Can't Love Christmas

Fifteen

The door opened and Ash faced a large room with one bed. It was a king sized at least, but there was still only one. More than enough room for two people to be comfortable. More than enough for more than two people.

Ash struggled to articulate what she was dying to know, "Uhmm"

"Don't worry Cinders, I can sleep on the floor if you're uncomfortable."

"What? No, that's not it. You can sleep in the bed if you want. It's definitely big enough to share."

"Only if you're sure."

"Yes. What I was actually trying to figure out what to ask is, what did Liliana whisper to you on the dancefloor?"

"Oh." Rowan blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, "She asked if I wanted to spend the night with them."

Ash cackled in response. When Rowan didn't join in, she sat down on the bed and looked up at him. "You could have done that if you wanted to. I'm not going to stop you. I know I brought you as my guest, but this entire thing is now 'unforeseen circumstances', and you are more than welcome to make the best of it however you want."

He ducked into the bathroom and Ash could hear the tap run, followed by the sound of splashing. He came back into the bedroom wiping his face in a towel. "That's the thing, Cinders. I don't want to. But if you don't want me here, or this was more than you bargained for, I can go somewhere else."

Silence stretched between them, and Ash was certain he could hear her swallow. "Okay. Stay here with me. Is it alright if I take this side of the bed?"

Rowan cracked a small smile. "Sure. I am going to see if the front desk has any extra toiletries we can borrow though, I'll be right back." He turned and headed out the door.

Ash went to the large window at the far end of the room and looked out at the town. The street lights reflected off the river, Christmas lights decorated houses throughout town, and snow drifted down silently. Hard to believe the snow was causing enough trouble to keep them here, it looked so beautiful and innocent as it fell.

She went to her bag on the chair in the corner, and pulled out her extra clothes. She had a pair of sweatpants and a sweater, and she changed quickly so she would be done before Rowan returned. Then she went to the bathroom and used the provided makeup remover to clean off her face. She'd worn much more makeup than normal for the party, and it felt refreshing to wipe it all away.

The bedroom door opened at the same time Ash emerged from the bathroom, bringing them close together in the entry.

"They had toothbrushes, toothpaste and mouthwash. I didn't think we really needed anything else, but if you maybe need some, uh, other specific personal items they have those too." He reached past her to place the items on the bathroom counter.

Ash smiled. "Thanks. Is that your way of saying if I need a tampon I can go down and get one, but you didn't want to ask if I did?"

Rowan's face flamed red and he stepped past her, whispering "yes" as he did so.

Ash smiled at his back and returned to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

When she returned to the bedroom, Rowan was sitting on the bed looking nervous. He had hung up his suit jacket, but otherwise looked the same. He must have run his hands through his hair a few times, as it was much more mussed than usual.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I don't have any other clothes to wear to bed. I don't know what you're comfortable with me sleeping in."

Ash smiled softly at him. "You're wearing underwear right?"

"Christ Cinders, I'm not an animal. Dress pants have zippers," he shuddered, "of course I am."

Ash snorted. "Well, wear that then. I think I've put you through enough torture on these dates, I'm not going to ask you to sleep in a dress shirt."

He looked at her with an expression she couldn't decipher. "I hope you know none of this has been torture. I'm sorry that something ruins it every time."

Rowan excused himself to brush his teeth and Ash climbed into the bed on her side. She turned away while Rowan undressed, giving him as much privacy as possible. He turned off the lights before he slid under the covers on the other side, and there was plenty of space for them each to be comfortable without touching.

Ash's mind raced for what felt like an hour before Rowan slid out of the bed and stumbled towards  the bathroom. While he was inside, she flicked on the light, no point keeping it off if she wasn't even sleeping. 

She heard the door open and looked to where he came back into the room, with a surprised look on his face. She gasped. "Holy shit."

Rowan looked around frantically and she tried to cover up her blush. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Her eyes were glued to his toned chest and the artwork which adorned it. "I just um, didn't know you had a tattoo."

"Is that a problem?"

"No, of course not. I just wasn't expecting it."

He scratched at his pectoral and she watched as the ink disappeared and reappeared under his hand. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"I wasn't asleep."

He frowned. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No!" Her eyes bugged and she shook her head with vigor. "Of course not. I just have a lot on my mind."

Rowan eased himself back into the bed, and continued to look at her with concern. The blankets pooled at his waist, and she forced herself to look away. The silence clung to them and she felt his gaze linger, until with a sigh, he clicked the light off once more.

She laid still while he flipped over, punched his pillow to fluff it, and otherwise aggressively found his comfortable spot for the night. She swore when he was finally still he was closer to her than he was when they first climbed into the bed. 

"Did you mean it when you said they weren't torture?" she whispered into the darkness.

"Of course. I mean, they weren't ideal endings, but it was still fun to spend time with you."

"Okay." Silence wrapped around them once more.

"Goodnight, Rowan."

"Goodnight, Cinders."

The lights went out, and only the sounds of their breathing remained.