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I went upstairs to my room after helping Morris do the dishes. I showered and wore my shorts and a white hoodie. I watched a sad movie on my laptop because I couldn’t go to sleep. After I finished the movie, I went on YouTube and found some prerecorded sounds to sing to. I didn’t want to wake anyone with my awful two a.m. karaoke, so I pulled the duvet over my head, hoping it’d block out the sound as I sang the lyrics to “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys.
My mind drifted to my family after I turned off the lights to go to sleep. I missed them.
The knock on the door made my heart jump. I hadn’t expected anyone to be up so late.
“Chloe?” I heard Tristan’s voice, and my shoulders relaxed.
Should I pretend to be asleep? Maybe it was urgent.
“Yes?”
“Can I come in?” His voice sounded like he had a cold.
“Okay,” I said and left the lights off.
He opened the door after a few seconds. I stared at his silhouette at the door. He stayed outside, not coming in.
“Can I sleep here?”
“Why? What happened to your room?” I asked, and he said nothing.
“You wanna switch rooms?” I asked.
“No, I don’t want to be alone with the thoughts in my head.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked, switching on the light.
His eyes looked bloodshot, and his hair was a mess.
“Yes. I will just go,” he said and turned away.
“Tristan,” I called, but he closed the door and left.
I sighed and thought about what he’d just said. I stood up and grabbed my phone. I walked to his room and knocked on the door, opening it without waiting for a reply. The room was pitch-black, and I could hear movement on the bed.
“Tristan,” I called.
“I’m here,” he said from the bed.
I followed the direction of his voice and climbed into the bed. I felt the heat from his body as I lay next to him. My shoulders tensed at the slight contact of his body. I was able to make out the form of his body in the dark.
“You can talk to me about it,” I whispered and got no reply for almost a minute.
“Thank you,” he said.
Maybe I should ask him about his promise to reveal the truth and give me back my life, but now, I wasn’t sure I had a life to return to. What difference would it make if he told everyone the truth? My family had already shown me they’d never support me in my worst moments.
Maybe I was getting too comfortable here, and I hated myself for that. I closed my eyes and tried to force myself to sleep.
“Can I hold you?” he asked after a while. He must have been having a hard time, falling asleep.
“Okay,” I said.
I felt him snuggling closer, and soon, his arms were around me. I touched his arm to provide some comfort and let him know he wasn’t alone. He pulled me closer, as if the distance between our bodies had not disappeared. I ran my fingers up his arm, trying to get him to sleep. I discovered he was shirtless as my fingers trailed higher to his shoulder.
Fuck.
“If you’re uncomfortable, tell me,” he said close to my ear.
