Chapter 10: The Sleepover (Part 3)

My eyes shot open and my heart began hammering against my ribs. The room was solid black, the only light being the faint glow of the twin moons passing through the heavy curtains.

The mattress beside me dipped further, and a warm, soft hand traced a slow, deliberate line down my spine, sending shivers skittering across my skin.

"Damara? Is that you?" I whispered, my voice cracking slightly. I rolled over, my eyes adjusting to the dark room. Her silhouette was there. Her ruby eyes, even in the low light, glimmered wildly.

"Sorry," she murmured, her voice soft. "I didn’t mean to wake you. I just... I couldn’t sleep. I just kept feeling more and more lonely until I couldn’t fight it..."

She shifted closer, and I could feel the slight tremor running through her.

"Hey, it’s okay," I said, my voice softening. I propped myself up on an elbow, instinctively pulling the blanket higher over her shoulder. "What’s got you so flustered?"

"I don’t know... it’s just..." she whispered, burrowing closer until her forehead was resting against my shoulder. "I kept... I kept seeing him and the way he always looked at me. And... and I’ve never been fired before, Sam. I’ve never been... homeless."

Her voice cracked loudly on the last word, and a fiery, miserable ache twisted in my chest.

"Hey, look at me," I said gently, tilting her chin up with my finger. Her eyes glistened with fresh tears. "You are not homeless. You’re here right now..." I cleared my throat. "This is your home for as long as you need it. Okay? I’ve got a stupid amount of empty rooms in this place. We could house a small army and still have space left over."

A watery, hiccupping laugh escaped her. "It really is a ridiculously big house for just two guys."

Exactly! Also I’m not sure Ignis is a guy, he’s a robot. It’s kinda creepy but I keep him around," I paused, noticing I had made her smile. "You’re honestly doing me a favor by making it feel less like a haunted mansion and more like an actual home," I confessed. She felt small and fragile in my arms, her body still trembling slightly. "And that guy at the inn? He’s a royal prick who preys on women. Right now I bet he’s probably crying into his beer right now about how some guy slapped the shit out of him." I paused, placing a hand on my chin. "If you think about it, you’re better off out of there."

She squeezed against me, her face pressing firmly into my chest. "Thank you," she mumbled into my shirt. "For everything. For saving me, for the food, for not being a weird creep..."

"Of course," I said, rubbing her back in slow, soothing circles. "Go ahead and get some sleep. We’ll figure out your housing situation tomorrow. Together, alright?"

"The world seemed to pause as we lay there in the quiet darkness, the rhythm of her breathing slowly evening out as she drifted off. I stayed awake for a while longer, just listening to the sound of her breathing. I really liked having her here.

It took me longer than I had hoped to fall asleep, but after the nerves of having a woman in my bed passed, so did I.

***

"Sam, are you still awake?" a soft voice asked.

I spun to look at Damara. "Yea... kinda," I whispered.

"I can’t sleep..." she replied. "I can’t stop thinking about you being right next to me. It’s kinda hot."

"I’ll show you hot," I rose out of the blankets and ripped my shirt off. "See these muscles?"

"Oh my god Sam that’s soooo sexy," She exclaimed as she crawled toward me. "Take it all off!"

As I began to drop my trousers the sound of my name being called echoed through the room.

"Sam... Saaammmmm," A voice called. "SAM WAKE UP!"

When I opened my eyes, a fully clothed but incredibly cute girl stood over me, her arms crossed.

"Are you going to sleep all day Sam? We have tons of stuff to do today..." She exclaimed as she tore the covers off of me. "SAM! Put it away! It’s so big!"

I looked down and what stared back at me, made me immediately die inside. Somehow in the middle of the night my boxer shorts had slipped off. My dream had awoken my closest friend.

"Oh my god! I’m so sorry!" I nearly screamed, leaning over to grab my blanket. "Shit!" I leaned too far and toppled right over.

Covering her eyes, her hands muffled her words slightly. "No. That was my fault Sam."

The sunlight filtered through my curtains, illuminating the room entirely. Damara handed me my blanket before retreating. I sat for another few moments before beginning my morning routine.

Ignis had placed my cleaned clothes on my dresser late last night, neatly folded even. I brushed my teeth after getting dressed. Can’t have bad breath while you’re toting a total cutie around town.

Rich aroma’s began invading my bedroom, each carrying a unique note. Curious, I forced my shirt on and left my room, skipping down the stairs. Standing in the kitchen stirring something, Damara stood, her arm on her hip.

"Making breakfast?" I asked, sitting down on the bar.

"Yep! Eggs and bacon," she said twirling a spatula in her hand before landing a double flip on one of the eggs. "Found them in your cold box."

"Refrigerator..." I corrected. I smacked my knee as a thought struck me. "I didn’t get a coffee machine..." Turning my attention to Damara. "Do you guys have coffee in your world?"

"You mean zap-zap juice?" she teased. "Most of the capital wouldn’t run without coffee. So yes. Would you like to add the bakery to the list of places to visit today?" She asked, plating the food. "There’s several here but I’ll show you my favorite spot."

"I’d really appreciate that Damara, Thanks."