“Um, hello.” I push my head into the pillows to gain distance.
He smiles. “Oh, you’re awake.”
“Yeah, now. What time is it?” I ask, my throat scratchy.
Sunlight filters in from my bedroom window casting shadows in the folds of the comforter. I hope I haven’t overslept. My body aches, so getting ready for work is sure to take me longer than normal.
“It’s solidly midmorning.”
“What?” I practically yell at him. I sit up quickly and then lie right back down just as fast. My head swims for a few seconds. “I’m going to be late.”
I push back the covers, but Grant has a solid hold and they don’t budge. “Drew warned me you’d put up a fight. He’s already called in backup for you at the center and I made you a delicious midmorning snack.”
“I’m not sick.” I pull the covers back but again they don’t move. Why does it constantly feel like he and Drew are railroading me into doing what they want?
From his expression Grant isn’t buying my not sick claim. “Clare, I came in here last night to cover you up and you didn’t so much as twitch.”
“You covered me up? Why?”
Grant shakes his head. “You do not get it, do you? I know I messed up. I’m trying to fix it and be the person I was before.”
Against my better judgment and sore throat, I laugh which instantly causes me to cough. “I’m working on ‘getting it.’ I promise.” It’s possible Grant does see where he went wrong.
“That’s all I ask. Are you still tired?”
“No.”
“Good. Let’s play.” He waves his hand at me like he wants me to move over but I don’t budge.
“Huh? I thought you said there was breakfast?” Plus, he should know everyone needs a bathroom break after waking up.
Grant laughs. “Yeah, I lied. I’ll make you lunch. Now move over.” He uses his hands and pushes me to the side, but this time I listen. “I know your kind.”
“My kind?”
He slides onto my bed pulling the covers over his lap. “Yeah, your type. Hard worker, unwilling to admit weakness.”
“That doesn’t sound like me.” It sounds exactly like me.
“You’ll sneak off as soon as I leave the room or look the other way. I figured we’ll play Dragons Reborn to keep you occupied.”
“I would not,” I say with fake indignation. I so would. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“No, I took the whole day off to stay home with you.” He leans over the edge of the bed almost falling off until I grab onto his arm to keep him steady. When he’s back on the bed like a normal person, he places a black laptop on my lap. “You left this in my room the other day.”
It’s the laptop he tried to force on me back when this whole thing started between us. I refuse to take the bait and say anything back in my defense. He knows why I left the laptop on his bed.
“You realize you are still logged in to the system?” he asks opening the top.
I shrug. “Of course. I never log out. It’s easier that way.”
Grant almost snatches the laptop back but catches himself. “You what?”
“Why would I log out? I’ll just have to log back on the next time I use it.”
“For your security.”
“I don’t have anything that needs securing on this laptop.”
