Arranged Roommates

|28| Cuddles

"One minute, you are scared. In the next, you are turned on, just looking at the cover of some novel. This is giving me a whiplash," He teased.

His thumb stalked gentle patterns on the top of my thigh, making my breath come out in small puffs. I wanted to shout at him to stop doing it because these butterfly touches were what making slick rise between my thighs, not the novel.

"So..." He urged.

The connections in my brain barely started working again when I replied, "Oh..."

He looked at me with a stupid grin on his lips, as if making fun of me.

"I wasn't turned on," I retorted weakly.

He hummed. "You were telling me about the book."

"It's about-" I licked my dry lips, trying to come up with something and movement seemed to catch his attention.

I breathed in deeply, looking away from his smoldering watch. "It's a hockey romance."

"Is that a euphemism for something dirty?" He asked, as his eyes glinted with mischief.

"You have such a single-track mind," I shook my head, "It's the category of Romance novels where the main character is an NHL player. But this one is a little different."

"How so?" He asked curiously.

"In this, both the guy and the girl are hockey players. I am only a couple of chapters in, but it's quite a..." My heartbeat hitched when he took hold of my wrist to turn my hand and laced our fingers together.

"It's quite a...?"

The small bedside lamp formed a faint golden halo around us, like a secret bubble of illusion, embraced in a magical cross of heat and glaze.

"Quite a nice read."

The distance between us was negligible, and the barrier of clothes was minimal with the thin, almost nonexistent night clothes.

His eyes were fervent and prying when he asked, "I always wondered, how come you read so many romance novels but then you say that you don't believe in love. The ideas don't quite match."

"The real-life experiences I have had with romance have not been very pleasant, to say the least." I shrugged.

He thought for a second before saying, "Let me guess. Some bastard broke your heart and now you think all men are pigs?"

"That's such an exaggerated statement. And no, some bastard did not break my heart. Because I never gave any bastard the chance to break my heart in the very first place. Never been in a relationship. It's not for me."

"How do you know it's not for you when you have never experienced it?"

"You are a curious little beaver today, aren't you?" I smiled slightly.

"Don't wanna talk about it?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "I am too sleepy to have such life-altering, deep conversations now," I said, trying to lighten the situation.

He untangled our hands and shuffled a little to finally settle his head on my lap. The warmth of his breath fluttered across the sensitive skin of my inner thigh.

"Any plans for the new year?"

I was confused by his question. "It's still a month away. I don't know. Why are you asking?"

"Aman is getting married on New Year's Eve," He said, referring to his cousin. "Mom wanted to confirm our attendance."

"How many days?"

"Celebrations would start on Christmas and then continue for the week after that."

"That's a long time commitment. I will have to see."

"Uh-huh." With his gaze trained on the ceiling, he asked, "Will you be able to sleep alone tonight?"

His words were quiet and slurred and I felt bad for waking him up when he was clearly so tired.

"I-I can't. The nightmares would return."

He kicked my body pillow off the bed. Before I could protest, he adjusted himself on the pillow beside mine and pulled me toward his sleeping form. My legs instinctively folded, as I nestled closer to his warm body. With our limbs intertwined, he felt more cozy than any body pillow I have ever had.

I tried to wiggle out of his arms but his grip was too strong.

"That's-" He hushed me by placing a finger on my lips.

"Sleep."

Pulling the comforter up to cover our bodies, he switched off the lamp. His arm encircled my waist, tightening me snugly against his chest.

I tried not to think about the intimacy of the position with his unclad torso clinging like a glove to my back. Before my breathing slowed and I slipped into the world of slumber, I felt him caress my hair softly and a whisper echoed, "Good night."

***

Sorry for the delayed update. I haven't been feeling well, physically and mentally lately🤧.

Anyways, the single-bed trope is my favorite 🤭...Hope you liked the chapter!

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