Chapter 6: The couch

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"I can't believe you let me sleep in there!"
"Are you serious? I insisted you don't! You were the one who forced me to accept!"
"You had slept there! I was supposed to can too!"
"So, what? Have you slept something?"
"It's possible, but almost nothing."
"Okay. Tonight I'll sleep there."
"It is impossible to sleep there!"
"You've done it."
"Almost nothing!"
"You don't have a good awakening, isn't it?"
"Of course not! But my back, neck, legs, and even my ass also hurt! What is that couch made of? Stones?"
"Don't worry; I'll improvise a sleeping bag on the ground."
"Like in a camping?"
"You can think on it like that, yeah."
"So fun!"
"I'm beginning to think that It's me who doesn't have a good awakening. Let's have breakfast, come on."
"Don't you have to get Sven out?"
"I've already done it."
"Really?"
"It seems like someone has slept more than she thinks."
"Surely you have caught me thinking about my future and all that stuff, you know…"
"Yeah, sure…"

The day passed confinedly quiet: we cooked, ate, watched the chilling numbers on TV and turned it off so as not to panic, Anna put on her music and danced around the house with Sven behind her, we picked up a bit of the damage they left behind their steps, we read for a while, and, finally, the time to sleep came.

As planned, I grabbed a few blankets and made a makeshift bed on the floor under the watchful eye of Anna who was waiting, standing like a scarecrow right next to me.

"What's up?"
"That's not going to be comfortable."
"I won't know until I try it. It has to be better than that killing couch."
"I wouldn't risk my neck for it."

I ignored her words because I didn't have a better plan either, and I hunkered down between the blankets, ready to fight to sleep.

'So there is something worse than the killing couch.'

I nailed the ground, every wrinkle in the blankets, and even my own bones. Anna was looking at me, still standing next to that fabric hell, with a mocking smile.

"So? It's cozy?"

I wasn't willing to lose that battle just like that.

"Just like a fluffy heaven."
"Oh, I envy you so much…" she said without losing her satirical tone. "Well, I'm going to suffer in your squishy and soft bed."
"Have a nice rest…" I mumbled sadly amused at her cruel demeanor as she turned off the light and crawled into my squishy, squishy, squishy, squishy bed.

Again, like two nights ago, the discomfort and pain prevented me from falling asleep, and, just as it happened two nights ago, every time I closed my eyes I saw her. In my head she laughed, challenged me, danced everywhere like a madwoman free and happy, she talked with her mouth full, and picked between her toes before sleeping. Every detail that I saw in her seemed unique and unmissable and I didn't like that feeling at all.

I rolled over myself and rolled and rolled and, of course, got completely tangled up, so a growl of exasperation escaped my throat without permission.

"This is over!"

Anna shot out of bed like an arrow, hooked my arm, and made me sit up.

"You are going to bed right now!"

"Yeah, of course! Why didn't I think of that before?! And where are you going to sleep?"
"In bed too."
"I'm not buying it."

Anna sat next to me and I was grateful that the light was still off so the tremendous knot that was made in my stomach at that moment didn't see reflected in my face.

"I'm not kidding. I want to sleep, and as long as both of us don't have a comfortable place, I won't be able to. Do you know how much have you complained in this while?"
"Really? I haven't noticed."
"So young man, get in that bed if you don't want me to drag you down."
"Like you could."
"Don't try me."

This was going nowhere. I took a deep breath and turned her face to mine with both hands to make sure he was giving me the attention the situation deserved.

"Anna. You are eighteen, you have run away from home, your parents are lawyers and your sister has threatened me. I'm not going to get into that bed with you."
"What do you think is going to happen?
"Nothing, cause I'm not going to do it."
"Just because of that?"

Without a doubt, she had a gift for twisting my words and make me blush.

"This conversation is over. Good night."

I lay back in that hideous tangle of blankets, willing to probably not sleep. But Anna's will wasn't easy to appease: she sat on my legs as she did indeed threaten to do days ago and hooked my bib.

"What are you doing?!"
"I'm going to explain the situation to you very clearly. I will sleep with you no matter where you do it. You decide whether you want it to be in this gorilla nest that wouldn't let us sleep or in a wonderful bed where we can both rest like the two sleepy adults that we are."

I sighed almost defeated. What was the escape? I only had one trick left to play.

"Anna. That's not gonna happen. If you don't accept, I will have no choice but to throw you out of my house."

Anna looked defiantly into my eyes and I felt, for the first time since I met her, that she was twice my size.

"Repeat that if you dare, Bjorgman."

And of course, that night Anna and I slept in bed together.