‘Trouble sleeping? Me, too. I thought the movement would make it easier, like being rocked to sleep, but I guess I was wrong.’
I can feel his smile without seeing it, but that doesn’t stop me from rolling onto my side to check. We come face to sleepy face, nothing but a few inches of empty bed between us.
‘Wanna watch something? I downloaded some movies on my phone,’ he says.
‘Nah, then I’ll be up all night.’
A movie would send me straight to sleep, but the last thing I need right now is a Netflix-and-chill situation.
‘Fair enough,’ he shrugs, rolling onto his back. ‘I guess we can just talk, then.’
‘Wow, you’re like obsessed with spending time with me.’ I watch him smirk through the darkness at my joke.
‘What can I say? You’re good company,’ he says, unabashed.
Thank God for the darkness, because Noah cannot see what that small sentence did to me. Especially while we’re stuck in a bed together.
‘Are you cold? I’m cold,’ he asks, none the wiser.
I lie again. ‘I could be warmer.’ I’m burning up right now if I’m being honest. This whole situation is making me uncomfortably hot. I roll onto my back, eyes fixed on the ceiling as I focus on deep breaths in the hopes they’ll cool me down. But my change in position seems to bring us closer, our arms firmly touching as we lie side by side.
‘That’s the problem with summer, isn’t it?’ he says. ‘Outside is too hot and then inside is too cold because every building, train and plane whacks the air con up to a hundred.’
‘I don’t think air cons go up to a hundred,’ I say. Pedantic, yes, but that’s what this moment calls for. If I concentrate on his words alone, then I won’t be able to notice the way his bicep is pressed so firmly against mine.
‘When did you become an expert on air cons?’ he asks, chuckling.
‘I did four years in air-con college. Did I not tell you?’ I say, deadpanning.
His small chuckle sends a ripple through his body and knocks our arms together, sending a shiver through my whole body.
‘You should use that joke on your next date,’ he says sarcastically.
‘Yes, I’m sure they’d love it. It was absolutely hilarious.’
‘If that’s the pinnacle of your flirting, it’s a wonder you’ve made it this far.’
I grab my pillow from behind my head and whack him lightly with it, using it as the perfect excuse to create some distance. I shuffle to my left as subtly as I can without falling off the edge of the bed. If I’m not mistaken, I think I catch his eyes drop to the new slither of space between us on the mattress.
‘I’ll have you know my flirting has improved significantly, thanks,’ I brag, brushing it off.
‘I wouldn’t know.’ He pouts.
‘Jealous?’
‘Yeah, a little bit,’ he says.
My breath stills, our light to-and-fro dampening as the room fills with something thicker and heavier.
‘Noah,’ I say warningly.
‘I’m not flirting,’ he says. ‘I just think it’s a little unfair. You’ve been out here living life, and meeting people, and going places, and I haven’t even got remotely close to anything fun.’
‘You’ve been on your fair share of dates,’ I say, confused.
Believe me, I’ve noticed. I’ve sat and painstakingly observed.
‘Yeah, but...’ He pauses, chewing on his lip. ‘There’s only so much kissing a person can take.’
