“We’re both adults and it’s only for one night. Let’s just both take the bed. I trust you,” Brooke smiled. She reached out a hand to quickly pat Drew’s arm.
There was something about the words that hit Drew in the heart. I trust you. Drew turned the sentence over in her mind. She checked her phone and saw that it was past midnight.
“You’re right. Let’s get some sleep. Hopefully the landlord can fix the plumbing tomorrow.”
Each step towards the bedroom felt like a mile. Drew scrolled through how clean she thought her room was. She’d done her laundry, but had it been folded and put away? Her eyesfell on Brooke in her pink pajamas. Drew’s heart leapt into her throat. Was she really about to sleep next to Brooke all night long? Brooke’s pajamas were adorable but the way she filled them out was enough to make Drew’s heart race.
Drew breathed a tiny sigh of relief when she opened her bedroom door and found the room cleaner than she remembered. She watched as Brooke’s eyes scanned the room.
“Your room is cuter than I expected,” Brooke smiled.
“And what exactly were you expecting?” Drew asked with a grin.
Brooke walked to the bed and grabbed a fluffy pink pillow. She hugged the pillow tight to her chest grinning at Drew.
“I guess I was expecting more black and less pink,” Brooke chuckled.
“I wear black because I look good in it. We can’t all pull off pink,” Drew laughed and gestured to Brooke’s pajamas. A slight blush swept across Brooke’s cheeks.
Drew tried to slow down her stampeding heart. She could feel herself being sucked back into Brooke’s orbit. She’d been trying so hard to stay away ever since their kiss. The more she tried to stay away from Brooke, the more insistent life seemed to be about keeping them together. Forever in the same orbit. In line with one another, but never able to move any closer.
“Which side of the bed do you usually take?” Brooke asked.
“The right side,” Drew answered. She watched as Brooke walked to the left side of the bed. She placed Pearl on the top comforter before pulling the sheets back and climbing into the bed.
This was a dream; Drew was certain of it. At any moment she was going to wake up, and Brooke would be safely tucked into her own bed across the hallway. These sorts of things didn’t happen in real life. This kind of situation was reserved for the romance novels that her mother read. Yet here was Brooke settling in under Drew’s covers. Brooke patted the spot in the bed next to herself.
“You coming?” Brooke teased. Drew’s mind exploded into a thousand different directions.
“Yep, I’m on my way,” Drew managed to say. She slid into the bed next to Brooke and lay her head down on the pillow. The scent of Brooke’s perfume filled the space between them, as if Drew were suddenly in a meadow full of wildflowers.
“You smell really good,” Brooke said as if she was sharing a similar experience to Drew’s.
“Thanks. I just bought a new cologne.”
“It’s very earthy. I like it,” Brooke smiled at Drew from her pillow.
“Thanks. You smell great too. It’s like laying in a field of flowers.” Drew took in a deep breath.
“Then it’s exactly what I was hoping for,” Brooke laughed.
Drew could feel a pressing weight from the moment. There were simultaneously a million things she wanted to say, and nothing at all to say.
“Well, goodnight. We should probably get some sleep,” Drew said. She reached over and clicked the light off. Next to her she could feel Brooke moving around, getting settled in for the night.
Drew was pretty sure she wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight. She rolled over and shuddered as her arm grazed Brooke’s arm.
“Sorry,” Drew apologized.
“Don’t be. We’re bound to bump into each other sharing a bed,” Brooke yawned and turned over facing the opposite direction.
If Brooke was having any similar reservations about sharing a bed, it didn’t show. Brooke seemed perfectly at ease with the situation before them. Drew wouldn’t be surprised if Brooke could hear her heartbeat through the darkness. The tiny organ pounded so hard that Drew could feel it in her ears.
There was something about Brooke. No matter how angry Brooke made Drew, she couldn’t seem to turn her back on the woman. There was something about Brooke that always brought her closer. Drew wondered if there was a name for that feeling. The moment when her head wanted to run but her heart wanted to snuggle closer. The contradiction living inside of her was enough to make Drew feel even more off balance. She took in a breath as quietly as she could then closed her eyes. Every shift in movement from Brooke was an unsteady reminder that she wasn’t alone.
Drew’s mind was not her friend. She couldn’t help flashback to the night of their kiss. She remembered how Brooke’s lips had found her own. The moment was frozen in her memory. Their mouths had fit perfectly together, until Brooke had pulled away. Brooke had brought her in, then pushed her away just as quickly. Now they were in bed together. How was she supposed to sleep lying next to freaking Brooke in her pink pajamas?
They hadn’t spoken since the kiss, mostly because Drew had avoided Brooke at all costs. What was worse was that having Brooke around never felt bad. There was an ease to their interactions. Drew couldn’t allow herself to be lured in. She couldn’t let her heart fall. Not when Brooke was so unpredictable. She liked Drew tonight, but Brooke could decide she hated her in the morning. One moment they were flying high together, the next Brooke couldn’t stand her. No, her heart would be safer with anyone but Brooke. Drew squeezed her eyes shut until sleep finally found her.
