Boy Charming

Chapter Twenty-Seven: I'm in Morgan's Closet

Morgan gets up and closes his bedroom door.

"You can sleep in my closet," he says.

"What?" I ask, not sure if I'd heard him right.

"I can take all my stuff out and there's a foam mattress in the spare room..."

I don't respond, not because I'm offended at being offered a closet for the night, which I should be, but because Morgan is really close and it makes me unable to speak. His hand is still resting on the door in front of me as he waits for my answer. All I want to do is lay my head on his shoulder and have his arms wrapped around me.

"My parents would never say yes if I asked them," Morgan continues, looking at me with his bright blue eyes. "My Mom would call someone ..." 

"The closet is fine. Are you sure? I don't want to get you into trouble," I say, hating to put him in an uncomfortable position. 

"I'll run downstairs while my dad's still in the washroom, I have an idea, I'll hide your shoes..." Morgan reaches for the door nob then stops. "Can you ... hide somewhere? Until I get back?"

I look around the room. There's space between the bed and the wall. I walk over and crouch down behind the bed.

Morgan leaves once I'm out of sight, closing the door quietly behind him. A moment later I hear the front door slam downstairs. There is some talking but I can't make out what is said, then there are footsteps coming up the stairs and I hear Morgan's voice in the hallway.

"...and you were cleaning up in the kitchen," he says to someone, "so we came upstairs to study."

"You could have studied in the living room." It's his mom. "I don't want you alone with that girl in your room, do you hear?"

"My door was open the whole time," Morgan responds. Their voices are clear now and I feel nervous that his mom is going to come into the room. I hear the door open. I get down on my belly behind the bed, my heart racing. I really don't want to get Morgan into trouble.

"I just want to go to bed now," Morgan says.

"You spent all your time helping that girl. Did you get any of your own homework done?"

Morgan doesn't answer right away. "I don't have that much homework tonight. Is Ellie still up? Isn't it past her bedtime again?"

Morgan's mom sighs loudly. I hear the door close.

"She's gone," Morgan whispers to me. I get up slowly, my arms and legs feeling heavy and tired. Morgan goes straight for his closet and begins to clear it out. Despite my tiredness I go help, we remove boxes and roller blades, a skateboard, shoes and a few street hockey sticks. We put all the stuff in the narrow space between the wall and Mogan's bed where I was hiding just moments ago.

"I'll go get the foam thing," Morgan says. He steps back from the closet, "can you, um, wait in the closet until I get back? In case someone comes in?"

I nod, walk over to the closet and get in.

"I'll be right back," Morgan starts to close the doors then stops. "Do you want something to eat?"

"No, I'm too tired to eat," I say.

"Okay." He closes the closet doors in front of me, shutting out the light and leaving me in darkness.