Page 16 of Counting the Stars

“Nope.” He makes the best pillow ever.

“Me neither.” He wraps his arms around me. “Get some rest. The sunrise will wake us up.”

9

Alex

Best. Night. Ever.I try to stretch out my legs to no avail. I’ve slept in my car many times before. I love the serenity and fresh air. But this is the first time I’ve had to share this space with someone and it’s a little cramped. I’m not complaining. I had Gabby all to myself for the entire night.

Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time Gabby and I have slept together, and I do mean slept, nothing else. About a year ago, when Aly was still living in 312, the girls’ condo flooded. It took weeks for Gabby’s and Aly’s rooms to be repaired. Aly stayed with Jax while Gabby and I shared my bed. For the first few weeks, we worked on opposite schedules. We barely saw each other, only passing by on our way in and out of work. But then the final week happened and we ended up in bed together for three days. Gabby was horrified when she realized she had to sleep with me. She even tried putting a barrier of pillows between us. I was a total gentleman the whole time, but Gabby? Let’s just say she woke me up in a compromising position. She swears she was asleep and not aware of what wasgoing on, but I still like to bring up the topic every now and then. She’s so cute when she blushes.

Tilting my head, I try to get a better look at Gabby, who’s currently bundled up in a blanket and still sleeping soundly on my chest. I hope she remembers where she is when she wakes up or this could get awkward. I know she won’t be asleep for much longer. The sun is starting to peek up over the trees.

“Rise and shine,” I whisper into her ear.

“Five more minutes,” she mumbles into my chest.

God, I could get used to this.

“But then you’ll miss the sunrise.”

That gets her going. She lifts her head and rubs her eyes. “It’s morning already?”

“Mm-hmm.” I’m relieved she didn’t freak out after realizing she wasn’t in her bed.

“I feel like I slept for days.” She sits up and scoots back to look at me.

“I told you I had a remedy.”

“That you did.” She tilts her head up with wide eyes. “It’s beautiful.”

I swivel around just in time to see a kaleidoscope of yellow and orange hues swirling over the treetops. The view never gets old.

“I like watching the sunrise. It’s a reminder that each day has a new beginning.”

“I never thought of it like that,” she says softly while keeping her focus on the sky. We stay quiet as the sun continues to rise. When nature’s show is over, she turns to me. “What do we do now?”

“Hmm.” I hop out of the back of my car and begin cleaning up the blankets. “I was thinking we could go to Portside Perks for a caramel coconut cold brew. Oof!” I take a step back asGabby catches me off guard by leaping and throwing her arms around my neck. “I take that as a yes?”

“Yes!” She beams and unhooks her arms from around me. I study her for a moment. Something looks different about her. There’s a lightness to her features, and I realize that until today, I’ve never seen her genuinely happy.

***

I head down the hallway to our condo’s laundry room, balancing my overflowing basket of dirty clothes and trying not to leave a trail of socks and underwear in my wake. Work has been brutal lately. Talk of our captain leaving and who’s up for the job has been nonstop. I’m not too concerned about the change in hierarchy. What I’m more focused on is the potential opportunity for me to move up in the ranks. If a new captain is hired internally, then a lieutenant position will be up for grabs. Is that something I’m ready for? I’m sure my parents would scoff at the idea, but I can’t make life decisions based on what makes them happy. I tried and nearly lost myself in the process.

I let out a sigh and look down at the basket of laundry I’m holding. One thing I do know for sure is that if I don’t get these washed, I’ll be walking around in my birthday suit pretty soon. I don’t mind much, but apparently there are rules about public nudity and stuff.

The scent of detergent and dryer sheets hits my nose as I push through the door of our condo’s laundry room. It’s funny how I can still wrack up a pile of dirty clothes when I avoid wearing them so much. As I lift open the lid to the washer, I see Gabby hauling a netted bag of laundry.

“Hey, baby girl!” I jog to hold the door open for her. “Looks like we had the same idea.”

“Oof.” She heaves a large bag of laundry onto a table. “How is it possible that we work the wackiest hours and yet still manage to be off at the same time?”

“Must be fate.” I wink. I’ve wondered that myself. Lately, our schedules seem to be in sync with each other.

“I don’t believe in fate.” She begins throwing a heap of dark clothes into one of the washers.

“Why not? It worked for Aly and Jax.”

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