Our different worlds

Under the heat of a blanket

As we made it to the boys' dorm, Alex kept whispering, "This isn't a good idea, Pierce. You're not supposed to be up here." But I rolled my eyes, shushing him.

"Just stop talking and don't wake up the security guard," I muttered, desperately hoping that Max would stay quiet, too. But Max, naturally, had other plans.

The moment we got him inside, Max seemed to catch a second wind. "I'm not going to bed! No way!" he slurred, struggling out of his shoes and throwing his wallet and phone across the room.

"Max, seriously, keep it down," Alex hissed, looking panicked as Max fumbled with his belt, slinging it to the floor with a loud clank.

"Come on, let's get you to bed," I said firmly, pushing him toward the mattress. Max protested, half-heartedly trying to resist, but eventually let us settle him down.

I sighed, sinking onto the other bed, shaking my head at Max's antics. "Honestly, how does he survive nights like this?"

Alex chuckled, flopping down beside me. "He doesn't remember half of them, so it's probably easier than we think."

I was about to joke about Max's hopeless state when Alex's eyes went wide. He put a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet. My heart stopped as I heard footsteps approaching outside the door-a security guard.

"Oh no," I whispered, eyes darting to the door. I scrambled up, trying to figure out where to hide, but there was nowhere. "What do we do?" I mouthed, panic setting in.

Alex didn't respond; instead, he pulled a fluffy black blanket from the bed, tossed it over both of us, and whispered, "Get down!"

Before I knew it, he had wrapped us up under the blanket, pulling me in close to shield me from view. I felt the warmth of his body pressed against mine, his arm around my shoulder as he leaned down slightly, his head almost touching mine. We were huddled together, and I could feel my face warming under the blanket, pressed so close to him I could barely move without brushing against him.

"Stay still, Pierce," he whispered, so close that his breath brushed against my cheek.

"Like I'm the one making noise?" I shot back, voice barely audible.

"Shh!" he whispered, his arm tightening around my shoulder as he tried to listen for the guard's movements.

I could hear the guard now, the footsteps stopping just outside the door. My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure Alex could hear it. And he wasn't helping-being this close to him was doing nothing for my ability to stay calm. I could feel the warmth of his chest, his breath even and steady compared to my own. My heart was racing, and every time I tried to take a quiet breath, it seemed to get harder to focus on anything but him.

The door creaked open, and I instinctively leaned even closer to Alex, pressing my face against his shoulder, hoping to stay hidden in the dim light under the blanket. Alex's fingers brushed my shoulder as he adjusted the blanket over us. I glanced up just in time to see him look down at me, his eyes catching mine for a split second. There was a softness there, something almost protective, and it made my breath catch in my throat.

The guard stepped in, muttering to himself as he bent down to pick up Max's scattered belongings. "Drunk kids... loud enough to wake half the building," he grumbled. He lingered near Max's bed, and I held my breath, trying to stay as silent as possible. All I could think about was how close Alex was, how his arm wrapped around me made me feel strangely... safe.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the guard sighed and left, closing the door behind him with a thud. We stayed frozen for a second, both of us barely breathing until we were sure he was gone.