final round - lrh

twenty-five.

I wake up due to a sudden chill from this freezing room and resist the urge to groan as I can barely keep my eyes shut for more than half an hour.

How am I supposed to sleep in a room that's so damn cold?

I contemplate taking another shower just to have warmth take over me but that involves putting myself in a situation where I could potentially run into a spider again. I am not doing that again. 

 Annoyed and frustrated, I rub my eyes as I turn over in the bed, hoping to find a different area of warmth. However, I'm shocked by the sight as I see Lieutenant Hemmings leaning against the headboard as he stares off at the wall. The sight is enough to confuse me, but I don't find it in me to question it in fear of what he'll say.

I look down at the blanket, I'm holding and cuddle it closer to myself in an attempt to warm up. Of course, it hardly does anything as I feel like I only made myself colder. 

Sighing, I switch sides so I'm facing the other side of the room and bring my knees up to my chest. My body shivers head to toe as I realize I'd much rather sleep in the jet than sleep in this place.

"Why are you up?" Lieutenant Hemmings asks, tearing me from my own miserable thoughts.

"I'm cold," is all I say.

"Well you need to toughen up because we'll have nights much colder than this once the war begins," Lieutenant Hemmings says to me roughly, making me just keep my mouth shut as I know there's no fighting him on this. "You won't have any blankets or a bed to keep you warm."

 I'm sure he's right but I can't change the fact that I'm terrible with the cold.

I feel my body start to shake even more as I can't help but wonder if it's a result of my body heat or my fear of what's to come. Either way, I feel ashamed as I know he's probably going to hold this against me forever. 

I want to apologize for reacting in such a way but I also just want to focus on warming myself. 

"Lila, you're being dramatic," Lieutenant Hemmings says.

"Yes, because I'm choosing for my body to react in such a way."

"There's no way you're actually that cold," he says, my back to him as I'm sure he's rolling his eyes at the sight.

"Wanna bet?"

He seems to hesitate as if contemplating whether he wants to actually bet on it. However, it isn't long before a groan leaves his lips and I'm shocked by the action of him wrapping an arm around me and tugging me towards him. I gasp instantly, the action surprising me completely as my back meets his bare chest.

"For christ's sake, you're freezing, Lila," he says, clearly feeling the coldness of my body compared to his warm and evenly temperatured one.

"Did I lie?" I ask simply, not being able to help it as my body feigns for more of his warmth. As a result, I can't help but move my body closer to his, relishing in his heat and the feeling of his arm tightly wrapped around me. 

I wish I could decipher whether I'm moving closer in order for ultimate warmth or because I can't help but like the feeling of it. 

"Don't get too comfy," he's quick to say, as if noticing the way my body relaxes against his. "I'm only allowing this considering I don't need you getting hypothermia."

"I know."

I'll just leave out the fact that laying with you like this makes my heart beat in a way that I can't control. 

It's silent for a moment as if we're both waiting for the other to speak up. I decide to take the opportunity to, a certain question nagging at me.