to interrupt this time. "Get bored of The States after the breakup?"

Michael's demeanour shifts, exposing his apprehensiveness on discussing the subject. "Something like that, I guess."

She picks up on his uncertain body language. "Sensitive subject?"

"Maybe a little," Michael confesses. "Maybe one day, I'll be able to talk about it more openly."

"Hey, mate, there's no rush to give me your entire life story." Laurie laughs lightly, to bring the tone of the conversation up a notch. "We've known each other for a couple of hours. You don't owe me anything."

Her sheer confidence still bewilders Michael, even if he knows it shouldn't. A headstrong lady is admirable, dare he say even desirable, though he acknowledges that Laurie doesn't quite seem to be his type of woman romantically. Realistically speaking, platonic friendship seems to most plausible between the pair of them by this stage.

She doesn't show much emotion, and that is what Michael truly craves; a deep connection with an unfaltering sense of trust, paired with a heartfelt passion that radiates effortlessly even through the difficult times. The colour in the darkness. The red versus the black.

A tiny creak from the living room door cuts through the silence that has fallen among the three of them, and in reaction, the three pairs of eyes flit to the source of the sound. The sweet eyes of Michael's child peep through the small gap he's made.

"Case?" Michael says, in a hushed voice. "What are you doin' awake, buddy? It's real late, now."

"I woke up and you weren't sleeping there with me," Casey explains, with an obvious croaking due to fatigue. He opens the door a little wider; just enough for Michael to spot the tears pooling at his lower lash lines.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Case. I left the room because I didn't want to wake you up again. I didn't want to leave you." Michael stands up from his spot on the sofa, approaching his overwhelmed son. He kneels down to his level, offering him a hug to calm him. "Did you wake up because we were being too loud down here?"

"No," Casey answers. "I think I just woke up for no reason."

"Alright. Well, let's get you back to sleep, shall we?" Michael rises from his knelt position, before turning to face Laurie and Sean. "Sorry guys, I'm gonna have to call it a night so that little man can get some rest. It isn't fair on him, to keep waking up."

"Oh, that's a shame," Sean says. "We were having a nice conversation, too."

"I know, man, but needs must. I'd have loved to stay down here with you guys, but ... this is what you sign up for when you decide to have a child. It's my priority." Michael's attention averts to Casey. "Casey, say goodnight to Uncle Sean and Laurie."

"Why don't I get him to sleep?" Laurie asks. "I don't mind, if you want to stay down here a little longer."

The suggestion leaves Michael feeling taken aback.

Why would a stranger want to put his son to bed?

Does she not realise how hard it is to achieve the result of a sleeping child if she's inexperienced with kids?

Why would she offer to do it for someone she barely knows?

Could she even manage it?

After a pause to contemplate the decision, he speaks up. "Uh, I mean ... it's fine, honestly. But thank you, anyway."

"It's nothing," Laurie replies, turning her attention to the boy. "You alright, sweetheart?"

Casey nods bashfully, tucking himself behind his father's legs to hide himself partially. "Yes, ma'am."

"What did Daddy say your name was?" Laurie asks.

He slowly senses that the stranger is harmless, so his tenseness eases just a little. "Casey."

"Casey, hey? What a great name. My name is Laurie." She picks herself up off the sofa, to venture nearer to him. "I'm one of Uncle Sean's friends from school. I could tell you plenty of silly stories from when we were younger."

"Can you tell me a story?" Casey questions, seemingly more comfortable with Laurie than his father is.

"Well, how about I strike you a deal, Casey?" Laurie proposes, smiling at the child. "How about, if I tell you a silly story about Uncle Sean from when we were younger, you'll be a good boy for your daddy and go to sleep right after?"

Casey nods, agreeing. "Okay."

Michael observes the exchange in surprise, unsure of how the situation is going to play out. He quickly makes eye contact with Sean, who seems to have faith in his college friend. Michael decides to let his guard down, opening his mind to the idea of Laurie helping out with putting his son to bed.

"Come and sit on the sofa with me, darling." Laurie extends her arm out, inviting Casey to take her hand. He accepts, wrapping his miniature fingers around her forefinger as she leads him over to the seat. She sits down first, placing a scatter cushion on her lap for Casey to rest his head against. "So, you want stories about Uncle Sean, eh?"

"Yeah I do." Casey can't help but giggle in anticipation. "Please."

"Alright." Laurie chuckles at the boy's enthusiasm, before beginning to talk. "So, quite a few years ago, Uncle Sean and myself were in college together. That's where we met and became friends. We were on lunch break together with some of our other friends, eating and talking and laughing. One of our friends — his name was Jason — he had been eating a banana as part of his lunch. Do you know what he did?"

Casey shakes his head, unsure. "What did he do?"

"He finished the banana, and he grabbed the peel, and he smashed it right into Uncle Sean's face!" She dramatically throws her hand into her face and recreates the noise of the impact, simulating the actions she describes in the story.

Casey looks up at her, erupting into a fit of laughter at her animated movements and comedic sound effects. Michael watches the interaction, admittedly mildly amused at both the story and Casey's reaction to it. He just hopes that his son's apparent liveliness will die down soon, to enable him to go back to sleep.

After a few more minutes of brief stories about Sean, and plenty more bouts of hysterics from the young boy, Michael decides to intervene.

"Okay, Case, it's bed time." Michael walks over to the sofa, gently tapping on his shoulder to earn his attention. "Come on, please."

The distraction of his persistent dad cuts Casey's childish glee short. He glances at Laurie as he sits himself up, hoping silently that she will protest on his behalf despite the agreement they came to previously.

"Go on, sweetheart. Go to bed with Daddy," Laurie says to him. "I kept my part of the deal, so now it's time to keep your part."

Casey frowns, saddened that Laurie has taken the side of his father. "Okay."

As the boy shuffles off the sofa, Michael encourages him to bid farewell to his friends. "Say goodnight to Uncle Sean and Laurie, Casey."

Casey's brows contort as he forlornly looks over at them both in turn. "Goodnight Uncle Sean. Goodnight Lorry."

Laurie attempts to stifle her laughter at the mispronunciation of her name. "Goodnight, Casey."

"Goodnight, bud," Sean adds.

Michael waves at his friends, as he leads Casey out of the living room for the final time of the evening. He sneaks a glance at his son, noticing that he is now wide awake rather than tired out from the long day he's had. He isn't sure whether to be frustrated at Laurie for provoking the boy's burst of energy, or thankful that she convinced Casey to go to bed. He decides to drop the subject from his mind, instead focusing on wearing Casey out.

• • •

Through drooping eyes, Michael checks the time on the digital clock next to the mattress. The red numbers burn through the pitch-blackness of the room.

03:38AM.

His woozy gaze falls upon Casey, who is still awake by his side. After hours of unsuccessful attempts at sleeping, Michael is fighting to stay awake himself. He knows he can't leave Casey alone, but keeping his eyes open is nothing short of torture for his exhausted self.

"Please go to sleep, buddy ... " His delicate voice slurs, as he feels himself drifting off again. He catches himself in the act, startling himself back awake. "Casey, Daddy is super tired. Please close your eyes and try to sleep for me ... "

A quiet knock on the bedroom door causes both Michael and Casey to jump. Michael forces himself up from the bed, trudging over to see who's on the other side. The light spills into the room as he opens the door wider; Michael's eyes struggle to adjust to the bright yellow light from the hallway, so he squints to see Laurie looking back at him.

She takes a moment to observe the man before her — the black curls pulled back into a messy ponytail with sporadic locks flying in every direction; the dishevelled, uncouth demeanour; the puffed-up eyes from lack of sleep — and she can't help but find it endearing that a man would show himself to her in such a vulnerable state.

"I heard you talking, so I knew you were still awake," she explains. "I just came to say goodbye, because I'm going home, now."

Michael's mind is incapable of forming a coherent thought, so his response is rather careless. "I see."

"Is he still awake, too?" Laurie asks. "Do you want me to try and get him to sleep?"

"By this point, I'll take anything," Michael answers. "Please."

She nods, following him back into the bedroom. Taking the spot next to Casey, she speaks to him no louder than a whisper. "Hey, sweetheart. I'm going to be leaving soon, but I wanted to say goodbye to you first."

Casey's expression gives away his disappointment. "Are you gonna come back?"

"I will come back and see you as much as I can," Laurie assures him. "But only if you go to sleep like a good boy, now. Daddy is extremely tired, and he has a very important day tomorrow. But the problem is, he can't go to sleep until you've gone to sleep."

Casey looks to his father, seeking reassurance that he hasn't done anything wrong. Michael offers a mellow smile, not wanting to upset his beloved son when the night has already dragged on far too long.

"Laurie is going to help you get to sleep," Michael says.

Laurie reaches her arm over, using her fingers to gently graze over the boy's hair, stroking the curled strands to soothe him. Michael watches, trying to trust that Laurie knows what she is doing. She starts to hum a nameless tune, and after a few minutes, Michael is stunned to find that Casey is gradually falling into a slumber once again. It isn't instant, and it doesn't come without him stirring a handful of times, but finally he eases into a peaceful sleep, leaving Michael relieved.

Laurie continues her technique for a short while after she hears the soft snoring below her, then slowly lifts herself away from him to avoid disturbing him. She tiptoes back over to the bedroom door, exiting the room, but Michael feels the need to follow her so he can talk to her.

"Thank you so much," he says, sighing from a combination of gratitude and of fatigue. "I really appreciate you doing that."

"It's nothing," Laurie replies. "I used to do it with my friend's kids. I think it's a sensory thing."

"Well, I really appreciate it regardless." Michael smiles at her, so tired by now, that he doesn't feel any nerves at all around her.

"Look ... get yourself to bed, now. You look like you could do with it," Laurie teases. "It was great meeting you. And Casey, of course. How come you hadn't mentioned you had a son before he came downstairs?"

"I guess it just didn't come up in conversation," Michael answers. "But you should be getting home, anyway. It was nice meeting you. How are you getting home?"

"Oh, I drive. No biggie." Laurie grabs her car keys from her pocket, spinning the metal ring of the keychain on her finger. "I'll see you again soon, Michael."

"Yes. See you soon."

As she disappears down the stairs and out of sight, Michael plods back to the mattress in his room, dropping down onto it clumsily by Casey's side. Within minutes, he too nods off for the night.

• • •

Chapter three! Hope you enjoyed. xx