Page 22 of Ski You Later
He starts to say more, the sound of his voice coming from high above me. But I think the drinks have run their course, and I get no warning as I promptly blackout.
CHAPTER 9
Daniel is a dead man walking.
The sun’s blinding as I groan and pull the covers over my head. The concept of waking up crosses my mind, but I ignore it completely and snuggle deeper into the comforter. I don’t have my first class until two, so that’s plenty of time to sleep in and get ready for the day.
My bed is so much softer than normal. My thrifted mattress has never given me this good of a sleep before, and there’s no way I’m going to ruin this moment by waking up.
Even the smell is different today, the scent of cleaning detergent filling my nose, but in a subtle and calming way. I relish in this comfort, as I fully extend my limbs and stretch them out.
Pain shoots down my legs with a vengeance, my tailbone throbbing at the discomfort I put it through. The night comes back to me then, slipping on the ice, forcingRoman to come along, dancing, and then running into Daniel.
I can’t help but put my hands over my head in embarrassment since the entire exchange went horribly. Roman must think so little of me; he doesn’t know our history, and probably thought I was just being a weirdo who freaked out. The memory of crying in the washroom flickers in my brain, but I’m just going to pretend that didn’t happen.
With a steadying breath, I pull back the covers and prepare to get a good start to the day. Carefully moving my tailbone, I throw my legs over the bed and come to a complete stop.
A very large Roman is curled up on the floor, wearing a blanket that barely covers him, and his head rests on what looks to be a throw pillow. His dark brown hair is messily strewn across his pillow, and the expression on his face lacks all the tension I’m so accustomed to seeing.
This is the most defenceless I’ve ever seen him. The lack of a scowl or furrowed brow revealing the soft features of his mouth and eyes. His state of utter peace shocks me so much, that I’m just now realizing he’s asleep on my floor.
Wait, no. That’s not right. This isn’t my pink duvet, but rather a dark blue one. Quickly looking around the room, I’m greeted by the sight of minimal decorations and ornate furniture. Roman’s actually sleeping on his floor, and I’m in his bed.
Looking under the covers, I see I’m still wearing my outfit from last night, and I let out the breath I was holding. I never expected Roman to do anything without clear consent, but my trust in men is officially at an all-time low.
A sensible part of my brain is telling me to bolt, and if this were some random guy, I would’ve already been down the street.
But something has been going on between us lately, and I can’t imagine I’m here for no reason.
No, I don’t want to bolt. I want answers.
Leaning over the side of the bed, my hair falls over my shoulder and hangs right over Roman’s face. Surprisingly, it’s not as knotted as I had feared, and I quickly tuck it behind my ear.
Using my pointer finger, I don’t think twice as I poke Roman in the forehead.
He lets out a frustrated grumble, the scowl instantly forming on his face as he turns onto his side. Imove to lay on my stomach, and I lean farther over the bed so I can poke him even harder.
Seriously, what’s with this guy? If I felt someone randomly poking me in the face as I slept, I would wake up right away.
I now lean precariously off the bed as I simultaneously poke him and say his name. “Roman. Roman. Roman,” I whisper yell. Increasing the pressure of my pokes each time.
This finally causes him to stir, whipping his face in my direction and glaring at me with menace. If he thinks he has the right to be upset, he has another thing coming.
“Roman Huxley, you better have a damn good explanation for why I woke up in your bed!” The volume of my voice rises as I just start randomly smacking him on the shoulder. This man is something else, only starting to wake up as I actively hit him.
“Shhhhh,” he groans. His hand lightly grasping my wrist and pulling it towards his chest. With one of my hands clasped in his, he closes his eyes, and the peaceful expression takes over his features again.
He turns to the other side, putting my hand in his and fully succeeding in pulling me off the bed. Theupside is that I finally got Roman to wake up as my weight lands roughly on top of him.
His upper body shoots up off the ground, confusion written all over his tired face. “Rhodes, are you okay? What’s happening? What’s going on?” His face is scrunched up with sleep, and his brown hair defies gravity with how it’s sticking up in every direction.
His gaze focuses on me as he seems to wake up more, and his hand steadys me as I sit up myself. I look at him with an accusing glare, not letting him think for a second that I’m happy. “Well, I tried to wake you up multiple times, but you were basically dead. Seriously, I was smacking you, and you didn’t even move!”
His palm moves to rub his eye and then moves to run through his unruly hair. “Uh yeah,” he mumbles. “That makes sense. I haven’t stayed up past ten in such a long time. I think my body just shut down.” He reclines back onto the floor, keeping his eyes on me as I watch them slowly close.
“Are you trying to go back to sleep!” I try not to shriek at this man, but is he serious right now. “A strange girl just woke up in your bed, and you don’t even care. Is this a common thing for you? Do girls just come andgo through that door?” I add some fake sass to my voice as I stare him down.
Roman stares at me as if I said something ridiculous and gives me a knowing look as he sits up fully. He’s wearing a Polar ski team shirt, I can’t help but focus on the flex of his arm as he stretches them both over his head.
