Page 74 of Surviving in Everton

“Thank you. Best night’s sleep of my life. What about you?”

“Thought I was gonna die. Glad you slept well and all, but I can’t sleep next to a freaking oven! Jesus, Ayden! My shirt is wet, I was sweating so much!”

“I’m sorry to hear that. But you slept like the dead, so you can’t tell me you didn’t sleep well. Also, that is not a good enough reason to not sleep with me anymore. I can turn down the heat Rowe, geez. Just gonna throw me out with the trash because you woke up hot. We both know you always wake up hot, even when you sleep alone.”

“What do you mean you can ‘turn down the heat’? If you could do that, why am I so hot?!”

“Rowe… Doll… I have this thing calledmagic! I can do unspeakable things with it! And you were shivering, so I turned the heat up. Duh. Come back to bed and I’ll show you how it feels with the heat turned down.”

Squinting my eyes, I try to discern if I should believe him. He is a master jokester after all, it could very well be some sort of trick. I just don’t knowwhatthe trick would be. Then again, my brain’s not exactly firing on all cylinders right now. Deciding the bed is much too inviting to pass up, I crawl back on it and settle down next to him. He pulls me so my face is resting on his chest and I feel his cool, smooth skin against my hot cheek. I instantly start to cool down.

“Okay, maybe you can stay in my bed. Just don’t turn the heat up again. Unless it’s like twenty degrees and we have no heat. But otherwise, you should always be this cold.”

“Whatever you say, Doll.” He chuckles as I wrap my arm around his waist and throw a leg over his, burrowing into his coldness.

Apparently, with my body temperature properly regulated, I fall back to sleep. I wake up again still laying on Ayden’s chest, except we’re further down the bed than I remember. I look up at him sleepily, to find his bright blue eyes staring down at me. They’re normally always jovial. Like he’s smiling at you with just his eyes. But right now, they’re stormy. Something’s bothering him, and based on how he’s looking at me right now, I’d say it has something to do with me.

I sit up a little and cup his cheek in my hand. “What’s wrong, Ayd?”

He gives me a sad smile and I think he’ll actually answer me… should have known better though. “Nothing, Doll. Just thinking. You’ve been asleep a while, you must be hungry. You ready for some lunch?”

“Lunch? Is it that late already? How long was I asleep for?!”

“Shhh. Don’t you worry about that. You obviously needed the rest. How are you feeling?”

“Like I slept too long… and starving. God, whattimeis it?” I roll off his chest and stretch, twisting and turning my body, groaning when my back cracks.

“It’s just noon, love, don’t worry. Let’s get up and get some lunch, then you can rest some more and I’ll entertain you.”

“Mmmm, that sounds like a great idea. Feed me, peasant.”

“As you wish, my Queen.” He jumps up and bows gallantly.

I giggle at his foolishness. Ayden’s always been good at making me laugh, even when it was the last thing I felt like doing. I decide to change my clothes, since I’m still wearing what I wore yesterday. Getting off the bed, I walk toward my closet and take off my shirt, then shorts. I stop my short journey when I hear a pained sound coming from behind me. I turn to find Ayden gawking at me. Turning to face him fully, I put my hands on my hips and tilt my head.

“Something the matter, Ayd?”

“Yes. I’m suddenly wearing too much clothing.”

“You’re only wearingpants.” I roll my eyes at him.

“Yes, and they’re definitely in the way right now. Put some clothes on! You’re distracting me, woman! I’m feeding you, not eating you!”

“Ugh! Iwasputting clothes on! You’re the one that stopped me!” I huff as I stomp my foot.

Suddenly, my whole body is covered in his gold magic. When it dissipates, I’m wearing a pair of black yoga pants, and a baggy shirt. Looking down, I pull the shirt out, trying to see what it is.

“You look good in my shirt. Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. But it’s a lot less distracting than the skimpy bra and panties you’re wearing. Come. We eat in the kitchen.”

He grabs my hand and leads the way down the hall, dragging me along with him until he stops at the bar stools. He pulls one out and gives me a look that clearly says ‘sit the fuck down’. I dutifully sit and smile back at him. He leans down and kisses me on the tip of my nose before turning around and walking into the pantry. I watch him closely, trying to figure out what he’s going to make me. He comes out of the pantry with a loaf of bread that he places on the counter before going to the fridge, where he retrieves butter and cheese.

“Oooh, are we having grilled cheese?! I love grilled cheese!”

“Duh. Why do you think I’m making it? Like I don’t know you’re a cheese fiend?”

“Yeah, yeah. Get to grillin’, mister,” I retort, sticking my tongue out at him.

He smirks and shakes his head as he gets to work making the most delicious looking sandwich I’ve ever seen. Soon, he's sliding a plate in front of me and I lick my lips as I get a good look at the melty cheesy goodness. We eat in silence as I take my time, enjoying every bite. Ayden always did make the best grilled cheese. I have a feeling his magic had something to do with that, but you weren’t going to hear me complaining. Cheating with magic is totally justifiable if it makes your food turn out like this. My taste buds have died and gone to cheese heaven.

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