The Secrets We Share

TWENTY TWO

Dawn

The first thing I thought when I woke up was 'Holiday time yessss.'

The second thing I had to do when I woke up the next morning was to try not to freak out. And believe me, I tried really hard.

I tried so hard it wasn't even funny. My heart was beating ferociously, and I could feel tingles all along my spine. 

You see, I was lying on top of a certain someone, their arm curled around my waist. Our legs were tangled together and my head was on- you guessed it- Noah's chest. His other arm was aligned with my arm, his body warm and... strangely comfortable. 

Not to mention both of our shirts had been pulled up slightly during sleep so that honestly, I felt like if anyone walked in on us right now, they would freak and assume something that we definitely hadn't been doing the previous night. 

It dawned on me that he must've fallen asleep too, in my bed. Accidentally? Or not? 

After lying there and staring at the rather blank ceiling, wondering if I could get off Noah and not wake him up in the process for about five minutes, I decided to take action. 

Slowly, I tugged on his arm. 

It didn't budge. Frowning, I tugged on it a bit harder. Okay, so obviously it was stronger than my flimsy hands, but seriously, did he think I was going to run away in the middle of the night? I hadn't thought about Noah being that possessive, but... 

I glared at the arm-barrier. Maybe I should just screw it and wake him up. 

I grinned as I thought of what I should do. Pinch him? Slap him? Scream in his ear? My inner person wasn't as sweet as everyone thought it was. 

I plucked at the arm one more time and- success!- pried it away from my waist. Exhaling, I tugged my shirt down and slowly started to slide off the bed, realising at the same time that my quilt was on the floor in one heap. Fabulous.

My feet had just touched the floor when a hand latched onto my wrist. 

"Where d'you think you're going?" Noah drawled from behind me. 

"I... uh..." I didn't turn around. "Getting ready for a shower?" 

"Can I join-"

I slapped his hand that was still holding my wrist and said loudly, "NO."

"That was a joke," he complained, now tugging on my wrist. "Come back." 

Sighing, I crawled back into bed and he wrapped his arms around me. 

"Can I ask you something?" I asked as we lay there. 

"Yeah?"

"Did you accidentally fall asleep here last night?" 

I turned to watch his expression and was relieved when he nodded, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry. I kept on telling myself that I'd get up and go back to my house but I guess sleep won me over. I don't even remember falling asleep."

"Oh," I smiled. "Well, you must've been tired."

I rolled over and checked my alarm. "Wow. It's nine."

"What do you mean, 'wow'? It's nine! In the holidays the earliest time I sleep in until is probably ten." 

"Well, for me nine is late. And I love sleeping. It's my talent, so don't criticize."

He laughed and got up, stretching, and I tried not to look at his back muscles rippling through his shirt. "I'm just going to get my phone," he said, and headed out.