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“You could call him now,” he suggested, and I shook my head.
As soon as Daniel heard my voice, he’d know something was wrong. I couldn’t risk upsetting him about the return of my nightmares.
“No. It can wait.”
* * *
It wasafter midnight when we finally returned home.
“You don’t have to be at school tomorrow, do you?” he asked as we stepped into the foyer.
The lamp on the console table was already glowing, but the lights overhead flicked on. I paused and looked back. Stone’s hand wasn’t on the switch.
“No. Only three days a week.” I shook my head and moved deeper into the apartment.
As soon as I crossed the dark threshold of my room, the lights came on. I whipped around. Stone stood behind me, hands in his pockets.
“I didn’t want you to ever be in the dark.”
I looked back to my brightened room in bewilderment. “How?”
“This hotel I stayed in, every time I went in the closet the lights came on automatically.” He rocked back on his heels. “I had your room and the entry done first.”
“I—” I clutched my throat, at a loss for words.
“There’s an app on your tablet that will turn them on and off too, no matter where you are.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “Thank you.” I wanted to hug him, but couldn’t.
Stone grabbed the back of his neck. “I’m gonna turn in.”
I nodded, dread of going to sleep filling me. With a quick glance toward the bed, anxiety pricked at me. There had to be something that needed to be done. I hadn’t checked Vivian and Daniel’s apartment today. Surely, they had some laundry I could tend to.
He dropped his hand and straightened. “I’d like to stay with you tonight. I’ll sleep in the chair or on the floor, wherever you’ll have me. Can I do that? Will you let me try to keep the demons away?”
I folded my arms over my stomach, torn between wanting that very thing and my rising fear.
“I—” The sound died in my throat. I stared at him, then at the bed. I didn’t want to be alone if another nightmare came. The thought of that was worse than allowing him to stay with me. We’d done it once and survived.
“You don’t have to sleep in the chair.”
He clamped his mouth together, though it was obvious he wanted to protest. I appreciated how respectful he was of my wishes, even when he believed they contradicted his own.
“I’d like you to stay with me, please.” My face flamed.
He took a second to digest the words. “Gladly. I’m going to change, and I’ll come right back.”
Nerves buzzed as I put on my pajamas and brushed my teeth. Having Stone in the bed next to me was an enormous leap of courage for me, but it was the fear of what awaited me when I closed my eyes that had me anxious.
I turned down both sides of the bed and crawled onto the mattress. The overhead lights were dimmed low, and I’d left the one in the bathroom on as well. No stars glittered on the ceiling, and a stab of disappointment slashed at my chest.
I couldn’t even have my stars.
“You’re still good with this?” Stone stood by the light switch.
“I don’t want to be alone,” I whispered.
Sympathetic eyes met mine. “Want to leave these on?”
