Chapter 24: Hold Me Like You Held Onto Life
Mood Song: Vampire Heart by H.I.M.
If I thought Edward in boxers and a dress shirt at HQ was alluring, imagine, if you will, Edward in boxers and a dress shirt in my house would be.
Alone. With me.
Dinner was an quiet affair. Possibly due to my cooking skills. Or lack thereof. But it was probably, with every tick of the second hand, it was getting closer and closer to bedtime.
Usually I welcome bedtime with open arms and a contented groan. Me and sleep were made for each other. Two peas in a pod, the salsa to my chips…oh, you get the idea. But, for perhaps the first time in my life, I was not looking forward to sleep.
I glanced at the clock once more. It couldn't be put off any longer. It was getting late and I had to get up for work in the morning.
Regardless, I took my time in the shower, stalling till the water got cold. After dressing, I took a deep breath and walked across the hall to my bedroom.
Edward was lying on his back, quite literally on the very edge of the bed. Silently, I turn off the light and slip under the covers.
Almost instantaneously, I am suddenly hyper-aware of the other presence in my bed, even though we were a good 20 inches apart. I could hear his breathing and judging by the pace of it, he was just as tense as I was.
The urge to lean over and close the gap between us had never been as strong as it was now.
Behave, Roy. Be-have.
"Roy?"
I quite nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard him speak next to me. "Y-yes?"
I was grateful the room was dark so he couldn't see the embarrassed blush that crept up my neck.
"Thanks for letting me stay with you and good night," he murmurs before I feel him shift and roll over, his back to me.
"No problem." I wasn't sure if he had already fallen asleep so I added the next comment as an after-thought. "Sweet dreams." I lie there, allowing his steady breathing to lull me to sleep.