I sat there on Xavier's bed, still trying to wrap my mind around what had just happened. His lips had touched mine. We kissed. The thought echoed in my head, refusing to settle.
"Jean, calm down. It was just a kiss," I told myself, trying to rationalize the moment. But deep down, I knew it wasn't just a kiss. My mind refused to cooperate, spinning into overdrive. Could he have feelings for me? Was I reading too much into it? I chided myself for being ridiculous, for letting my thoughts spiral out of control.
Sleep, I decided. Sleep would be my refuge from this whirlwind of emotions.
But three hours had passed, and sleep still eluded me. My thoughts raced, jumping from one worry to the next. Was it my stalker that kept me awake? Was it Caleb? Or was it Xavier, and the way his lips had lingered on mine? I cursed my confusion, frustrated by my inability to find peace.
In an attempt to quiet my mind, I sat up and tried to meditate. I had exhausted every trick I knew to lull myself into slumber, but nothing seemed to work. My thoughts were like a relentless tide, pulling me under. So lost was I in the chaos of my own mind that I didn't notice the bedroom door quietly open.
"Something on your mind, Little Bunny?" Xavier's voice cut through the silence, startling me from my reverie. He stood there, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "I'm sorry, was the kiss that distracting?" His chuckle was light, but his eyes held a seriousness that made my heart pound.
"I don't know," I sighed, feeling the weight of my uncertainty as he walked towards the bed. When he sat down on the edge, the mattress dipped under his weight, but the pressure I felt was far more profound, pressing on my chest like a physical force.
"Does it bother you?" he asked softly, his tone gentle and concerned. "I'm sorry, Jean. You needed a distraction, and I just... went for it. I know it was selfish, and I hate that I took advantage of you when you were vulnerable. But seeing you so uncomfortable because of that stalker— it drove me crazy. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing." His smile was meant to reassure, but it only made my heart ache more.
"N-no... It's not like that," I stammered, my thoughts too tangled to form a coherent explanation. "I just can't sleep. My mind won't shut off." The jumble of emotions, fears, and thoughts had consumed me so completely that I felt on the verge of breaking down.
"How about I stay with you until you fall asleep?" he offered, his voice gentle, as though he was trying to soothe the turmoil inside me. I looked up at him, my gaze softening as I nodded. Without hesitation, he crawled into the bed beside me, his presence comforting in a way I hadn't anticipated. When he gently pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me, it should have felt strange—after all, I'd only known him for three weeks. But instead, it felt like coming home.
I cringed at the absurdity of the thought—how could someone I barely knew feel so familiar, so safe? But as his warmth enveloped me, the tension in my body began to melt away. I didn't fully understand what it was about him that made me feel this way, but the moment he held me, sleep no longer seemed so impossible.
"Goodnight, Little Bunny," he murmured, his voice soft and soothing. But by then, I was already drifting away, the world fading as his presence lulled me into the sleep I so desperately needed.
