He makes a loud grunt sound like he wasn’t expecting that. “What’re you doing?” he asks as I roll off him.
“Going to sleep,” I mock.
“This is my bed down here. Go back up there.”
I shake my head, and then he’s picking me up like I weigh nothing. “Dylan!” I squeal. “Put me down!”
“Okay,” he says, dropping me on the bed.
I wrap my legs around his waist and pull him toward me. His hands fall on either side of my head like he’s catching himself from falling. I widen my eyes at the weight of him.
“Shit,” he breathes.
It’s too dark in here, so I can’t really make out his features, but I know how good-looking he is this close.
“Don’t sleep on the ground, please.”
He rolls to my side and grunts, “Fine.”
I smile, enjoying the tiny win. We settle under the blanket at a safe distance from each other. His pillow is fluffy, so I snuggle my face into it. It feels so nice to be cuddled up on this bed. It smells like him, and I realize now that I’m inhaling his scent, not minding it.
The silence that falls over us is comfortable, but my thoughts are loud. I don’t know if I’ll ever sleep in this bed ever again, or if I’ll ever go to another college party, or if I’ll keep training Dylan. And the more my mind races, the more I think I’m going to miss this version of myself. It’s so silly because it’s only been a month, but this sliver of my life spent with Dylan has shown me another side of myself. I like the person that I am when he’s around. I like how he makes me feel, and when these moments are over, I know I’ll crave this feeling forever.
“I wish someone had told me how much life changes. I wish I had been more in the moment during those times. I wish I had taken more pictures––”
He chuckles. “That’s literally your job. You have your entire life online.”
I shake my head, smiling. “I know it seems that way, but I don’t. I wish I appreciated it more, you know?”
“Yeah,” he murmurs. I see the shadow of his face turn to me. “What do you want to take pictures of?”
I almost smile, feeling a tinge of sadness that I have zero pictures at Rocky’s parties and that Dylan and I only have the few sneaky ones at the gym and on my couch.
The room falls silent, and it feels almost like melancholy. I frown, knowing that this too shall pass.
He grabs his phone from the nightstand and taps a few things, and the next thing I know, there’s a flash on my face.
I extend my arm and grab his phone. “That’s not what I meant, Dylan.”
“No?”
I chew my lip. “No.”
“Fine,” he sighs. “Come here.” He pulls me under his arm, turns the front camera to us, and takes a photo. I smile, waiting for the flash. After the second flash, I release my hold on him.
He looks at the photo and says, “Is this what you meant?”
I look up at him. My nose accidentally touches his cheek. Suddenly, his breath is on mine. Then another flash, and I erupt into laughter. The second flash catches me throwing my head back while his lips graze my cheek.
“Dylan,” I warn, still giggling.
“Moo,” he whispers. “I’ll put my phone on the ceiling to record us falling asleep.”
My head spins while my laughter dies. I think he’s serious. “The two pics will do,” I mutter.
He pulls me into his chest and presses his lips against my hair. “Good night, Ce.”
I wrap my arms around his torso. “Sweet dreams, Dilly.”
