The Exhibit

Pt 9

The darkness in the room allowed her thoughts to take over. She couldn't even process what had just happened, and didn't know how to feel. Yes, she wanted to keep kissing him, but she didn't want to get this enveloped. It was supposed to be a one time thing, right? Well now, this was going to make this whole thing much more complicated.

Regardless, she needed to sleep. So she closed her eyes and tried to think about anything other than Tsukishima's lips on hers. As she tried to get comfortable her necklace felt tighter than usual, she tried and adjusted it a few times but couldn't get the feeling to go away. She sits up, unlatches the clasp and sets it on the table next to her.

Tsukishima stared at the ceiling, his mind racing about Emily. Her being in his bed, her lips against his, and other much worse things. And he knew that making that move on her would change so many things. So he tried to sleep, to get it off of his mind, but he couldn't. The couch was not nearly as comfy as his bed and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Unless...

The door creaked open, the silhouette of Emily's body curled up in the bed visible on the blankets. He walks over next to her and crouches down, cautiously whispering her name to try and wake her.

Her face scrunches at being woken, her eyes barely opening to look at him. A small 'what' coming out of her mouth.

"Can I sleep next to you? Promise I'll keep my distance, I just can't sleep out there."

Her eyes close and she nods before curling back into the sheets.

He joins her in the bed, doing his best to not move too much or get too close. The queen sized bed now felt more like a twin with the two of them in it. The familiarity of his bed lulled him to sleep quickly, the sound of Emily's quiet breathing soothing him.

Emily winced at the bright light in her face as she woke, the sun glaring directly at her. As she opened her eyes slowly she realized what was happening.

Her head rested on Tsukishima's bare chest, her leg draped over his hip, and her arm wrapped around his waist. She froze for a second before realizing he was still fast asleep. His hand held her waist, the other propped up behind his head. His muscles on full display, his six pack visible in the warm glow of the morning light. She contemplated staying where she was, basking in the grasp of this handsome man but it felt... wrong. She had the feeling that it wasn't right, like she wasn't supposed to be here, doing this. But why? Who wouldn't want to be wrapped in a muscular man's arms in the early morning? She trusted her gut though, and slowly unraveled herself from him and got out of bed, walking into the living room and laying down there on the couch. She fell asleep again shortly after.

Tsukishima woke not long after Emily, quickly realizing she was out of the bed. He could tell, though, she wasn't gone as her phone sat on the bedside table. He grabbed his and ordered her coffee and some breakfast for the both of them before hopping in the shower.

A knock on the door woke Emily, she walked over to the door and looked through the peephole to see a delivery man standing there. She unlocks and opens the door, taking the coffee and food from him. Closing the door back she places the food down, reading the drink label. Somehow, he ordered her exact coffee just how she liked it without asking.

The shower shuts off and Tsukishima gets out, wrapping a towel around his waist before walking back into the bedroom.

Emily walks in, stopping at what she sees.

His hair was still dripping wet as he went through his dresser, periodically flicking it out of his eyes. He notices her standing there, blowing air out of his nose.

"Thanks for knocking."

"I was just going to grab my phone, sorry. Did you order coffee for me?"

"No, a ghost did." He shoots her a glance.