A small yelp in the night wakes me up, and faster than my mind can react, I throw the covers off and spring to my feet, eyes adjusted to the dark and looking around my room as my fists ball, looking for whatever caused the disturbance — were we followed? Did someone track us here? Have I slept through an abduction?
But after a moment of silence, my gaze falls on the only other person in the room, Liv, who’s sitting up in bed with eyes wide open, recoiling from me in fear. Or rather, perhaps, recoiling from my reaction.
“Liv? Are you okay?” I ask, lowering my voice as I realize there’s no threat in the room with us but me. “I’m sorry if I startled you. My reflexes are...a little overzealous, it seems.”
“I’m sorry,” she breathes, still half-asleep, “I’m sorry, I... no, everything’s fine. I didn’t mean to wake you.” She takes a deep breath as she bunches up some of the blankets under her chin, laying her head down on the pillows again as she tries to calm her nerves. Frowning, I move over to the bed and sit beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“You’re safe here, Liv,” I assure her, rubbing her arm slowly. “Trust me, I’m not a man to make such promises lightly.”
Her eyes turn to me, the lamplight catching in them and making them sparkle even in their exhaustion. There’s real trust in those eyes, even though we’ve only known each other for a short time, and I can feel her relaxing under my touch.
It’s a funny thing about out of the ordinary experiences. Someone can date someone else for years, get married, have a family, and yet never feel the same connection as someone who’s been through something as heinous as Liv and I were. Seeing someone at their worst, their absolute worst, and moving through it together is something not usually afforded to regular people, and for that I’m ever grateful.
But now, I know there’s a thread between Liv and I, something that won’t be easily broken.
“I’m sorry. I forgot you were here, and I felt so alone. God, I just keep thinking what they could be doing with Maggie. Max…” she says, and she seems hesitant to continue, closing her eyes before speaking more. “Would you... would you sleep in the bed with me?”
I’m taken aback by the question, but I don’t let it show, my touch on her arm still slow and smooth. But even I can’t deny that the request puts a warmth in my chest, a reassurance of how safe she feels with me. What’s really getting me, though, is the jolt of excitement my body feels, and that’s what makes me hesitate. She’s my student, and I need to crush these inappropriate feelings, not tease them to new heights.
“It’s okay if you don’t think that’s alright,” she backpedals at my momentary silence, opening her eyes, “I know it — it wouldn’t look appropriate. I just…I need to feel you close to me, Max,” she confesses in a near whisper, her cheeks burning red, and I give her shoulder a light squeeze.
I should not do this. Liv is my student. She’s 18. She’s under my protection. She’s put every ounce of her trust in me, and I’ve taken her out of the jaws of hell tonight, turning her heart inside out in the process.
And she needs me more than anything else right now. She needs to feel safe and protected, and what will make her feel safe and protected is to be held.
Without saying another word to worry her, I move around the side of the bed, slipping into the sheets and moving in close to Liv. I can feel the heat of her body radiating against mine, and she starts to move in closer to me instinctively, but she stops herself short, pulling the sheets tighter around herself and letting out a satisfied sigh.
“Thank you, Max,” she breathes in a nearly inaudible whisper.
“Anything, Liv,” my low intonation replies.
In a matter of minutes as we drift off into sleep together, I feel my mind start to descend into the twilight between waking and sleeping, but all that keeps me over the precipice is the thought of Liv beside me.
Were anyone to know of what I was doing here, we could both be dismissed from the university. But all that feels so far away from us now. This place feels like a sanctuary, a quiet pause amidst this storm suddenly brewing around our lives, and somehow, I realize why Liv wanted me to be near her, and I share the same desire.
Whether Liv is awake or not, I do not know, but I feel her body moving in closer to mine. First her shoulder touches my chest, and there’s a pause, as if she or her body wonders whether she should stay or roll away. But a moment later, I feel her back press into me, her narrow, lithe frame curling against mine so naturally. She cuddles into my chest, and I hear a soft sigh from her, though her face is away from me.