When I look back at Silas, I’m met with a soft, content gaze staring right back at me.
“You good?” I ask.
He nods as his lips lift in a soft smile. “You good?”
I nod, smiling as I lean my head against his again.
“Better than good.”
THIRTY-NINE
My eyesopen to the sound of my alarm, but I don’t move to turn it off. Because I can’t. Winston is sprawled out next to me on my arm, and my phone sits on the table on the other side of the bed, out of reach.
“Turn it off,” Levi mumbles from somewhere beneath blankets and fur on Winston’s other side.
“It’s beside you,” I say, gently trying to tug my arm out from under Winston. But he doesn’t budge, continuing to snore in a deep sleep.
“Ugh.”
Levi’s hand emerges from the blankets as a vague shape in the dim early light filtering through the window, and the alarm stops. A second later, the phone drops back onto the table with a solid thud, which still doesn’t wake Winston.
“Silas.”
I look at Levi over Winston’s head, just making out the shape of him in the dark.
“It’s four fucking AM,” he says flatly.
“Mm-hm,” I answer. “Time to get up.”
Silence stretches between us, and a small smile spreads over my lips.
He never was a morning person.
A breath leaves his side of the bed in a long, annoyed exhale. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
A laugh escapes me as I finally work my arm free from under Winston, and he wakes with a snort.
“You work on a farm now. What do you expect?” I ask Levi as I sit up, and Winston immediately jumps to his feet with his tail wagging.
“I work in theofficeon a farm,” he shoots back, dragging a pillow over his face while Winston steps right over him to jump off the bed and follow me to the door.
“Ok, then,” I say with a chuckle, and I pull the door shut as I leave, expecting Levi to fall back asleep.
I flick on a lamp and let Winston outside, leaving the door open for him, and to let the fresh, cool, early summer air in. As I set the coffee to brew, I lean back against the counter and let my gaze drift across the living room where our clothes are still scattered around the couch.
I was not expecting that to happen last night. But… I fucking liked it. A lot.
I don’t have much experience with any of this, but nothing has ever felt like that before. I didn’t know what I was doing, but it didn’t matter. It was just… comfortable and easy. Even when I was nervous.
It felt… completely natural.
The coffee finishes brewing, and I turn and pour a cup. But when I turn around to go check on Winston, I immediately laugh.
Levi stands at the entrance to the kitchen in just his boxers, squinting at the dim light like even that’s too much for him right now. His dark hair sticks out in every direction, and he looks like just being upright right now is a significant challenge.
“Fuck off,” he mutters, rolling his eyes before rubbing a hand over them.
“You can go back to sleep,” I say, lifting the mug to my lips as I watch him glance over his shoulder towards the bedroom, clearly considering it.
