I must of drifted off because I woke up drowsy and disoriented.
I released a strained breath as I stretched, throwing my limbs out over my mattress.
It wasn't until I inhaled through my nose with my face pressed against the pillow did I realise that it wasn't the usual smell of my pillow. It was of life. Springtime, lush green fields and bubbling creeks.
Lloyd.
I smiled, gliding my hand across the duvet to scout out the man who unintentionally had me wrapped around his pinky. My eyelids shot open when I found no one there, sitting up so fast in a panic, it made my head spin.
"Relax," came his voice from the other side of the room. I glanced over to spot Lloyd staring out the window. He turned to me, a content smile on his face. "I'm not going anywhere."
I released a relieved sigh, falling back onto his pillow as I closed my eyes.
"Sorry," I mumbled.
"Don't be," Lloyd replied, his voice closer despite me not being able to hear his footsteps. "I can't imagine how scared you must've been. I'm sorry."
I sent Lloyd a ludicrous look. Me? What about him?
"Me scared? You... god, Lloyd. I was scared, but you..."
Lloyd smiled softly, kneeling before the bed and shifting a lock of my hair, twirling it between his nimble fingers.
"It's in the past now," he said, though I could still see a little bit of fear in his eyes. His fingers ever-so-slightly shook. "We slept through dinner. Wanna get a midnight snack?"
My lips pulled into a smile.
"You read my mind."
As we padded down the still, dark hallway towards the kitchen with Lloyd pulling me along, I couldn't help but nervously fist the material of his hoody in my hand, biting my lip as I stared at the back of his head. Lloyd did a good job at hiding his emotions and that worried me. Just how affected was he really from being possessed? It must've been a terrifying experience, but he was acting as if it was just a walk in the park for him.
I got it. I understood him. After all, he's Lloyd Garmadon. Bullied because of his father. Hiding his emotions would be a daily occurrence, especially through school. It's his safeguard.
My eyes slid to our linked hands.
I could only hope that one day, he'd trust me enough to let down his guard.
Lloyd flicked on the kitchen light as we entered the room before swinging open the fridge door while I leant against the counter next to him. Lloyd peered in, scanning the shelves.
"Well..." he said as he straightened, throwing me an amused smile from over the door. "Looks like we've got leftover pizza or toast."
I grinned as I crossed my arms.
"Leftover pizza sounds spiffing," I said playfully, a hidden attempt to get Lloyd to calm down because I could tell he wasn't very calm. The thought that he may have woken from a nightmare flashed across my mind.
"Great," Lloyd replied before grabbing the plate and shoving it into the microwave. When the timer was set and the pizza began to heat up, we stood in silence for a few seconds before Lloyd glanced at the hoody I had on.
"When you said to expect my hoody back never, I didn't realise you were going to be serious," Lloyd chuckled. My eyes shot to the green material before I shook my head.
"This is a different one," I replied with a shrug. "You left it at Steep Wisdom."
Lloyd's eyebrows rose.
"Oh," he said, taken aback, before his lips quirked into an amused smirk. "What, one isn't enough?"
I tilted my head to the side and sent him a half-lidded, beguiled look.
"Not unless I got the real thing," I shrugged, smile widening when Lloyd laughed at my comment. The microwave suddenly beeped, making Lloyd hide a flinch and glance at it before sending me a lopsided grin.
"Wanna eat on the deck?"
I shrugged, grabbing the plate of pizza.
"Why not? It's a clear night, right? We can watch the stars."
Lloyd grinned as we walked towards the exit for the deck.
"Isn't that just romantic?" he teased. I huffed an amused breath as he held the door open for me. I ducked under his arm, sending him a look.
"Or I can turn around and we'll just have to eat in your room."
"That's kinky."
I stumbled over my foot, making Lloyd shoot out his hands to grab my shoulders and steady me. I turned my head to send him an exasperated glare as I regained my balance.
"Why?" I breathed, shaking my head. "Why are you like this?"
Lloyd just shrugged before guiding me down the steps towards the moonlit deck. We blindly walked a few paces to the middle before taking a seat and grabbing a slice of pizza each.
