it was late at night by the time both of you had gotten back, tumbling through the door as you struggled to take off your jackets and shoes, tossing them to the floor lazily.
“are you sure you’re fine with me staying?”
“of course..” he turned towards you briefly, rolling his eyes, not out of annoyance, but more so in an attempt to assure you.
he led you to his bedroom, a nervousness in his voice as he held the door open for you. all the sudden, his room didn’t feel clean enough to him. he eyed the shelves and the floor, noticing small things that should’ve been put away, but were left forgotten in the frenzy of getting ready for the party. all this time, he had secretly been hoping you’d agree to his idea of staying over, so he had shoved all his trinkets previously scattered all around into the drawers.
“sorry, it’s a little messy here,” he muttered, scratching at the back of his head.
“not at all, really,” you replied, gently rubbing his arm with your hand, a gesture that typically wouldn’t have meant anything to either of you, but now, fueled by the lingering, post-party feeling, left you both a little flustered.
“anyway—” he continued, making his way to the small, built-in wardrobe in the wall to his right. he pulled the moving doors sideways, opening it to a modest collection of clothes, hung up on racks neatly, with two sets of shelves above filled with labeled boxes. below the hanging clothes rested a bright-colored, polyester material of some sort, rolled up and wrapped with a thick band. he reached for it, unraveling it to be a sleeping bag.
you swallowed nervously, immediately assuming it was for you.
he looked over at you, and seeing your expression, immediately began stumbling over his words, “oh— no, no, this is for me..”
he stepped aside his bed, spreading out the sleeping bag on the carpet beneath your feet.
“i’m sleeping on the floor, and you can have the bed,” he explained, quickly adding that he washed the sheets prior. you chuckled, assuring him in that half-nervous, half-flustered voice that it would be fine if he hadn’t, even though it would’ve probably made you feel the type of way you’ve been trying to hide — from him, and from yourself. the mere thought of laying in the bed he sleeps in made you flush a light pink, but for the sheets to be ones he’s twisted in just the night before? to sleep surrounded in his scent would probably prove to be far more difficult for you to ignore, to play off as a neutral thing.
when it was his turn using the bathroom, you sat down on his bed carefully, looking around the room. it was almost 3 in the morning as you struggled to keep your eyes open, a rare thing for you whilst sleeping over at someone else’s house. you took it as a good sign, one that meant he felt safe. you ran your hands through your hair, crossing your legs and looking down at your pajamas, feeling a little self-conscious with how you looked.
i could’ve worn something cuter, you thought. what am i thinking? he’s just my friend. he doesn’t care what i’m wearing.
when he finally came out of the bathroom, hair freshly fluffy from the shower, towel wrapped around his hips, you had already hid yourself beneath the covers, only your head poking out. you turned so you wouldn’t see him, but once he came up to the wardrobe to change his shirt, you had accidentally caught a glance of his bare, muscular back. your head immediately turned as you shifted in the bed. in turn, he glanced your way and smiled to himself before making his way to the sleeping bag.
“are you sure you want to sleep on the floor?” you muttered as he turned off the dim, warm night lamp.
“you’re the guest, you deserve a bed,” he said, sliding into the sleeping bag with a crinkly sound.
some time passed — you didn’t know how long, or whether you had slept at all, but you could feel his wakefulness, somehow. letting go of a breath, you risked it, parting your lips to speak:
“no,” he responded almost immediately, his voice clear as though he hadn’t slept. you paused for a moment before mustering up the courage to suggest what you were about to.
“are you sure you don’t want to come here?”
the silence was loud for that moment, but then, you heard plastic rustling and saw a faint shadow of a man standing above you.
“i might take you up on that,” he said, tugging at the corner of the sheets and gently positioning himself in the warmth of the bed. you moved as far as you could to the other edge of the bed, which, although a double, wasn’t as spacious once he had entered it. “are you uncomfortable?”
you turned around to face him, your eyes meeting his.
“oh, no, no, not at all,” you hesitated, suddenly aware of the closeness, not even a forearm’s length between your faces.
“just tell me,” he said, almost whispering. you nodded, shifting back to your side. after a moment, he sat up in the bed, causing you to look his way again, awoken by the sudden movement.
“it’s so damn hot,” he mumbled, tugging his shirt off and throwing it to the ground before falling back into his pillow. your stomach stirred with a sense of nervousness as you watched his chest heave up and down as he breathed.
we’re just friends, you thought to yourself.
then, when he turned around, his face smushed gently against the pillow, hair sprawled out on the fabric, one hand resting gently on the space beside you, your cheeks burned up. it took a moment for you to finally fall asleep, especially facing him, but seeing as his eyes closed, and his breath had slowed down, you found it safe to do the same.
you slept well, though not for long, dreaming of something you couldn’t remember when your eyes opened in the morning. the sunlight peeked through the curtain, gently caressing the both of you and illuminating the space around your bodies. when you entered a state of consciousness, you immediately felt an unfamiliar warmth, a caress of skin against yours. to your surprise, he held you tight, arms wrapped around you, your back pressed against his chest, his face buried in your neck.
once he had awoken, feeling your movements in his sleep, it took a second before he had realized his position, and shifted his head away, whilst still holding you gently. you turned around in his arms to face him, his sleepy eyes observing you as you looked up at him.
“you know, friends don’t do these things,” he muttered, voice hoarse with the sound of just having woken up.
he smiled, letting go of his left hand to rub his eyes as he stretched his body. “well, they don’t cuddle in their sleep.”
“no, no—” he cut you off, moving closer and wrapping his arm around your waist. “i don’t mind, unless..” he let go suddenly.
he closed his eyes, his lips curling into a gentle grin as he pulled you close to him once more, caressing your hair with his hand.
“you know,” he whispered against your ear. “i was waiting for another moment to tell you this, but i think now’s the time.”
“i think it’s pretty obvious at this point how i feel about you,” he mumbled, taking a deep breath. “and i don’t even care to hide it anymore..”
your eyes widened, a gesture only you could see, as you buried your head in his chest. a second passed before you mustered a response.
“well,” you said, voice vibrating against his skin. “i feel that way too.”
his fingers dragged across your skin, softly drumming against your spine. you didn’t see it, but you could feel him smiling again.
“last night was the best i’ve ever slept.”
