CHAPTER FIVE – SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS
Their villa was entirely dark as they crossed the quiet empty road towards it. The breeze, cooler now, but still warm, was still dancing through the tall palm trees behind them as they padded quietly up the path to their front door.
As they had made their way back along the beach, they had noted the Salisburys and their guests had indeed been retracing their steps far behind them. She and John would be back inside and ready to observe them returning to their villas, however it seemed that this evening's outing for Salisbury had been an innocent event.
John opened the villa's front door and reached inside to activate the interior lights. The light glowed out through the villas many windows, sending rectangles of light across their car and the small lawn she was passing.
"You hungry?" John asked as he led the way inside, holding the door open for her.
"I think I will have a hot drink," Teyla considered as she shut the front door and then moved through the lobby space of the villa, back through to the open plan space of the living area. From here the wide spread of windows allowed them an excellent view of the beach and road outside. The Salisburys would be returning very soon.
"You want that herbal tea you bought in the airport?" John asked from the large kitchen space behind her.
She turned round to see him preparing the kettle. She had not realised he recalled the tea she had purchased herself before their flight. "I will make it," she offered.
"I need a coffee anyway," he replied as he set the kettle on the stove. "You keep an eye out."
Surprised by his offer, but appreciating it, she slipped off her sandals and padded across the soft carpet in the living room to settle down on the large couch. "Did our walk tire you out?" She teased as she activated the television, for appearances from the road.
"Gotta keep sharp," John replied, presumably referring to their mission, though his voice was slightly muffled.
She looked round to see that he had the fridge door open and was contemplating what was stocked inside.
"You want something to eat?" He asked as he poking around one fridge shelf. It was a surprisingly domestic picture of him that made her smile.
"Is there still some of that chocolate dip from before?" She asked, the temptation of the luxury spread she had tried earlier niggling at her though she was not all that hungry.
John turned and held up the small pot, and smiled at her in what could only be termed as a tempting way. "You want to finish it off?"
She thought about it for a second.
"You're on vacation," John told her as he set the pot on the worktop, deciding for her that she would eat it, and he began digging through another fridge shelf. "There's still some of that salsa dip too."
Teyla turned her attention back to the front windows, John's late night food raid too distracting. She watched the darkened trees sway gently across the road, and the tiniest hint of the cove's small waves entering the bay. It was so wonderfully relaxing.
The kettle boiled in the background, and though tempted to go assist John in preparing their late drinks and snacks, she remained at her post. The scent of coffee and herbal tea filled the air and she looked round as John approached, setting her large mug down in front of her on the coffee table, and his coffee on the next mat over.
She thanked him as she leant forward and inhaled the scent of her new tea.
"Nothing yet, huh?" John asked as he looked out the front before turning back to the kitchen.
"No, perhaps they walked on further," Teyla considered as she watched the small stretch of beach visible outside.
"Maybe," John considered. He had set the camera on the coffee table, and Teyla reached for it, moving it closer in case it would be needed to take a quick picture of someone new. "Maybe we should have stayed out there longer," he suggested.
"Their walk seemed innocent enough, besides it is unlikely that he would meet up with a contact in the middle of the beach with his wife and friends, is it not?"
"True," John replied, his voice moving closer, and she looked round to him to see the chocolate spread, with some sweet biscuits, set on a plate for her. "Here you go," he said with a knowing smile, for some reason taking delight in her enjoyment of the chocolate spread from earlier.
"You are not having some?" She asked as she noted the single knife and that he was walking back to the kitchen.
"It's all yours," he replied with a knowing smile over his shoulder.
She smiled as she spread some of the chocolate over a biscuit, and returned her attention to the windows. She saw movement in the shadows, that quickly formed into the two couples returning as expected.
"They are returning," she called to John, making sure to lower her attention to her food, for the couples would be able to see her through the front windows. "Just the four of them."
"We should work out which villa the Texans are in," John noted as he sat down on the couch next to her. He had a slice of a fruit pie that had been left for them in the fridge. He angled his head around her to look outside. "They're crossing the road."
Teyla nodded as she spread some more chocolate and casually looked outside as well. The couple were stood in the middle of the empty road, looking as if they were parting company, and soon enough they split apart. The Salisburys walking the short distance to their villa next door.
John twisted in his seat to look over his left shoulder, where one side window overlooked the Salisbury's villa entrance. "No one waiting for them," he reported around a mouthful of pie.
Teyla angled her body closer to him to see out that side window as well, and saw the Salisburys disappear inside. Rectangles of light cast across their large front lawn, but there were no windows in the side of their building.
"Do we need to keep a watch on their villa all night?" She considered.
"O'Neill said to keep it "casual observation"," John replied using his fingers to mimic speech marks as he settled back comfortably on the couch.
"That is good," Teyla considered as she settled more comfortably herself, feeling more relaxed now their targets had returned inside. "I suspect I will sleep very well tonight." She lifted another chocolate loaded biscuit and enjoyed the gloriously sweet taste on her tongue.
"It's the tropical sea air," John replied around more pie, as he reached forward and picked up the television's remote she had left on the table. "And your first case of jet lag."
"I believe I experienced enough of that on some of our long voyages in the Jumper. We have had to travel up to fifteen hours before."
"True, but this time there really were some crying babies on the plane, not just Rodney and Radek arguing," he noted as he set his empty plate on the coffee table and triggered the remote. "You sure you don't want some pie?" He offered.
Surprised again by his continuing offer of food and drink, she smiled and shook her head. "This is more than enough, thank you." She scrapped the last of the chocolate spread out of the tiny pot and made it cover the whole of the final biscuit as best she could. She hadn't missed John's amused glances at her work.
"You know there's some popcorn in one of the cupboards," he told her as she feasted on the last of her biscuit.
She looked round with interest. "Really? Perhaps tomorrow," she considered. "It is getting late."
John nodded, glancing back round to check the neighbouring villa once more. "A couple of hours should be okay to be sure Salisbury doesn't have some late visitors."
Teyla nodded her agreement and set her plate and knife down on the table, picked up her tea and settled back in her seat, her shoulder faintly touching John's. However, she felt only comfort by his close presence now. Despite her earlier disquiet, when walking back here with him he had seemed more his usual self, making jokes and teasing her. This ease and friendship was worth any difficulty and occasional discomfort. She was pleased now that they had been asked to come on this mission together, for it meant that they really were working through things - perhaps not out loud, but sitting with him now, she knew they had not been this relaxed with each other for over a week. She could be happy with that outcome.
The next two hours passed easily, through which they watched some television, enjoying a game show in particular. She had not known most of the answers to the trivia questions, but the observation and calculation ones she was able to answer. John suggested that a regular general knowledge quiz in Atlantis would be a good idea. They then found some sports to watch again, which John took great interest in explaining to her. Thoroughly and with more excitement than he usually showed.
"And tomorrow you get to watch some golf," he added to tease as he glanced round to the side window again. There had been no movement next door and the lights had shut off over an hour ago. The Salisburys were likely fast asleep by now.
"At least I will not be playing it," she remarked as she stretched out her back. "They seem to be asleep next door," she commented. With the main lights now turned off in their own villa, the lower lamp light was emphasising the tiredness that had been creeping up on her for the last hour.
"Yeah," John agreed, though his tone almost seemed disappointed.
She smiled at him as she sat up from her seat and reached for their mugs and plates. "We'll have plenty of chances to catch them on this vacation," she assured him as she stood up. He pulled his knees aside so she could move past him between the couch and the coffee table. Her legs brushed against his as she did, and she reflected how good it was that they seemed more comfortable with each other again.
"Maybe if we catch Salisbury in the act, O'Neill will let us all have a proper vacation here." John replied as he flipped through to another channel.
There was a machine to wash their dishes in the kitchen, but since she and John had used very little, she filled the sink with hot water and some cleaning liquid. From where she stood at the sink, she had a full view of the living space and the windows. She noted the darkness of the Salisbury's villa remained steady.
"Carson was talking about a salmon fishing trip," she mentioned as she cleaned the mugs and plates, rinsing them off and setting them on the draining area to dry naturally overnight. She quite liked experiencing an Earth living situation, the tiny differences apparent to her, but still all familiar enough.
"Rodney said we should move the city off the coast of Canada," John commented as he shut off the television and walked towards her, the camera in his hand as he scanned through the pictures on the back screen.
"I think that unlikely from what you have told me of the ongoing politics," she replied as she wiped down the worktop and drained the sink. She dried off her hands and left the kitchen area.
A new faint discontent was beginning to disturb her relaxation now though – there had only been one bed upstairs. She would be willing to share it with John, but she was aware that it would no doubt provoke the 'future' memories for sure. Yet, she was determined to be as casual and relaxed about it as possible.
"I think I shall turn in now, it is quite late," she remarked as she picked up her discarded shawl, smiled at John, and walked towards the stairs. "What time should we get up tomorrow?"
"I'm not due at the golf course till after lunch, so we get the chance to lie in for the morning," he replied from the lobby behind her. "Besides, we're supposed to be…you know, on honeymoon," he added.
She paused on the stairs to look back down at him and smile. "Of course, that would make sense," she admitted, making sure she appeared relaxed about talking on this issue. It was a fake marriage, no need to dwell on the fact that the other holidaymakers would expect her and John to spend the majority of their time alone together inside. In bed.
John smiled up at her very briefly as he secured the lock on the front door, though she suspected there was little crime in this area.
She turned away and continued up the staircase, then across the small landing to the only bedroom. She quickly set about gathering her nightclothes and went into the only bathroom to change out of her dress. She had a quick shower to wash away the day's long travel, keeping her hair pinned up on top of her hair to keep it dry. Dried off, she slipped into her nightclothes and contemplated her appearance in the mirror over the large elegantly designed sink and side units. She had brought her favourite blue sleeping outfit, which was light enough in the warmer weather, and it reminded her of home and her own bed. She missed Torren with a rush of emotion at that thought though, so turned her attention to gathering her things. John would want to use the bathroom.
She opened the door and walked barefooted into the bedroom. There was no sign of John, but as she hung her dress away, she noted that the lights were on in the next room across the landing. It was a study, from what she had seen. Was John planning to sleep in there? She could not recall seeing a bed in there.
She trod across the soft carpet to the open door and looked across the landing to see that the study's door was partly closed, but through the small open space she could see the lamp was on inside and John's bag was on the floor just inside. The stairs and ground floor were dark.
"John?" She called, "I have finished using the bathroom."
The study door pulled opened completely to reveal John stood with his wash bag in his hand. He had changed his clothes for bed as well. He wore a black t-shirt with a white logo, which she could not identify, across it, and comfortable soft looking black trousers.
He was also barefoot.
"I'm gonna need to borrow some pillows if I can," he asked, as if the pillows were hers to judge where they should be.
She moved to the study doorway and looked inside. There was a small couch in here. "You plan to sleep on that?" She asked.
"Sure, I've slept on plenty of couches before," he replied. He had said it offhandedly, but she suspected he too was warring with certain memories of sharing a bed.
She understood the need he might have to sleep away from her, she shared it to a certain degree – only why was she feeling somewhat disappointed.
"Is it not too small for you to sleep on comfortably?" She asked carefully, for it was a real concern. He was a tall man with long legs, surely he would barely be able to stretch out on that couch.
"Don't think it would look good if I slept on one of the larger couches downstairs," he replied with a slightly forced laugh in his voice. "Not really the image of a happy newly wed couple we want."
She understood his point, but still the couch was far too small for him.
"I will sleep in here," she decided. "I can easily fit comfortably on the couch."
"No, you have the bed, I'll be fine," he replied.
"It is more logical for me to sleep in here," she pushed.
"Teyla, you're not sleeping on a couch," he argued, seeming almost annoyed at her suggestion.
"But it is alright for you too?"
"Exactly," he replied as if she had agreed with him.
"John-" she began, not understanding his point. Perhaps it would be better if they just shared the bed, only that suggestion might ruin much of the returned ease between them.
"Teyla," he interrupted her before she could decide what was best to say. "Look it's an Earth thing."
She narrowed her eyes at his explanation. "Are you sure it is not a 'John' thing?" She asked suspicious that he simply wanted her to be the more comfortable one.
He looked away to the couch and then back to her. "It's a guy thing then. On Earth, the woman always gets the bed."
She opened her mouth to point out the holes in the argument, but then wondered if it really was part of his culture to give her the bed. Surely that did not make sense though when he was in need of more sleeping space.
However, she did not get to make her argument again, because he was moving towards her. "I'll get some pillows from the bed. I'll be fine," he insisted as he reached her and turned to slide past her through the study's doorway in which she stood. "I've slept in worse places," he added as he brushed against her as he began to leave the study.
She looked up at him as he slid past her, the scent of him suddenly stronger. He seemed different in his bedclothes, more male and…familiar she realised. He had been dressed similarly in her future vision. She recalled the warm soft t-shirt he had been wearing, and how it had felt under her fingers. Suddenly the sleeping situation and stood together in their nightclothes, made the intimacy and awkwardness of it all the more apparent. Only, she refused to let it win over them again, to ruin all the good the day together had won for their friendship.
She looked away to the couch and stepped further away from him to let him pass by her more easily. "Of course," she conceded.
"I'll just use the bathroom," he added as he moved away slowly across the landing, seeming to be making an effort not to appear awkward himself.
"I will see if I can find you a blanket somewhere," she offered.
"Thanks," he replied as he entered the bedroom and headed towards their only bathroom.
For some reason, her attention dropped to his bare feet again as he moved away across the deep carpet. She could not recall seeing him barefoot before, except for when he had been in the Infirmary. Seeing his strong bare feet now, for some reason, seemed to emphasise the intimacy of sharing living space with him.
Why did even his feet have to be so attractive?
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The bathroom smelt of her, of girly flowery scents that mixed with the steamy atmosphere from her shower to create another kind of torture for him.
God, he really just wanted to share the bed with her. It was a temptation that prowled around the edge of his self-control. He was almost certain she had been about to suggest it anyway, because she had been too worried about him being comfortable.
If she only knew how much more uncomfortable he would be lying next to her in bed, desperately willing away the memories and ideas of what could happen if they accidently woke up tucked up together in the middle of the bed in the night. He didn't trust himself to behave if that happened.
As he had walked through the bedroom to the bathroom, it had occurred to him for a split second that maybe what they had seen as their future, could be here, in the middle of the night sharing a bed. Only a quick reminder of the layout of the only bedroom and its windows, confirmed that it didn't match the vision. Plus he remembered that she had looked slightly older in what he had seen. It had been a stupid, ridiculous moment of hope.
He contemplated his beard growth in the mirror and decided he would have to shave in the morning. Got to look the part of Charlie Collingwood tomorrow on the golf course. He tried to focus on that as he washed, brushed his teeth, and ignored the girly sweet smells lingering around him. He also tried not to study the small array of her toiletries set around the sink. There were small pots without labels, which he guessed were Athosian things. Allowing himself one moment of temptation, he picked one up, one that seemed damp, and opened the lid. A soft clay like substance was inside, that smelt of the same flowers and spice in the air. He put the lid back on and put the pot back in its place, and he hated himself a little for it. Sniffing her shower products! What was he coming to?
He hung up his towel, making sure it was straight and presentable, and paused for a moment to gather himself together before he opened the door and faced Teyla in her sweet little pyjama setup again.
There was just a single lamp on in the wide bedroom, and she was, of course, in bed. She had propped herself up on some pillows and had a book in her hand. She smiled at him as he appeared.
Did she have to be sat on only one side of the bed? Because it made the empty tempting space to her left all the more inviting. The pillows were missing on that side, so she must have put them in the study for him already.
"Night," he said to her, almost a little too loudly.
"Sleep well, John," she replied with a wide smile.
"You too," he replied as he made his way as quickly, but casually, as possible to the bedroom door.
"Leave the door open," she said as he began to pull the bedroom door closed behind him. "If you need to use the bathroom in the night, just come in, I do not mind."
He hadn't even thought about that. "I'll leave it open a bit," he offered as a compromise as he pulled the door part way to. "See you in the morning," he added.
If she said anything back, he didn't hear it because he quickly strode across the landing and into the study. He shut the door lightly behind him, and let out a breath.
Teyla had made up the couch for him. The two pillows were at one end and a patterned blanket spread out for him. He appreciated the effort.
Only, as he settled on the couch, he couldn't ignore the fact that she had been right – the couch was too small for him. He had enough width for his shoulders, but he had to prop his lower legs up on the far armrest. At least it was a deeply cushioned couch.
He spread the blanket over him, wishing it was longer to cover from his feet up to his chin, but it only reached mid chest. He reached out and turned off the lamp, plunging the study into near complete darkness. He adjusted the blanket again and laid still.
Faint light was making it in under the study's door, telling him that she was still reading. He pulled his thoughts away from the lovely big bed she was in, all comfortable and with ample room. She had practically been about to let him share it with her, for innocent reasons, and he didn't need to think about that.
He turned onto his left side, facing the back of the couch, readjusted his blanket and closed his eyes.
His t-shirt smelt faintly of flowers and spice. Traitorous clothing.
Traitorous blood that felt too hot and distracted.
Stupid O'Neill and his torturous vacation/missions of a lifetime.
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TBC