‘Good to know,’ she murmurs.‘They do say practice makes perfect.’
Grinning, I pull her towards me and reclaim her mouth.
After spending another hour at the lookout, it becomes too cold to stay any longer.
I still feel wide awake when we get home, despite how late it’s getting.To be fair, I have a pretty terrible sleep schedule.Late nights aren’t uncommon for me.Nora fights off a yawn as we make our way upstairs.
‘You’re probably tired, but I think I’m going to watch a movie, if you want to join,’ I say.I could easilynotwatch a movie, but I want an excuse to prolong this night even more, simply because I’m enjoying her company so much.
She looks up at me in surprise.‘You really are a night owl, huh?’
I shrug.‘Yeah.I’ve always been like this.’
Yawning once again, she offers a one-shouldered shrug.‘Sure.A movie sounds good.I must warn you though, I have a terrible habit of not making it through movies.And at this time of the night?There’s no chance I’ll see it through.’
‘My choice it is then.’
She goes to turn at the top of the stairs and I clear my throat.Glancing over her shoulder, I jerk a thumb down the hall.
‘My room.’
A blush darkens her cheeks.‘Oh.’
‘If you’re comfortable with that, of course.’
‘That’s fine, I’ll just likely fall asleep.’
I attempt to look nonchalant.‘I don’t mind.’
Our gaze is heated as it connects.Slowly, she nods, following me down the hall.After we both use the bathroom and brush our teeth, I crawl into bed.It feels nice having someone join me.
I scroll through Netflix and pick whatever is trending.Settling back into my pillows, I glance over at Nora.After a beat, she wriggles over to me, resting her cheek on my chest.
She doesn’t even make it through the first scene.
I thread my fingers through her hair, enjoying how she nestles into me, warm and soft.
‘Goodnight, Nora,’ I whisper, pressing my lips to her hair.‘Sweet dreams.’
11
NORA
I JOLT AWAKE.
My blurry eyes are disorientated as I sit up, staring around an unfamiliar dark room, trying to decipher where I am.Short, fast pants of breath draw my attention to the man beside me, and I recall the last few hours.The shock of it hardly registers as concern climbs up my throat.
Zayden’s chest rises and falls as he twists in the sheets, a sheen of sweat covering his forehead.I blink at him, frozen, unsure of what to do.The grunts coming from him make it seem like he is in pain.
My fingers twitch, the urge to reach for him almost overtaking me, but I pause, afraid I might scare him.
Zayden’s eyes are screwed shut as he struggles to catch his breath, tossing and turning, his leg bucking against mine.My pulse jackhammers but I’m still unsure whether to intervene or let him ride it out.
The room is alarmingly dark, but I can just make out a glimpse of his face from the glow of the monitor lights on the wi-fi router in the corner of his room.
Holding my breath, I slowly reach out, touching my fingers to his arm.He jerks his arm back, eyes snapping open and I retreat, scooting to the edge of the bed in case he accidentally swings an arm at me.He doesn’t, though, and looks around as if unaware wherehe is.The room is so dark, it’s easy to feel a little lost.I don’t know what time it is, but I imagine it’s the early hours of the morning.
‘Zayden?’I whisper, hoping that he hasn’t forgotten that I’m here.
