twenty-nine
Harper
SO FULL.
When my eyes opened again, it was morning, and once again the room was far brighter than it should have been.
Panic seized my chest, because while I wasn’tofficiallyrequired to work from the office over the weekend, it was now Monday, and Ineededto be there already.
“Fuck!” I cursed, whipping the blankets back as I scrambled out of bed, almost slipping as I raced to my wardrobe to get dressed.
Benny groaned, his arm patting the bed beside him as he searched for me while still half asleep. When he couldn’t find me, one eye opened to look around until he spotted me yanking clothes from their hangers out of my wardrobe.
With my pants pulled on and my shirt half buttoned, I grabbed my phone to call Matthew, wondering why he’d not woken me when I hadn’t met him at the car this morning.
I unlocked it to find there was already a text waiting for me.
Matthew
I’ve told your father that you’re violently ill.
I slumped, relief smoothing over my anxiety. I should have known Matthew would have covered for me.
And what did he say?
I replied, padding back over to the bed to flop on top of Benny, breathing in his warm scent like it was my personal anti-anxiety medication. His hand rubbed my back soothingly.
“Alright?” His deep rumbly voice calmed me further.
“I slept in again.”
“What time is it?”
“Just after nine.”
He hummed.
My phone buzzed.
Matthew
He said you can work from home.
Of course he did. No days off in hell.
I dropped my phone on the bed and snuggled back into Benny, who had apparently already drifted back off to sleep.
Just five more minutes wouldn’t hurt.
After we’d had sex for the first time on Saturday, Benny had carried me to the shower, and I’d let him. Then he’d carried me to the kitchen to hand-feed me dinner.
Food tasted different when it came from his hands.
He insisted on dessert as well, and though I hadn’t wanted it, he’d looked at me with those big brown puppy dog eyes. So how could I refuse?
Then we’d watched a movie. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d turned the TV in the living room on. I fell asleep with Benny as my pillow and the blanket Matthew gave me draped over us, and I didn’t wake up until Sunday morning. I hadn’t remembered Benny carrying me to bed.
I’d never slept so much in one weekend in all my life.
