Sleep Over

Tuli

A knot formed in my stomach, but I tried to ignore the sensation. I attempted to slide away from him.

But my back hit the bed frame, and he cornered me before I could escape. “Jayce,” I cautioned.

“What?” he murmured, leaning in to kiss my neck.

“We’ve been over this. We can’t,” I whispered back, a shiver running down my spine from his touch.

He paused, his lips still against my skin. My heart was pounding so hard I thought I could hear it. He pulled back. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

He planted a quick kiss on my cheek. My racing heart slowed. Jayce sighed and rested his head on my chest.

“Tuli, I need to tell you something,” he murmured.

His words sent butterflies fluttering in my stomach. “What is it?” I asked.

“I—” he started, but a knock on the door interrupted him. “Shit.”

I gestured towards the closet, and he quickly hid himself.

“Tuli?”

Megan. “Come in,” I called out.

She opened the door. “Hey, girl,” she greeted with a smile. “I brought your toast.”

“Thanks, Megan,” I smiled back. “You’re the best.”

“I know I am,” she said with a wink. Then she noticed my wrinkled clothes. “Are you still in your day clothes?”

“Yeah, I was so tired, I didn’t get a chance to change,” I replied. “At least I didn’t get any puke on them.”

Megan laughed. “You’d probably be more comfortable in your pajamas. Need any help?”

I blushed, remembering that my pajamas were in the closet. With Jayce. I prayed he wasn’t rummaging through my clothes. Who knows what he’d find in there.

“I’m good. Thanks.”

We shared a smile and she left, closing the door behind her. I was relieved she didn’t push. I wasn’t sure how she’d react if she found Jayce in my closet.

“You can come out now,” I called out softly.

He emerged with a big grin on his face. “What?” I asked.

“I thought I’d help you pick out your pajamas,” he teased, holding up a piece of clothing.

I blushed. He was holding a lacy peignoir set I had impulsively bought. The nightgown was sheer enough to reveal more than I was comfortable with.

Megan and I were shopping one day when we saw it. I said it was cute, and she told me to buy it. Actually, she insisted: she said if I didn’t buy it, she’d get it as a Christmas gift and make me open it in front of my family.

I tossed it in the back of my closet when we got home, and completely forgot about it until now.

“Please, just throw that back in the closet,” I groaned.

“But why? You’d look adorable in it.”

“What’s the point? You’d probably rip it off as soon as you saw me in it.” I could feel my cheeks burning.

“While you might be right,” he began, “I’d like to think I have more self-control than that.”

I snorted. “That’s a load of crap. Now please, put it back.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. He disappeared into the closet and reappeared with a much less revealing outfit.

The pants were just gray, and the matching t-shirt had a picture of Eeyore.

“Why did you pick that?” I asked, embarrassed.

“You don’t like Eeyore?” Jayce wrinkled his nose. “You disappoint me.”

I knew he was joking, but I felt the need to defend myself anyway. “I thought you were making fun of me for having pajamas like that.”

He chuckled. “Sweetheart, there’s nothing wrong with liking Winnie-the-Pooh characters. Eeyore is cute. He was one of my favorites. Now, do you want me to help you change into them?” he asked with a wink.

I snatched the pajamas from him. “I can do it myself.”

He flopped down on my bed as I headed to the bathroom, lying back with his arms behind his head. I locked the door behind me and quickly changed.

When I came back out, Jayce was in the same position. Except he was down to his underwear.

“Why are you almost naked?”

“Well, if you haven’t noticed, it’s almost nine o’clock. That’s usually my bedtime. I’m an old man, Tuli.”

“Oh.” I swear, I was going to spend the entire night blushing. “So, you’re sleeping here?

“Looks like it. But it’s okay for tonight. I texted my sister and asked her to watch my puppy.”

“You have a puppy? I love dogs.”

He picked up his phone from my nightstand. “I have some pictures if you want to see.”

Like an excited kid, I hopped into bed. He shook his head and draped his arm over my shoulder, pulling me closer to his side.

I snuggled up next to him as he pulled the cover over our laps. He opened the photo app and held it close to my face so I could see the pictures.

A little brown pit bull looked up into the camera with his big eyes.

“He’s adorable,” I sighed.

“You don’t have a problem with pit bulls?” Jayce asked, looking at me.

“I remember a buddy of Adam’s had a pair,” I said, thinking back to Adam’s dogs. “I think they scare a lot of folks just because they look tough. But I’ve never had a reason to be afraid of them. I see all these sweet videos on YouTube of them.”

Jayce just grinned at me.

“What’s your dog’s name?” I asked.

“Bones.”

I burst out laughing, and Jayce joined in. “It’s because he’s been obsessed with bones since I first got him. When I went to adopt him, he was the shyest one in the whole litter.

“I tried to be friendly and fun. I even offered him treats, but he wouldn’t leave his mom’s side. Then the original owner suggested a bone. The little guy wouldn’t leave me alone after that.”

Then, for a moment, Jayce looked at me with a serious gaze.

“What?” I asked.

He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

I smiled. I suddenly remembered that he had something he wanted to tell me. “Jayce, before Megan interrupted, what were you going to tell me?”

He paused. Biting his lip, he seemed to be pretending to think. He scratched his head. “You know, I totally forgot. I’ll tell you next time,” he mumbled.

I didn’t believe him, but I wasn’t going to push it. I remembered how angry he got when I asked about the tattoo. “Okay.”

He quickly changed the subject. “That toast is going to get cold. You should probably eat it.”

I picked up the toast and took a small bite. Jayce turned ~Fairy Tail~ back on and we watched it together while I continued to nibble. I managed to finish it.

After two episodes, my eyelids started to feel heavy. Jayce turned off the TV. “Are you ready to go to bed?”

I shook my head. As tired as I was, I didn’t want the night to end. It was the only night I’d spent with Jayce that felt normal. No drama, no sex.

He gave me a gentle smile, and I wondered if he felt the same. He kissed my forehead.

“You need to rest. I’ll still be here. I promise.”

“What time do you need to leave tomorrow?” I murmured, my head resting against his shoulder.

“I’ll need to leave early to grab some clean clothes before I head to work, but I don’t have class till nine. What time does your roommate leave?”

“I think she has an early shift tomorrow,” I answered. “She’ll probably be out of the house before seven.”

“That should work fine,” he said with a smile. “Let’s go to bed.”

I nodded. Jayce leaned over to me and turned off my bedside lamp. When the room went dark, he pulled me closer to him. I snuggled as close as I could get.

I was dreading the morning when we would have to face reality again, but I did my best to cherish the time before I fell asleep.