Innocent Emily Kim

Chapter 12: Going to Bed

After texting her mother that she would be sleeping over at a friend's house, Emily began tossing the blankets on the air mattress. No, she would not be sleeping in Axel's bed, because he understood that some things between a girl and boy were inappropriate until said boy proposed further engagement in a relationship, unlike his brother. She still had trouble understanding his theory of boys and girls in the shower.

"Do you want one or two pillows?" called out Axel from the hallway.

"Two please," she replied.

Axel walked into his bedroom and tossed the pillows. She managed to catch one, but the other fell on the mattress.

"So close," Axel brought his fist to his mouth and smiled, scrunching his face.

"If you hadn't thrown both of them at once, maybe I would've caught them."

"Sure."

She smiled and looked down, grabbing the pillows and setting them on the bed properly. Axel watched as a few curls slid off her shoulder as she bent down. She felt him staring and tilted her head up to look at him.

"Do you want some water? I'll go get some," he said in a rush.

"Okay. Bye," she called out as he walked away, wondering why he seemed so flustered.

She sat on the mattress as she waited for him. She glanced around the room, taking into account the accents of blue and orange, the football trophies on the dresser, and the white carpet underneath the mahogany bedframe.

She placed her hands on the soft cotton blanket, which featured little brown footballs and yellow field goals on a forest green backdrop.

"You checking out my brother's room, or wondering where to put your stuffed animals when you move in? If so, he hides his in the closet, maybe you can put them together and they can start dating too," Aiden feigned excitement as he clapped his hands together, throwing them over his shoulder and kicking his foot up behind him, almost hitting the door he stood by.

"When did you get here?"

"About five seconds before you were going to start sniffing his blankets."

"I was not going to do that!"

"Sure you weren't, babe."

She huffed in frustration.

"What do you want?"

"Hey, no need to get upset, I just came to tell you to be quiet. I'm having a girl over. So no funny business with my brother."

She stood up and walked over to him, her not-so-nice attitude giving her courage. She stopped mere inches from him.

"No, you don't get to tell me what to do. And, we're going to be very loud."

"Oh really?" he looked over her shoulder and smirked. "Then tell me, why is the air mattress out?" He got close to her face.

"Because now we have two locations to... do it."

She had never spoken so scandalously in her life. She was shocking herself around these boys.

"Oh baby, if you were with me, that would make it at least four locations, and I would show you each and every one."

Emily felt a warm churning in the pit of her stomach, a feeling she was growing more accustomed to around Aiden.

"Well, it's a good thing that won't ever happen."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," he mumbled so lowly that Emily could barely hear him.

A fake coughing sounded behind Aiden and they both looked over, seeing Axel standing there with two glasses of water in his hands.

Aiden turned around and murmured quietly to Emily.

"Gotta stay hydrated, I see."

"Yep, now move and let my boyfriend in."

"As you wish," he winked at her and turned away, patting his brother on the back with one hand and walking down the hall.

"Sorry about that. I told him not to bother you."

He handed her a glass and walked past her into the room. She followed and sat on the mattress, feeling it dip and clutching her glass in both hands.

"Do you need a change of clothes for bed?"

"Yeah, that'd be great actually."

She set her glass on the floor beside the mattress. She hated sleeping in her school clothes.

Axel nodded and walked into the closet. He came out and threw her a green pair of sweatpants with the school logo embroidered on the side and a white t-shirt with the same logo.

"You can change in the closet or the bathroom."

She remembered that the bathroom was a shared bathroom.

"I'll use the closet."

She walked into the closet and closed the door, turning the light on.

"I'm changing out here, so let me know when you're done," Axel called out to her.

"Okay."

She quickly changed, struggling a bit to tie the knot on the sweatpants, which were way too big on her.

"I'm done," she called out.

"Great, I'm done too."

She opened the closet door and shut the light off.

She saw Axel sitting on his bed, wearing a different pair of sweatpants and a gray t-shirt.

"We're matching," she exclaimed.

"Kind of."

She walked over to the air mattress and pulled open the covers, getting in.

"Goodnight, Axel."

"Goodnight, Emily."

Axel reached over and turned off the lamp on his nightstand, the room becoming completely dark. They lay there in silence, waiting for sleep to come.