365 Days

245

245

My eyes flicker open to the darkness around me. I can't see anything but my eyes adjust within minutes, and then I remember where I fell asleep, or more precisely, who I fell asleep with. Alex and I are in a tangle of arms and legs, the duvet mixed somewhere in between. I fear for a moment that my laptop has fallen to the ground but it is on the bedside table by Alex's head.

I take deep breaths to relax before trying to gently pull my arm away from the boy beside me. He looks so peaceful that I don't want to bother him, but my arm has gone to sleep so I don't have much choice.

Of course though, he stirs, opening his eyes with confusion. "Dakota?" He whispers. "What time is it?" It is the first time I have seen him groggy in the morning and I must say he's dopey and sort of cute. His dark hair is sticking up in tufts and he is squinting his eyes to see, while rubbing his hand over his face. I laugh quietly and forget trying to untangle my legs from his. It's too hard.

I glance over to the glowing green numbers beside my bed and tell him "3am," before resting back against the headboard.

"Fuck," he mutters, raking a hand through his hair as he moves his legs so that they are side by side with mine, instead of tangled between mine. "Why are we awake? Can't we just go back to sleep?"

"Don't ask me. It's your fault you're a light sleeper."

He glances down at me, his eyebrows raised sleepily. "However it isn't my fault that you were moving around everywhere and woke me up."

I punch him lightly on the arm. "I had to get away from you somehow."

"But I was comfy!" He groans, his eyes drooping. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me to him and we somehow end up back where we started. My head is against his chest and his arms are encircling me. He's right, it's comfortable, but it's weird.

"Really?" I ask dubiously, trying to pull back a bit to look at him but his grip tightens.

"Yup. I'm not letting you go because I know you'll leave and I want some more sleep and you're easy to sleep with." He pauses, before chuckling. I can feel his stomach move and I find myself smiling too, before he speaks again of course. "Ha. Get it? Easy... To sleep with." And then he laughs again.

"Shut up," I grumble. "I thought you were quitting the whole sleeping with me game."

"I'm not a quitter." Alex traces circles from my waist to my hip and back with his thumb, setting shivers loose down my spine. "It'll happen eventually. But right now I'm not after sex, just a good night's sleep."

I'm glad it's dark so that he can't see my cheeks flame. "Trust me, it's not happening. Ever."

I close my eyes against his chest, knowing that he will never win his game, although I think I will win mine. He's already starting his transition into a decent human being but he's not there yet and I have 247 days left. Plenty of time.

"You know I don't trust you," he informs me again, and just like the other times the subject of trust has come up, it bothers me. I should figure out why he has such major issues with trust. "So it makes it easier for me to say no. And to tell you that it will happen. Just you wait and see."

We fall into a peaceful silence with the only sound coming from the rustling of trees outside. The quiet emphasizes what his thumb is doing against my side and I hate to admit that it is driving me crazy, and in the bad way. Well, bad way for me, good way for Alex.

Alex 1, Dakota 0.

I find his rough hand with my own and pry it away from me. I hope that Alex has fallen back asleep or that he doesn't notice but he is still conscious. Dammit.