"Me too," I said, and meant it.
We fell asleep tangled together, and I didn't dream about sabotage or secrets or all the ways this could still go wrong.I just slept, deeply and peacefully, for the first time since I'd arrived in this country.
CHAPTER 15
Archie
Iwoke to sunlightfiltering through silk curtains and Betty's hair spread across my chest like dark silk.
For a moment I just lay there, listening to her breathe, feeling the rise and fall of her ribs against my side.She was sprawled across me like she owned the space, one leg hooked over mine, her hand resting on my stomach.Possessive, even in sleep.
My wife.
The thought came with less guilt this morning.Less like a political arrangement and more like something I wanted to be true in every sense of the word.
She stirred, making a small noise that might have been protest at consciousness, and burrowed closer.I ran my fingers through her hair, and she hummed contentedly without opening her eyes.
"Morning," I said.
"No."
"It's almost nine."
"Still no."
"You have Italian lessons at ten."
"Tell the Italians I died.Very tragic.They'll understand."
I laughed, and she finally cracked one eye open to glare at me.
"You're annoyingly cheerful for someone who kept me up half the night."
"You didn't seem to mind at the time."
"At the time I was too distracted by your abs to make good decisions."She traced lazy circles on my stomach."In the cold light of morning, I'm realizing those good decisions included approximately zero hours of sleep."
