Chapter Eleven

I'm home now. Spent a lovely weekend away. I'm exhausted. Bah.

Warning: Fiction.

I spent an hour lying in the dark staring at the bright red numbers of the digital clock on the night stand before giving up. I slid my legs off the side of the bed, letting my bare feet fall flat on the cold hardwood. I walked slowly as I found my way to Anderson’s room in the dark. His door was partially open. I pushed it gently as it swung back on its hinge.
I could make out the silhouette of the bed, Anderson in it, against the dim light coming in through the window. I made my way to the bed as silently as I could. I lifted the covers and crawled in between, moving closer to Anderson until the bare skin of his legs brushed against mine. He woke with the gentle shock of contact, unsure of what was going on. His eyes opened slowly as he lifted his head up a little to look around.
“What are you doing in here? I thought you were sleeping in the other room,” he said groggily.
“I couldn’t sleep in there,” I whispered in response. “You woke me up and I couldn’t get back to sleep.”
“Why?”
“I just want to be beside you…”
We both grew silent and he pulled me close to him. We were facing one another, my head tucked safely in the space between his neck and shoulder. His arm lay lightly over my side, our legs tangled together, feet touching. I could hear the beat of his heart and felt the rise and fall of his chest as he inhaled and exhaled. It took only a few minutes for me to fall asleep next to him.
I woke the next day, still in his arms. I took a long, deep breath and stretched myself out a little. The sun came streaming into the room in broken rays. According to the clock on the wall, it was nearly noon. I looked at Anderson’s sleeping face, soft and serene, before touching his nose lightly. He twitched, closing his eyes tighter. I kissed his closed eyelids gently.
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” tracing the outline of his lips with my index finger.
He shook his head in protest, pulling me closer and tightening his hold on me. I pushed on his shoulders playfully, trying to escape him. He smiled and laughed, one eye open, and held me tighter still. He was incredibly strong, so I pushed harder, joining in his infectious laughed, just as we both heard the apartment door close. Anderson’s eyes shot open and he looked at the clock. He looked back at me, his face contorted into a mix of nervousness and apology.
“It’s my…”