Hard To Love #1 | yyyeodang

21

i can't stop thinking about you and i

HUGO's POV:

"It's going to be morning soon. I think we should rest now. We can't travel in daylight, or they'll find us." She nodded in response as we prepared to land. 

I should seriously stop agreeing to do the stuff she says. We're in middle of nowhere, with no security whatsoever with us. 

But this was quite literally the only way I could've ensured her safety. She would've probably escaped from the castle if I hadn't given into her wishes. And while roaming around outside during times like these wasn't exactly the safest thing to do, this way I could at least make sure she was safe. At least I could now protect her, and make sure she doesn't act on her impulse again, like she usually does.

"Where are we going to spend the day though?" She asked, her voice laced with exhaustion. We didn't sleep the entire night, and honestly, I was pretty damn tired too.

"Follow me."

I took her and her horse - Maximus - as she likes to call it, towards a small cottage. Axel had built several cottages all across the kingdom in forests. He liked calling them 'secret havens', and often lived here when he'd travel. The best thing about them is that no one except me and him knew about these. We had even made sure to guard them with spells, to stay safe from wild animals and people, in general.

"Wow!" She said with amazement the moment I opened the door. It was a small, but comfortable and warm place. More than capable of keeping us safe.

I quickly lead her into the cottage. It had a kitchen attached to the room we'll be staying, with the washroom being in a separate room. I put down the bags carrying our clothes and sat on the bed with a loud sigh, while she went to change her clothes. I was honestly too tired to even get up, but I opened the backpack and started to change anyway.

We both were done with the changing within a few minutes, and then came the biggest challenge.

Who will sleep where?

There was only one bed, and one couch which was only meant for sitting, not sleeping, so it was clearly too small for either of us to fit in.

"I'll sleep on the floor."

"Are you stupid? Do you want to die of hypothermia?" I snapped back at the suggestion immediately. It was late October, and the floor was freezing cold. 

"I've slept on floors before, it's nothing new." She defended.

"Surely, you haven't slept on cold stones though." I shot back once again.

"But-"

"No buts," My tone was slightly harsh. "You're sleeping on the bed."

"Then what about you? You do realise that we're in middle of nowhere in a small cottage with just a couch that's too small to fit you and one bed, right?" She raised a brow.

"I know that," I mumbled. "But what other choice do I have?"

She paused for a second and then snapped her fingers, "I have an idea!" She quicky went to the backpack and dug out our clothes and laid them in between the bed. 

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused by her actions.

"You sleep on the left, I'll sleep on the right. And this wall of clothes will separate us, so neither of us get closer to each other." She explained and immediately lied down on the right side of the bed.

"Uh. . . . Weird but okay. Better than sleeping on the floor, I guess?" I got towards the left side of the bed and lied down, ready to sleep.

I shifted around on the bed slightly, trying to get comfortable. The wall of clothes separating us was pretty ridiculous, and I had a hard time believing it was going to do anything. But whatever. I just wanted to sleep.

As I laid there, I felt pretty annoyed. It was annoying that I had to share a bed with her, of all people, and on top of that I had to deal with her stupid clothing "barrier" thing. I rolled around again, still unable to get comfortable.

I sighed, "I hope you're not a snorer."

"I'm not a snorer!" Sofia shot back from the other side of the wall of clothes. "And what if I was?"

I sighed. "I don't know," I admitted honestly. "I'd probably have to strangle you?"

"I'd like to see you try," She mumbled back at me. Even though we couldn't see each other's faces, I could tell my threat had not impressed her.

"Are you challenging me again, princess? I thought you had already learnt what happens when you challenge me." I spoke, referring to the events of the night a few hours ago.

"Princess." She scoffed, annoyed. As she spoke, I could feel her tossing around on the bed. "I told you not to call me that."

"I know," I replied, a slight smirk appearing on my face. "That's precisely why I keep calling you by it."

"You just can't help but annoy me, can you?" She snapped and continued to toss around on the other side of the bed. As she moved, some of the clothes in the divide began to shift. "If I hear you call me princess again, I swear. . . ."

My curiosity was piqued by the shifting clothes. I rolled over to the edge of the bed and began to tug at the clothes slightly. "Or what?" I taunted her. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll . ." I could feel her shifting positions on the other side of the bed. "I'd do something . . . " she continued. She let out a sigh. "Just . . stop calling me princess!"

A faint smile appeared on my face as I heard her frustration. "Fine, princess," I responded, purposefully calling her by her least favourite name again. 

From the other side of the bed, I could hear Sofia's voice once again. "I hate you," she mumbled. It had not been louder than a whisper, but I had still managed to hear it. She continued, "I hate you so much."

My smile grew wider as I heard her words. My ego surged with pride knowing that I was able to push her buttons so easily. "I hate you too," I responded. "Maybe even more than you hate me."

"Impossible," came a quiet mumble from the other side of the bed. I heard her shift her position once again. I waited for a moment, expecting another remark from her, but there was only silence.

She soon drifted into peaceful sleep; I laid wide awake on the other side of the wall of clothes. The silence of the night allowed me to hear every soft breath, every slight movement, every small sound that she made. It was strange. The princess that annoyed me so much also had a soothing presence, even as she slept.

My thoughts returned to her soft breathing. It was calming, almost hypnotic. I closed my eyes, trying to match my steady breaths to hers. Eventually, I felt my eyelids grow heavy, and I too slipped into a peaceful sleep.

{REVISED}