One Day

Part 14 - Sleep

Dinner goes by without a hitch and he was right about his parents, they are wonderful. His brother, Easton, didn't get to join us and I've not seen him since high school so I'm still a bit nervous about that interaction. We are back at my house cuddled up together on the couch watching tv as I drift in and out of sleep. It's not even 9:00 and I'm struggling to stay awake.

"Why am I so tired?" I yawn as I shift to get comfortable. He squeezes his arms around me and kisses my hair.

"Do you want me to leave so you can go to bed?" he whispers in my ear. Chills immediately make their way down my arm.

"No," I say sleepily, holding his arms around me. "You're not going anywhere." I close my eyes and let my mind drift to the warmth of his body against mine.

My shoulder is numb as I open my eyes to the sound of an annoying voice coming from the tv selling me something that I just have to have. I lift my eyes to the clock and notice that it's just after 2:00 in the morning. I'm still held against Jace by his strong arms and his even breathing lets me know he has been asleep for a long time. I shift trying to take the pressure off my shoulder and he stirs.

"What time is it, babe?" he mumbles burying his face into my neck. He throws his leg over me pulling me even closer.

"It's late, let's go to bed," I say gently pulling at his arms hoping that I can stand and take him with me. "Come on."

"Just stay with me, January." I gasp slightly and hold my breath as I lay as still as possible. Did he really just say her name? Maybe I misheard him. He pulls me back closer to him and my body relaxes as I try to justify what I may or may not have heard. They were together for three years, I can't exactly expect him to forget her overnight.

"I love you, Jan." I heard it loud and clear that time. I shift suddenly and sit up just as fast, waking him up as I stand. I know I shouldn't be this hurt and I definitely shouldn't be acting like this. He was asleep, he doesn't even realize what he said.

I walk to the bedroom and grab some pajamas pants and a tank top before I lock myself in the bathroom to change. I hear him shuffling down the hallway as I slide the tank top over my head. He gently knocks on the door.

"Hey, you okay?" he says half asleep. "You got up really fast."

"Yeah, I'm good," I say holding back tears that I refused to cry. I should not be this upset. Get it together. I open the door to find him leaning against the frame still mostly asleep. "I was just really uncomfortable. Let's go to bed." I grab his hand and walk towards my bed. He pulls his shirt over his head and unbuckles his belt as I climb under the sheets.

He makes his way in beside me and curls his body around mine, spooning me as I face the wall. He kisses my hair before laying his head on my pillow and falls asleep almost instantly.

I watch the numbers on my alarm clock change as my mind questions my recent actions. I've let him come in and sweep me off my feet while he had a girlfriend, stay the night with me for the past two nights without question, and let myself quickly fall in love with him as his heart still belongs to another woman. He's a good guy – actually, he's a great guy – and I'm letting my heart lead the way instead of using my head. I know the right thing to do is to slow things down between us and give him time to get over January before pursuing a relationship with me but I can't seem to distance myself from him. Every time I am with him, I want more of him and every time I'm not with him, I can't wait until I see him again.

I need to talk to him about it and I'll do that first thing in the morning. The clock reads 3:28 as I close my eyes and allow sleep to overtake my racing mind.

Thanks for reading One Day! I try to post each weekday and look forward to where this story takes us as it is a work in progress.

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