Project: Nighthall

10

My mouth felt like it was full of cotton. I blinked and groaned quietly, running my tongue against the roof of my mouth. I rolled over and bumped into another body, flinching away.

"What am I doing in your bed?" I groaned.

Emily looked up from her phone and scoffed a laugh.

"You came in here around two. Complaining that your mom was a bed hog," she laughed as she got more comfortable in the bed, "By the way; you are a bed hog."

I rolled my eyes and rolled out of bed, groaning as I got to my feet. I stretched with a sigh, my joints and back cracking loudly. I knew that I slept in a funny position, but with the twinge in my neck, I knew that I did a number on myself.

I left her room and walked down the hall, pulling up short when Dimitri stepped out of his room.

"Morning," I grumbled.

"Morning," Dimitri chirped with a smirk on his face.

I rolled my eyes at him and started down the hall again when Gabriel walked out of his room, dressed in workout gear. I looked back at Dimitri, seeing him in similar wear.

"You're working out without me?"

"We run together every morning," Gabriel pointed out and I rolled my eyes again, shoving him gently as I walked past them. I went down the stairs and started making coffee, rooting through the fridge and found the jar of dill pickles.

I opened the jar and poured some of the juice into a glass. I put the jar back in the fridge and sat at the island, drinking the juice with half-opened eyes. I tried to stretch my neck out, but it hurt to even tilt it. I reached up and palpated my opposite shoulder, wincing at how tight my muscles were.

As I took my hand away, another set of hands rested on my shoulders, gently kneading my tight shoulders. I sighed and hissed when Dimitri found the right knot, whimpering when he had to apply pressure to work up the knot.

"That really hurts," I complained as Dimitri worked on my shoulder.

"It's almost done," he said gently. Once the knot released I groaned quietly, letting him move my shoulders and head around to loosen the muscles. I sighed and closed my eyes as his hands rubbed gently over my skin.

"Thank you," I said. Dimitri hummed quietly and I smiled when I felt a brush against the top of my shoulder. His lips made me shiver and I bit my lip to hide my smile.

"We definitely need to talk," I whispered as I looked up at him. His eyes were soft as he nodded.

"Tonight?"

I nodded and he pecked my lips. I smiled and turned it into a more substantial kiss.

"Ew. Get a room," Gabriel teased as he came into the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and flipped him off. Dimitri chuckled under his breath and kissed my forehead as he stood up straight.

"Leave her alone," Dimitri replied but I could hear the laugh in his voice.

"Make me," Gabriel said petulantly and looked over my shoulder, "Pickle juice?"

I nodded as I took another sip of it.

"Hung over?"

"My mother was feeding us both tequila shots last time," I replied and Gabriel ruffled my head.

"We'll be back in a little bit," Dimitri said and I nodded, getting up when the coffee pot chimed that it was ready. I waved at them as I poured my coffee, smiling to myself as I took a sip. Dimitri and I really did need to sit down and talk about us, if there even was an us or if it was just two people falling back into a somewhat comfortable routine.