Three Eleven Thirteen

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-One

I sit on the bed, the soft mattress bounces beneath me and I am desperate to sleep. I crawl over to the right side of the bed, leaving the left side for Ellie. We've never shared a bed before, I'm unsure if Ellie has even slept on a real bed at all. 

"I know you're exhausted." I tell him, patting the left side for him, "You should sleep."

He's staring out the window, and when I speak to him, he turns his head towards me, but makes no effort to move.

I frown, "Is something wrong?"

"I do not think we should touch, Ripley." He gently stomped his foot on the floor, "I will sleep here."

I gape at him, trying to comprehend what the hell he was talking about, "That's ridiculous." I finally say, after a long moment of neither of us saying anything.

"I prefer to not touch."

Suddenly, I am not as tired. I straighten. It all makes sense, "You're afraid to touch me aren't you? Because of what Riley said."

His eyes travel back to the window, "He was right."

"We've touched many times, nothing bad happened." It was a poor argument, but it was all I had.

"Lucky."

"Ellie," I beg, "Lay down on the bed."

"No."

"Ellie."

"No."

I sigh, "I don't remember teaching you how to be so stubborn."

"It will keep you safe."

"I never asked you to protect me." I climb off the bed and attempt to walk over to him but he takes several steps back. The looks of fear and horror on his face was so prominent that I stop walking and stare at him. I've never seen him show so much emotion at once before.

He truly does not want to touch me.

I swallow hard, "So we're just going to go the rest of our lives never touching each other." I say it more as a fact than a question.

"Yes." His answer was emotionless, quick, blunt.

Our gazes lock, and I know I cannot defy him. If he does not want to touch me then I won't force him. I understand that he is doing it for my safety, but I realized I've stopped caring about my health a long time ago.

And I am sickly in love with him.

"Alright." I force myself to say, desperately searching for a compromise, I blurt, "We won't touch, then, but at least sleep in the bed with me. The mattress is big enough for both of us to sleep on without coming in contact with each other."

"I do not think-"

"If you get to have your way, at least do this for me."

He closes his mouth, taking in the pleading look on my face, he slowly nods his head, indicating he will do it.

I move back into the bed first, suddenly feeling ten times worse than only a few moments ago. After I slid underneath the covers on the right-hand side of the mattress, Ellie slowly moved to his side, and I made sure he had more blankets, though I don't think he cared.

We lay in silence. The room being almost pitch black if the moonlight didn't shine through the window. The only way I knew Ellie was still beside me, was from the slight dip in the mattress and his very faint breathing.

My chest hurts from Ellie's decision, but I still manage to fall asleep anyway.

I sleep until noon the next day. I'm not sure when Ellie woke up, but when I open my eyes, he's standing back at the window, staring out at the neighborhood and town below.