Cee.

“You haven’t been sleeping.”

We were at an impasse. Josiah was no longer buying the excuses of “my brain not turning off” or “couldn’t get comfortable” as reasons for my bout of insomnia. While my sleeping pattern has always been irregular it has been constant. Now I was lucky if I slept for three hours straight and had essentially become a zombie over these last few weeks. While I knew the reason for it, I felt like I’d be disappointing him if I revealed what it was. So I didn’t but the way his jaw was currently set let me know my time was running out on that option.

“Am I ever really asleep at this hour?” I tried to joke. The dry stare he gave back let me know amused he was not. I sunk further into the pillow I was lying on trying to hide most of my face. It made the dark circles under my eyes more noticeable on camera. I moved it back up.

“Amara,” he sighed out.

“Yes?” I replied, meekness laced throughout my tone.

“Do you intend to continue being difficult about this?” he asked with a raised brow, leaning forward in the chair he was sitting in to push his face in the camera. I dropped my gaze from his, fingers toying with the edge of my sheet.