There was something remarkable about waking up next to Elijah. The way he'd held her body so tight against him, despite there being more than enough room in the bed, made her feel completely safe. But Madeline knew the reason he'd held onto her like that. In reality, she was the one keeping him safe.
Elijah had told her before he fell asleep that even in relationships, he'd struggled to share a bed with anyone. The first girlfriend he'd had as an adult had been terrified of his nightmares, making up excuses after the first time of why she had to go back to her own home. That was when he was about her age, and he hadn't slept next to another woman since. Until Madeline.
When Elijah's arms tightened around her, and he let out a soft groan, Madeline heard a small chuckle in the near distance. She could turn so she was on her back, and saw her father standing in her open doorway, a big smile on his face, which only widened when Elijah nuzzled into her neck.
Madeline shook his body as gently as she could, careful not to startle him awake.
"Uh-uh."
Madeline couldn't contain her own growing smile at his stubbornness. "Elijah," she whispered.
"I have to go back home tonight," Elijah mumbled against her neck. "Stop rushing me."
She had honestly forgotten their weekend was coming to a close, and soon they'd have to sleep separately once again. Madeline couldn't expect him to keep all his tools for work in his car in order to continue staying there, and he lived four miles away in the opposite direction of campus. She supposed she could make that work, but unless he asked, Madeline wasn't about to invite herself.
Elijah turned both their bodies with ease, so he was the one flat on his back, while she laid against his side. He placed his arm over hers after draping it across his stomach. "Let me just enjoy this for a little while, dream catcher."
"Dream catcher?"
He still hadn't opened his eyes, yet Elijah placed a kiss against her the top of her head with ease. "You keep the bad dreams away," he explained. "I hardly ever go a night without one, and now I've gone two. I'm not ready to lose that, M&M." Though Elijah's voice was still groggy, she could hear that pain lurking in the background.
With the new angle, Madeline had a straight shot of her father still in the doorway. His big smile faded into a smaller, almost quivering one, which he quickly covered with his hand as tears filled his eyes.
Madeline pressed her lips against his clothed chest, not caring what her father saw, and rubbed her palm against his stomach. "You won't lose that," she promised him. "We'll figure it out."
His lips turned upward against the top of her head. "Does that mean you'll sleep at my place tonight?"
Madeline couldn't suppress her own smile, even with her father's watchful gaze on them. "I'll stay with you tonight," she agreed. "We'll make some sort of schedule, so you won't have to sleep without me."
Elijah gave her a hearty squeeze. "My lease is up in two months. I can find a place closer to campus if it'll make things easier for you. Until then, I'll get a key made for you."
Although she knew that wasn't what he meant, Madeline couldn't help but feel like he was casually moving her into his apartment. With her ever-growing feelings for him, it sounded like a terrible idea. Yet, he was her best friend, first and foremost. More than that, Elijah needed her, and fuck it all if she didn't need him right back.
"I can hear those gears grinding in your head, dream catcher," Elijah told her with a laugh. "That wasn't me asking you to move in with me. That was me trying to prioritize your education. I don't want your grades going to hell because I'm being selfish. If it's easier for you to spend a few nights a week at my place with me being closer to campus, it isn't a big deal.
"Now, if you'd ever want to actually move in, I wouldn't be opposed to it. It would make this a hell of a lot easier. But I get you have your own lease that probably isn't up until the end of the school year, so we don't have to talk about that anytime soon."
The gears in her head weren't certain which way to turn at that point. Elijah wasn't asking her to move in, yet he strongly hinted at it in the future. By the look on her dad's face, he didn't seem sure what to make of that, either.
"You should probably know that I was trying to wake you up because my dad was in the room," Madeline confessed, realizing he must never have opened his eyes throughout this conversation.
Elijah's body flew upward, causing Madeline to be dropped against the pillow.
Her dad just laughed and crossed his arms. "Don't mind me. In my defense, I tried calling, but Maddie's phone went straight to voicemail. Mary's downstairs making coffee. You two join whenever you're ready."
Her dad walked out, shaking his head, and leaving a trail of his laughter down the steps.
Elijah looked down at her, his pale green eyes giving her a half-assed glare. "A little warning would have been nice."
"I didn't know you were going to talk about us cohabitating," Madeline defended. "You were being all sweet, with that cute, groggy voice."
A corner of his lips turned upward as Elijah looked down at her. "Sweet and cute, huh?"
Madeline just shook her head and rolled her brown eyes. "Please. You know you're adorable. But if you're serious about us figuring something out, I have one week of school left before I go on break."
"Way to change the subject," Elijah interrupted with a growing smile.
"It's a special skill," she told him. "I can stay at your place through Tuesday, and you can stay here Wednesday and Thursday. Since I won't have any classes to go to, I can crash at your place until we leave for my parents. But you have to let me study."
Elijah held out his hand for her to shake. "Deal."