Hide and Seek.

Chapter 11

"Sarah..." he whispers, trying to ease her into waking up. "It's almost time."

Laying down again, Allan wraps his arms around her from behind and rests his cheek against her temple, and she leans into him with a little sigh. Her body is excruciatingly tired from all the action. There's an ache spreading through her joints and turning them almost numb, but she welcomes the feeling. It's a satisfaction beyond anything she's ever felt, so it doesn't matter if it comes wrapped up with a little bit o pain. The pleasure was beyond worth it.

"Where is he, by the way?" she asks, rubbing her eyes gently.

"Upstairs. Our bathroom."

"What is wrong with the one downstairs?"

"No hot water, remember? Your Highness won't do without his scalding showers early in the morning." 

Sarah chuckles lightly. There's much to learn and to remember about Peter. He is probably in the bathroom thinking exactly the same thing about them. Or at least she hopes so. Hopefully, he will remember that she can't function in the morning without a good cup of the coffee. Strong, no sugar, but with just a tad of cream. And he won't try to take them out of bed so soon. Allan is an incurable cuddler, so they always stay a little longer in bed just enjoying each other.

She feels his lips gently pressing against her forehead, and she is awoken from the almost slumber she fell into again without even realizing. 

"Did...did you know?" she finally manages to say, and he hums a soft sound in question. "Did you know what would happen when you asked him to stay here?"

Allan snorts and gives away a small laugh. "I'm not going around planning threesomes as a side hustle if that's what you're asking. I have enough on my plate already."

"It's not. We all know your side hustle is managing me."

"You're not that hard to manage." He tells her, stealing a little peck from her lips."Once I got the hang of it."

He has a point, but still..."But, it's just...you didn't fight it. It was like..." she doesn't finish her sentence.

"As I said...it was bound to happen." He shrugs. "I had a few years in advance to get used to the idea."

She is still not satisfied with his answer. "But you and him...I mean, me and him, we kind of had something. Did you guys ever..."

"We didn't."

"Not even like a kiss or something? It had to be at least a kiss" she says, finding it hard to believe that all that passion could've just come out of nowhere.

He shakes his head. "Nothing. We never did anything like that."

She looks at him with a barely-there grin on her face. She's got him. "I'm a writer, Allan. Don't try to trick me with semantics. Saying you never did anything means you just never acted on it." She explains. "You had to at least be curious about it..."

Allan glances away, stares at the wall, trying to collect his thoughts. When he looks back at her, she's smiling, so he smiles as well. No need to circle around it anymore. "...if I was ever going to be curious about anyone, a guy...it would have to be Peter, wouldn't it? I mean, he just reminds me so much of you." He chuckles. "You both have this fire inside, and it burns when you touch my skin. Always have. Even if it didn't mean the same them as it does now. You guys always made me feel...alive."

"I guess back then I felt the same way too. He might be like me, but we would crash and burn without you. You kept us sane. Even when your whole life had been turned upside down, you always took your time taking care of us."

He turns his head a little to try to catch her eye. It's rare for her to bring up their past, especially so casually. Just talking about it was enough to make a chill run down her spine. She's beyond grateful that his warmth is so close to chase it all away. Always has been, only now she can receive it without restrictions.

"You guys gave me a family, and this is more than anyone has ever given me before."

Family. The word spins around endlessly like she used to do on that one ballet class she took when she was young. She never understood why Allan felt so intensely about it - used to think that it was an obsession even - but now she thinks that she might understand the craving. Still, Sarah is tempted to disagree, to lessen the importance of the feeling that is rubbing on her, but even the mere thought warms off her body like the fire Allan mentioned before. Because she doesn't just have Allan by her side anymore. It isn't two against the world, anymore. Now there is more to hope for.

She just looks at him for a second, studies his face searching for any residual trace of sadness, but she finds none. All she sees are his impossibly clear blue eyes, staring right back at her, with nothing but pure content. They're good now, she thinks, so her face splits in a warmth-filled smile.

"It's a crazy world, isn't it?"

"It sure is."