Now we sleep

It was another cold night in the Austrian mountains of Stubai. The moon shone through the net curtains and the howl of the wind swung by. The room was padded with warmth but she couldn’t feel it. The quilt was clenched within her grasp and tucked under her chin. She had been tossing and turning since their teachers told them lights out.

That had been an hour ago and it was now midnight.

She couldn’t take it anymore. Flinging the covers off carefully, Victoria looked at her two roommates and tiptoed over to Grace because she was closest and most understanding. She went out to touch her shoulder when a hand shot up and stopped her.

“Where are you going?” Grace whispered.

“I can’t sleep.” Was all Victoria had to say for Grace to understand. They met each other’s eyes and stared for a moment before Grace nodded slowly and said “Make sure that you’re back here before they wake us up otherwise you’ll get kicked off the slopes.” She let go of Victoria’s and snuggled back under the covers.

“Thank you Gracie.” She kissed her forehead and turned to leave.

“Hey Vic?” she called out causing Victoria to turn sharply. “Yeah Gracie?” her brow was furrowed in confusion as Grace leaned over to the bedside table that separated their beds and grabbed her iPhone. “Don’t forget you phone. If you’re not back in time I need to be able to contact you.” She tossed it to her and smiled when the girl simply said, “Thanks,” and left. Grace simply rolled eyes and smirked coyly. “Did she just go where I think she went?” the voice in the other bed beside her spoke. “Go back to sleep Indie.” She pulled up the covers and fell back into the dream she was previously enamoured with.

Stalking through the corridor and up the stairs, Victoria cursed the cold and herself for not putting on a pair of socks or a warm jumper. The stone tiled floor felt like ice beneath her feet and the cold breeze that came through the open windows infected her skin with the odd Goosebumps every other moment. Once she had cleared the staircase she  found herself on his floor. The only problem was remembering which room was his.

Judging from this afternoon’s conversation on the balconies between the girls and the boys, she had gathered that his room was directly above hers. Talk about convenient.

Walking up to door 309 she pulled down the handle carefully and opened the door as quietly as possible. Closing the door with as much silence as when she opened it, she walked into the main area of the hotel room and saw him slumbering on the single bed like she had done in her room. He kicked in his sleep and didn’t want to risk the chance of kicking people off the bed seeing as the two other beds were joined within one bed frame. As she reached him she pulled his covers back slightly and saw that he was in nothing but his boxers. She huffed and rolled her eyes before getting into bed with him.

What she hadn’t counted on was him waking up. “Victoria?” she could hear how tired he was and immediately felt bad for waking him. “What are you doing here?” it was like he’d forgotten his promise earlier. “You said I could come to you if I needed you.” His brow creased and his eyes narrowed. “I couldn’t sleep.” She mumbled into his arm that was acting like her pillow. “You told me to that you’d available if I needed you.” She reminded him once again.

He scoffed lightly at this notion. “You need me to help you sleep? Come off it Parissien. Are you being serious?” he looked down at her and his eyebrows raised when she nodded and responded with, “It’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before Agardh.”

“We were both drunk that night and nothing happened.”  He sighed as he remembered the event but blinked it away before he was taken away with it. “If I’m being honest with you, I’m just surprised that you’re not with Isaac.” He didn’t miss the sour scowl that adorned her face as soon as the young man’s name was spoken of.

“He has Lilly to worry about.” She grumbled and slowly became even more perturbed when he let out a laugh that could’ve woken up his roommates. “What’s so funny?” she pondered.

“It’s just that Lil’s a really nice girl and you hate her because she’s dating your ‘soul mate’. It’s not her fault you know. It’s not her fault her fault that Isaac’s a blind idiot that can’t see what’s standing right in front of him. Heck he’s sleeping in the room next door.” He rubbed his eyes tentatively but felt a sharp stinging pain tremor through his hand. Victoria had just hit him. ‘Did she just hit me? Fuck that hurt.’

“What the hell was that for?” he asked heatedly as he frowned.

“Rubbing around your eyes gives you premature wrinkles and so does frowning so stop it.” She stated. He rolled his eyes at her antics and turned over so that his back was to her.

“I’ve had enough; can we please go to sleep?” she could hear the sleep rising within his voice and initially felt bad for waking him up. “Ok.” She meekly and cuddled into his back, spooning him from behind. She could tell that he was still awake because his body had tensed as soon as she touched him. “What’s wrong?”       

“Are you spooning me?” he asked; the humour evident in his voice. She pulled back and thought for a moment. “It seems that I am, got a problem with it?” she countered.

“Yes as a matter of I do.” He turned over to face her. “I feel like a girl when you do that.” He mumbled and she swatted him playfully. “You are such a child do you know that?” he rolled his eyes and made a turning motion with his index finger. “What?” she said questioningly. It was the little things that he did in these sorts of moments that made her thankful that they were sort of now friends.

“Turn around.” She was confused but did it anyway. “What now?” she whispered but halted when she felt his arms wrap around her waist. “Now we sleep.” As soon as those words had left his mouth he fell asleep but his grip on her waist never slackened. She smiled to herself and fell asleep shortly after.