I gasped in shock before groaning at his dreamy expression. “You’re impossible,” I declared, shaking my head in disbelief.
“I’m incredible,” he corrected, smirking.
“Let’s just get some sleep,” I said, trying to hide my smile.
“Do I at least get a goodnight kiss?” he asked as a hopeful glint appeared in his eyes.
I studied his expression for a moment, letting the gush of the rain outside fill the room, before my fingers unconsciously tangled themselves into his hair, pulling his head closer towards me. I reached over and kissed his cheek softly.
“Thank you,” I murmured, “for everything you’ve done tonight.” I gazed into his eyes once I pulled away from his cheek.
Surprise, along with an unreadable emotion, crossed his features as he stared down at my blushing face. He nodded in acknowledgement before turning around to switch off the small lamp. My eyes adjusted to the darkness moments after the light was off, and Adrian took his original position of pressing me into his body in a protective manner, shielding me away from the lightning outside.
I fell asleep smiling.
Chapter Ten
“What the hell? How is that even possible? You don’t even sleep with me when there’s lightning!” Amy’s disbelieving tone screeched from the speaker of my phone, the volume making me cringe slightly so early in the morning. Adrian was still in his bed, asleep, so I used the time to call Amy and talk to her about last night – due to the violent messages she had left me, both on my answering machine and in writing form, in regards to explaining to her what happened.
“I know… it was weird.” I hesitated and quickly felt a blush coming on. “This is going to sound really cheesy, and don’t make any conclusions with what I’m about to say – but I felt as if… I don’t know… like I was safe in his arms.”
The line was silent for a moment before I heard Amy squeal then sigh, making me groan.
“Ames!” I exclaimed in a hushed tone, rolling my eyes at the hopeless romantic side of my best friend, “Didn’t I just say no conclusions?!”
“Come on, Emily, even you know that it’s sweet enough to create a cavity.” Amy sighed again. I smiled, liking the fact that she couldn’t see my face for this conversation. Of course, she was my best friend – and knew me better than I knew myself. “I knew it! I can feel it in my skin! You’re so enjoying this!” Amy squealed excitedly.
The smile instantly disappeared from my lips as that blush I felt earlier crawled up my cheeks. “Shut up,” I mumbled, embarrassed.
Amy snickered before uttering a swear word. “My mom’s calling me. Shoot, what have I done?” Her panicked tone was cut off by the phone indicating another call.
I laughed at her misery. “Uh-oh. Someone’s in troubleeee!” I sang cheerfully, liking the fact that our roles reversed.
“Shut up and go back to your lover boy.” I could hear her scowl over the phone, before hanging up on me. I laughed softly at the now blank screen of my iPhone and quietly made my way back to Adrian’s room. I entered as quietly as I could, and shut the door behind me before climbing back into the comfortable bed. It was still early – about 7AM – but Adrian was awake.
“Where did you go?” he asked in a groggy morning voice, pulling me back into his covered body and moaning softly into my hair. I blushed, remembering my conversation with Amy as he wrapped his arms around my waist, slightly brushing against my bare stomach as the shirt rolled up a little from the movement.
“I- I just had to make a phone call and text my parents,” I mumbled, still nervous about being so close to him.
“Mmmm… that’s okay,” he murmured, placing a light kiss on the tumbleweed-like morning hair that I was currently sporting. “Let’s go back to sleep.”
I matted at my hair self-consciously, mentally cursing myself for not fixing up in front of a reflective surface of some kind before coming back in here, then cursing myself again for wanting to fix myself up in the first place. He was just my boss.
“M’kay,” I agreed, snuggling into him before becoming stiff in his hold and scolding myself again for getting too comfortable with him.
“What’s wrong?” Adrian asked, noticing my sudden stiffness and looking down at me with a sleepy, concerned frown. He had pulled back slightly to get a full look at my face. I groaned inside, wondering how I was going to be able to hide my expression now.
“Nothing, sorry,” I replied, smiling slightly and forcing myself to relax in his hold. He pulled me back into him and tucked me into the crook of his neck, and we both dozed off.