You Are the Shell to My Tortoise | ✓

21

Thank you @Tara676 for being so patient and kind with me as I fussed over the covers for this story!! You're so sweet and you helped me out so much! ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎♡ Although I ended up changing my mind... T_T

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"Ouch..."

The throbbing pain in the nape of my neck made me wince when I woke up. My back hurt, too, likely because I had been napping at my study desk.

Unable to think of a way to guarantee that I would wake up in time if I napped before our little rendezvous, I ended up sitting at my desk to resist the seductive beckoning of my lovely bed. Before I knew it, I had started nodding off.

I shot up in my chair and scrambled for my phone.

When the screen lit up and I was presented with the time, I let out a sigh of relief. There were still ten minutes to one. Briefly, I wondered if Nolan would have just left without me had I been late, before crossing the room to open the window.

My brain begged me to crawl into bed and under my cozy covers, but I stubbornly averted my gaze from the bed and examined my attire instead.

I had chosen to wear a dark blue hoodie over my T-shirt instead of just a long-sleeved shirt for fear of the cold air. The last thing I needed was to freeze to death in the forest.

"Hi."

I snapped my head up. Nolan was half-crouched on my windowsill with one leg in my room.

"Hey," I said.

"You look sleepy," he said, putting down his other foot on the floor.

"I napped," I admitted, brushing my fringe out of my eyes. "I'm not used to staying up so late."

"Shame you didn't sleep through the night." He unzipped the fanny pack clasped around his waist and made fast work of pulling out its contents—a large coil of rope.

I rolled my eyes. "You wish."

Nolan wrinkled his nose and looked around at his surroundings. "Wow, the lemongrass smell is strong. You didn't seem like the type to use room fragrances."

"It's not the room," I said, crossing my arms. "It's me. Organic insect repellent."

He moved towards my bed, which was fitted in the corner of my room nearest to the window. "Wow. Are you that terrified of insects?"

"I always make sure I have at least three bottles packed in my luggage before the semester starts." I shrugged. "I already told you I'd use you as a shield if I encounter any bugs."

"It's a good thing I'm not afraid of them." He squatted down at the corner of my bed and began unwinding the rope.

"We're using a rope to climb down?"

"I can't exactly steal the gym trampoline and place it outside your window so you can just jump out," he said. "So, yes."

"I ... I ..." A coherent sentence just wouldn't form in my mouth as I watched him loop the rope around one of the legs of my bed.

He paused in the middle of tying it and looked back at me. "Haven't you tried it in gym before?"

"Well, I mean, yes, but it was never anywhere near as high as four stories," I whispered. "Four stories!"

"I thought you weren't afraid of heights."

"I'm not, but it's still a long distance to fall!" I whisper-snapped.