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PERCY had finally come to the conclusion that while most people enjoyed the warmth of a heated blanket, he much preferred the chill of winter. Hadley was almost like the human embodiment of an iceberg, and he never felt more comfortable than he did with his arms around her. Percy liked sleeping with her back to him as he hung one arm across her waist, and she held it there with her small hands. She adjusted to his sleeping schedule completely, which he was thankful for. Now that he got a taste of pure bliss with her snoring in his arms, he didn't want to go back to sleeping alone.
They hadn't kissed since their first. They hadn't touched each other. Hadley could practically hear his suggestive thoughts as he slept next to her, but she couldn't deny that she felt the same too. She yearned to feel his mouth on hers, to have his hands burning the cold off her skin. She wanted to feel his leg in between hers again, to experience the friction – or maybe something more carnal.
But she kept her thoughts to herself, afraid to voice them out loud. Or maybe she was simply afraid of hurting him if anything got too physical.
As Percy stirred from his sleep, he noticed Hadley standing by the window. She had the shade pulled off to the side just slightest bit. With a free hand, she placed it in the light, immediately forming her fingers into a fist. He watched her jaw clench, as if she could feel her power already draining when her skin hit the light.
Before he could stop himself, he blurted, "What are you doing?"
He had startled her. Hadley jumped away, shutting the curtains with a swoop of her hand. She sent him a soft smile. "What are you doing up so early?" Hadley pointed to the old alarm clock on the bedside table. "It's eight AM."
"Early bird catches the worm," he grinned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
It was a lie. She knew it was, and so did he. Percy simply wanted to spend more time with her. There wasn't enough in a day, at least not for him.
She sat on the edge of the mattress, and he found himself instinctively scooting closer. They were both magnets to each other – restless and static, unable to be torn apart. Hadley was sending him the warmest of smiles, allowing her dimples to crack through. Percy played with his fingers, debating on what he wanted to ask her. The question hung off the edge of his tongue, but he was almost too scared to ask it. He had never been scared of her thus far, and somehow, this one inquiry caused a tremor to run up his spine.
"Do you ..."
Hadley arched a brow. "Do I ... what?"
He swallowed hard and met her grey stare. "Do you want to go on, like, a date?"
She hadn't been expecting that. Hadley looked away and jerked her head back. "Oh," she replied, "like what couples do? An actual date?"
