I sigh, rolling my eyes. “Fine,” I relent.
She smiles in triumph, grabs her bag, then hovers in the doorway before she leaves. “See you in the morning.”
I give her a fake, tight-lipped smile as she goes, then I sit on the edge of the bed, waiting for a knock from my new overnight guest.
I don’t wait long.
I get up, open the door, and barely glance at him as I give a thin-lipped smile and head back to the bed. I really am tired, and I’ve accepted this awkward turn of events.
I hear the door shut behind me as I crawl back into bed, shimmying under the covers. He watches, frozen, from just inside the door.
“You’re not sleeping naked.”
He chuckles. “Fine.”
“Well?” I glance at him sideways from the comfort of the fluffy, silky pillow. “I’m really tired. Do what you need to do so I can dim these lights.”
“You sure you’re okay with this? I can always sleep on Gaethri’s floor. I have a horrible feeling he’s a brutal snorer, though.”
I laugh. “Shut up and get to your side, please.”
He nods, then pulls his shirt over his head, exposing his abs and that thin trail of hair that leads down the middle, disappearing below his pants.
“Is this okay?” He holds his hands out in question.
“Fine.”
We make eye contact as he folds the shirt, so I turn and face the wall. I hear a little more shuffling, and then the bed jostles beside me as he lies down. There’s enough room that we’re not touching, but I can already smell his scent. The one I fear will stay with me forever.
“Goodnight, Elle,” he says in his smooth, silky tone.
My heart skips.
“Goodnight,” I whisper.
But the racing of my heart has made me suddenly… not tired. I stare at the wall with my eyes wide open.
I turn and face him. He’s lying on his side, his large bicep wrapped around the pillow, already looking at me. I can barely see the colors of his eyes in the dim light.
“I’m nervous,” I confess in a whisper.
His tongue swipes across his lips before answering. “For?”
“Everything has been too easy. We’ve been so lucky so far. I just have a really bad feeling about tomorrow…” I’ve been feeling it for a few days, but I’ve been pushing it aside. It must be a normal feeling to have before a journey like this.
“We’re exploring the unknown. That’s a normal feeling to have. You haven’t been out in the world much…”
“Are you nervous?”
“No.”
I smile. “Of course not.”
“We’ll be all right. It’s what happens after that I’m more concerned about.”
“Meaning?”
“Facing your father. How we’re going to continue to work together when we’re no longer welcome in your home.”
