𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞

A L E X A N D E R

Knocking on the door, I wait with a smile on my face. I'm a morning person, but the thought that I was expected at Charlotte's at some point was motivation enough to launch myself out of bed and get ready like it was a competition. Farris didn't comment, but he was looking at me like a changeling had replaced me.

As soon as the door opens, a laugh bursts out of me and I have to press my lips between my teeth to prevent any more from escaping. "Morning sleeping beauty." I greet Reed who turns away as soon as the door is open and goes back to lying face-down on her bed. She mumbles something into her pillow but I can't hear a word.

Charlotte is still asleep, and at the moment, the puppy's tail is eagerly wagging as she balances on the edge of the low bed, wanting to jump off. I walk over quietly, trying to avoid looking at the exposed skin of Charlotte's back and legs where her big sleep shirt seems to have risen up to just under her shoulder blades and the boyshorts she wears that hardly do a thing to cover her ass or legs, picking the puppy up before walking back toward the door with the plan to take her outside to do her business and hopefully run off a bit of that energy before Charlotte wakes up; simply to collect myself a bit before spending the morning with her.

Despite the early morning, we get a few visitors, all female, who come to say hi to both of us. Because I don't have a leash, I'm forced to chase around after the puppy and grow frustrated quickly, picking her back up and going back to the girls' room.

"You should've woken me up." Charlotte groans, rolling over and I take a mental picture of how she looks when she wakes up. Her blonde hair is a bird's nest, she has sleep in the corners of her eyes, and her clothes are rumpled, her shirt hanging off one shoulder and exposing her clavicle. Although I've never seen her in the morning before, her skin seems unusually pale and clammy to me.

"You were up late," I say, unsure of what to do with the squirming puppy with wet paws from the damp grass outside. She reaches her arms out, unconcerned, and I pass the puppy off. "Any plans?"

She shrugs, pressing the puppy's wet nose to her own and smiling. "I just woke up. Haven't had time." She yawns and doesn't bother covering her mouth which forces me to stifle a laugh at the sight. Her hand reaches up to rub her throat a bit and she clears it a few times.

"Uh ohh." I drawl and she looks up at me with furrowed brows.

"Uh oh, what?"

"Uh oh, looks like somebody's getting sick." I say and she makes a 'psh' sound.

"I don't get sick." She says defensively.

"Sure pal." I smile. "We've got class in an hour. What then?" I ask her and she looks towards Reed's bed before picking up a shoe off the ground and throwing it at her head. My eyes widen.

"What the hell, Char," Reed grumbles, turning her head but not lifting it, peeking one eye open.

"Can I leave her with you for two hours? I only have the one class today and I know yours doesn't start until just after I'll get back." Charlotte pouts at her friend, trying to persuade her to agree and Reed mutters something.

"Was that a yes?" I ask Charlotte and she nods happily, obviously pleased with her choice of dogsitter.

Charlotte yawns again. "I'm going to go get ready, but would you like to get brekkie before class?" She asks me, stretching as she stands up and I look away from the sight of her entirely bare legs. She must have taken off her pants to sleep and now all I can think about is whether Charlotte usually wears pajamas or sleeps in boyshorts like these.

While Charlotte goes into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her to get ready, Reed leans up on her elbows and watches me as I sit and play with the puppy. "So you two are going to class now? What did I miss last night?" She asks with a teasing tone, her eyes darting back to the door that separates us from Charlotte.