tired yet? ||cashby||

Chapter 20

My bones were so stiff when I awoke on Austin's couch. We were slumped together, my body cradled into his and swathed in blankets. Our food and dishes lay carelessly placed on the coffee table in front of the couch, with Netflix still running. Sniffing and stretching my muscles, I stirred, looking around confusedly and fluttering my eyelids. Cool, dark light danced on the floor beneath the windows, and I craned my neck to see outside them. The moon sat still and placid in the sky, with a hundred tiny, white stars scattered across. From it's position in the sky, I'd decided that it must've been about 3 AM, and sighed.

Austin slept soundly beside me, his body curled around a hollow where mine had been minutes before. He looked so peaceful, breathing gently and sniffling in his unconsciousness.

My heart squeezed for him.

Settling back into his arms, I once again wrapped the blanket and regained my cozy place. He mumbled and nestled his head into the crook of my neck. I didn't mind the way his breath felt on my skin. Not one bit. Closing my eyes again, I waited for sleep to take me once more. But it didn't. Shifting uncomfortably, I tried a hundred different things to get back to sleep. My mother told me once that thinking about happy things would help a person to get to sleep. So I thought about butterflies and Austin, and my future plans and everything. Oddly, it didn't work. The blankets became too hot, so I pushed them away, onto my boyfriend. He let go of me and curled up in the other direction, mumbling to himself. Sighing, I stood up and brushed the hair out of my eyes. My hands felt dry, and, in that moment, it was extremely bothersome.

"A-Alan?" he whispered sleepily, shuffling around in the blankets for my body. It was so dark though; I bet he couldn't see me.

"Alan, where are you?" he whispered frantically.

"Right here." I touched his hand, earning a small gasp and jump.

"Goddamn, you scared me!" he said, sighing. "W-what are you doing?"

"I couldn't sleep," I whispered. I couldn't make out his face in the low light, only his mouth moving. It was very unsettling.

"Oh," he replied. "Well, I'm awake now, too," he said in a grumpy voice. "Are you hungry?"
What a strange question to ask someone at 3 AM. Am I hungry? I was, yes, very much so.

"Yeah," I mumbled, watching the blankets fall to his ankles as he rose and stretched. He made little groaning sounds, which made my stomach melt and quiver. He was so... sexy.

"You know what?" he yawned, cracking his back and shoulders. "I bet we're awake because we fell asleep right after we came inside yesterday." With a chuckle, he ambled away to the kitchen, touching my hand lightly as he passed so that I would follow. And, follow him I did, trailing with a small blanket behind me.

Stumbling into the dark kitchen, Austin flicked a light switch; my body cringed away until my eyes adjusted. He stood there, hands on the kitchen table, surveying. Dark brown tendrils kissed his forehead, and the nape of his neck where I loved to put my lips. Tall and lean, he stood in only his plaid pajama pants, chest bare from having shed his sweatshirt once it became too hot. Fixated on him, I watched helplessly as he stretched upwards, stomach and back muscles flexing. His armpits had dark brown hair, and it made me want to giggle looking at them. I never thought I'd find armpit hair attractive, but, for some odd end, it made him look so masculine and sexy to me. That, along with his happy trail and perfect light pink nipples, oh, god, I was a goner.

"Did you have any dreams?" I asked, plopping down on a chair at the island and watching him rummage about in the refrigerator. Wrapping the blanket around myself, I made a little cocoon, and tried not to shiver from the lack of heat now.