Page 18 of Blame It On the Secret Santa

“What in the world are you talking about? You’re clearly the one violating theno-passzone we established with the rolled blanket last night. It was there for a reason. To keep you on your side and me on mine.”

“Yeah, and as you can tell, that didn’t work so well. Not only did you encroach on my space, you brought your barrier along with you. Look over your shoulder, and you’ll see what I mean.”

I cautiously glanced to the side and gasped in horror as I saw all of the space on the other side of the bed where I was supposed to be sleeping. I propped myself on my elbow and looked over at his side to find him right on the edge of the mattress. If he rolled even half an inch, he would be on the floor.

“Sean!” I exclaimed, smacking him on the shoulder.

“What?” he held his hand up defensively so as not to lose his balance and fall off the bed.

“Why didn’t you wake me up and tell me to move back to my side of the bed?”

“You were sleeping well, and I wanted you to get rest.”

“So you just slept on that tiny sliver of mattress all night and let me knee you in the balls?”

“No, technically, you didn’t start moving this way until around four this morning. I couldn’t tell if you were having a bad dream or not, but you rolled over and grabbed me. You were breathing heavily and kept crying, but then when I put my arms around you, you stopped. I don’t know what the dream was about, but it seemed to end once you cuddled up next to me.”

I covered my face with my hands and groaned.

“Oh my God. That’s so embarrassing.”

“Why is it embarrassing?”

“Because it is. I mean, who does that in their sleep? Not only did I make you hold me, I nearly pushed you off the bed. Trust me—that’s embarrassing.”

“It’s not a big deal. I got plenty of sleep, and it appears you did too. That was the goal, so it doesn’t matter how we got there. Plus, it was a lot warmer with us sharing body heat. But the good news is the power came on sometime this morning, so I can make some coffee and breakfast if you’re hungry.”

I knew he was just doing all of this to be nice because we were stuck together, but I hated that, deep down, I missed being with him. I missed what could have been if he hadn’t messed things up for us when we had a chance.

Twelve

Sean

By the time the stormstopped and the roads were clear enough for Cassidy to go home, it had been three days that she had been stuck with me. I had hoped that it was enough time to get her to lower her walls and hear me out so I could explain what happened twelve years ago, but I had no such luck.

It wasn’t just me who missed having her in the house—mainly in my bed. Max hadn’t stopped moping around and whining when he’d lay on the couch where they used to cuddle when she was there. My constant companion who used to follow my every move now cared less about where I went and what I did. I couldn’t blame him because her absence made me depressed as well.

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