Page 152 of When The Night Falls

‘I’m fine, why?’

‘Your heart’s beating so fast.’

‘Well, I’m not used to this yet – being allowed to hold you.’ He paused. ‘Feels a bit surreal.’

I hadn’t thought anything could manage it, but hearing that brought a genuine grin to my mouth. Wrapping my arm and leg over him, I kissed his chest.

‘It does, but it also feels completely right,’ I said.

He tensed against me. ‘I’m glad to hear that,’ he said and dropped a kiss on my head. ‘I agree.’

I closed my eyes, soothed by his embrace. My thoughts quieted, the tension in my chest abated. All my muscles relaxed as I mellowed against his warm body. Finally I could breathe freely again. I inhaled deeply, relishing his pleasant scent and the peace I felt. His hand roamed up and down my back, stroking me gently.

‘Are you falling asleep?’ he asked after a while, his voice so soft it would suit a lullaby.

‘Yeah,’ I whispered drowsily.

He kissed my head again. ‘Good.’

I gave his chest a lazy peck. ‘Good night, darling.’

‘Good night, sweetheart.’

25 | come with me

A familiar scent was the first thing I noticed. It whispered his name in the air around me, tempting me to wake up to a reality that was even better than my dreams. Slowly, I opened my eyes. Darkness shrouded his figure, and I noticed the surrounding silence.

My instinct was to wake him; to thank him for believing me last night; to apologise for the mistakes I had made; but when I saw the calm motion of his bare chest, expanding and deflating with his quiet breaths, I could tell he was fast asleep.

I snuggled closer and brushed my lips across the soft skin on the side of his chest, leaving a trail of feather-light kisses. When he stirred, I jerked away, worried I had woken him. Turning onto his side, he continued to sleep peacefully, and I owed him a moment of it – of peace. After leaving a last tender kiss of good morning on his back, I climbed carefully out of bed and went to the bathroom to have a shower.

As I sauntered into the kitchen later, I was grateful to see that Jason had already tidied the flat. I was also grateful to see that nobody had decided to sleep here. After last night, I was not in the mood to entertain any guests other than William.

I was sitting at the kitchen table, eating cereal, when Jason came in wearing a pair of navy boxers.

‘Morning,’ he greeted, groggy.

‘Morning.’

‘William still asleep?’

‘Yeah.’

While pouring himself a glass of water, he shook his head. ‘Listen, I’m seriously sorry about last night. Had I expected you to bring Aaron home with you, I would have refused to host poker night – or at least I would have warned you about it. But I didn’t think it mattered since you and Will had already agreed to meet up.’

‘It’s all right.’

Turning toward me, he wrinkled his nose. ‘I heard you fell out with Aaron.’

‘Will told you?’

‘Yeah.’

Sighing, I raised a spoonful of cereal to my mouth. ‘Then I suppose he also told you about my text.’

‘He did.’

I lowered the spoon again. ‘I really messed up, Jason.’

---