Drabble:52
POV:Third Person

She glanced at him momentarily before going back to the article she'd been perusing. It took her exactly 3 seconds to realize something was different this time. And then, her eyes darted back to him. And stayed there…..he'd fallen asleep….
He was sitting upright on the sofa, boots planted firmly on the ground. In a grey-thermal shirt and jeans, he had to feel hot, especially on such a sunny day. But he had managed to doze off, in spite of his very uncomfortable position and the sweltering heat.
She sat up from where she had been lying on her stomach on the carpet-carefully-trying not to wake him up. She brushed the bangs off her face and then just looked at him sometime. He was cute, charmingly so, but something about his unguarded face almost caught her by surprise. Maybe it was the open vulnerability or the absence of the grimness that set his face in hard planes during waking hours. But, it probably was how the blond hair falling over his eyes emphasized his sharp cheek-and-jaw-bones, making him look…devastatingly handsome.
She felt an irrepressible urge to capture the moment, to brand this image into her mind-to memorize how this gorgeous warrior looked in repose…He worked so, so hard-staying alert, being ever vigilant and grim-when he was awake; God only knew how many sleepless nights he'd spent trying to protect her. She'd once asked him to take it easy, to loosen up; he'd just smiled that sad smile and said, "All it takes is one little slip…I'm not gonna let them get you again, I promise". After that, she never breached the topic again, just going along with his self-appointed bodyguard status, until he actually became her bodyguard. And in the time she'd known him, he'd gone from being an acquaintance, to a friend, to someone to look up to…and now he'd become a love interest….another complication in her already-messed-up life.
She wished she could sketch a picture of him (like Adrian), but she knew she coulldn't ever do him justice. So, she settled for the next best thing. Stealthily retrieving her cell-phone from her shorts, she snapped a picture of him. That clicking sound woke him...sending him to his feet, stake drawn out. As his bleary eyes scanned the room minutely for any threats to her, she inconspicuously pocketed her phone. His sleepy hazel eyes rested on her a moment before he relaxed. "What happened?", he asked her, pocketing his stake.
"What do you mean?", she asked smoothly as she stood up too.
"I thought I heard something".
"Probably your imagination".
He frowned, clearly not convinced. "How long was I out?"
"Not too long", she replied, flopping down on the couch opposite him. "You can sleep a bit longer".
"I shouldn't have fallen asleep in the first place. You should have woken me up."
"I'm sorry", she replied, biting her lip. "Just-you looked so peaceful-I didn't want to"
His expression softened immediately "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have chastised you. But my job is-".

"Yeah, I know", she cut in, rolling her eyes. "But you're also human, despite what you think"
"Actually, I'm a dhampir", he replied with a lopsided smile, the kind she'd only seen him give Rose before.
"Haha, funny", she said dryly. "But seriously, it's daytime…and I'm right here. So, take a short nap. Please".

He considered arguing against her, but was forced to succumb to the jade eyes he found so (secretly) irresistible. "Fine", he huffed, trying to maintain his tough-guardian-façade. "I'll nap. But you'll wake me up in an hour. Or if you need anything…anything, okay?" Mini-Dimitri indeed!

"Yes, boss!", she grinned, eyes sparkling. He snorted lightly, before lying down on the sofa.

"Sleep well, Eddie", she trilled, pulling up her legs on the couch.

"Will do, Jill", he replied with a quick smile before his eyes closed and he drifted off instantaneously. As for Jill, she spent the next half-an-hour snapping photos of a sleeping Eddie with her now-silent-cell-phone. And when she had enough, she flipped through her fashion magazine, stealing glances at her handsome guardian every now and then.

Guess who's back(again)? Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! Cheers!