Page 57 of Bleeding Hearts

“Sorry, I forgot clothes.” She blushes, walking over to her suitcase and squatting down to grab clothes out of it.

The towel rides up to just below her ass and I swear I’ve never hated a towel more in my life. Her hair, normally a dark brown, looks nearly black as the wet strands rest on her shoulders.

My hands clench at my sides, eager to run my fingers through them.

“Got them.” She holds the clothes up in the air, still clutching the towel with the other, before turning to walk back to the bathroom.

I watch her go, practically holding my breath until the door closes shut, putting a solid piece of wood between us. I hear her ruffling around behind the door, getting dressed as I force my eyes back to the screen.

She finally walks out of the bathroom and my eyes shoot over to her, as if I’d just been waiting for her to come out. She’s now dressed in an oversized sweatshirt that falls down to her knees, and I’m hoping, some sort of shorts underneath it.

My cock twitches at the sight of her.

That’s the thing about Demi. Naked, in a towel, in a fucking trash bag, it doesn’t matter. She still garners the same reaction from me. She’s fucking stunning, in a way nobody else in the world is.

She’s extraordinary.

“You can go in now.” She smiles shyly, tension that didn’t exist half an hour ago floating between us.

I nod, jumping off the bed and grabbing my things before heading into the shower. The second the hot spray hits my back, I close my eyes and all I can think about is her.

I try to ignore the images in my head, washing myself as I urge myself to calm down, but I can’t. I’m standing there hard as a rock, and the person I want to relieve me is right on the other side of the door.

I turn around, twist the faucet and finish the rest of my shower in the freezing cold.

By the time I get out, Demi is tucked into the bed, the channel changed to the food network, and her eyes glued to the screen. She looks over to me as I move to the sink to brush my teeth.

“Is this okay?” I ask her, moving to stand next to the side of the bed that she’s not on. I’m only wearing briefs because that’s how I normally sleep, but with her eyes glued to me, now I’m second-guessing it.

“Of course,” she says, but her smile that follows is strained.

“I really don’t mind sleeping on the floor,” I add, giving her one last out.

“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re adults. We can sleep in the same bed,” she says, sounding like she’s reassuring herself more than me.

I climb in next to her, lying back on the pillow with my arms behind my head. She doesn’t move as I do, keeping her eyes glued to the TV.

“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” I ask, and she visibly relaxes, ready to talk about something other than us lying next to each other.

“Well, the schedule is pretty much first come, first serve. They have different options at different times, so just get to the one you want before it’s full and you’re in. The first lecture I want to hear is at eight thirty, and then there’s a class after that at ten. They have a break for lunch from twelve to one and there are two more lectures after that I want to go to.”

“Sounds like a busy day. I’m excited for you, jelly bean.” I face her with a smile.

“It will be, but busy is good. I’m gonna wake up around six thirty to get ready and grab coffee before I go down, but I’ll try to be quiet and not wake you. And it is exciting, so exciting not even that terrible nickname can ruin it.” She laughs.

“Don’t worry about waking me. I’ll be fine. But you should probably get some sleep if you’re gonna be up that early.” I look over to the clock to see it’s around eleven p.m. now.

“Yeah, you’re right.” She nods, reaching over to turn off the lamp on the nightstand. “TV on or off?” she asks.

“Up to you,” I say, and she nods, leaving it on but turning the volume way down and putting the remote on the nightstand.

“Hey, Asher?” She looks back over to me. “Thank you again for coming with me. It just means a lot to have you here with me, supporting me.” She smiles softly, looking away from me. “I should get some sleep. Good night, Asher.” She turns away from me, cuddling her head into the pillow.

“Good night, Demi,” I whisper, turning to lie on my back, my eyes facing the dark ceiling, only the light from the TV illuminating the room.

My eyes fall closed as the exhaustion of the day kicks in and sleep comes quickly.

Images of Demi fill my mind as it does. Whether it’s the real her lying next to me or me imagining her in my dreams, she’s always there.

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