The Pretend To Be Agreement

Chapter Twenty-One

Grace

It was weird to be sleeping alone. I had been sleeping alone for as long as I could remember, but then Will entered my life, and now the left side of my mattress felt empty. There was no extra warmth. The right side of the bed was cold, unused, and it was odd to not have someone laying there. My side of the bed was warm, but if I even dared to remove the comforter, I'd probably freeze.

I had spent most of the night tossing and turning, finding it difficult to fall asleep. The heater in the apartment had stopped working two hours ago, and would make this groaning noise every once and while.

Last time I had check it was three in the morning, and it reminded me of how I should be sleeping right now. But I wasn't. I just couldn't. I'd be lying if I said I loved this place, it's nice, but the lights kept flickering on and off for no reason, the fridge would go warm, and the furnace stat doesn't work.

One of the most annoying this was how the lady above us is old, but for some reason, could still party like she was some college girl. Yet she wasn't. And that completely horrified me.

After much consideration, I roll out of bed, regretting it the second I stood up. When I stood up I was hit with a strong chill, and it honestly felt like Jack Frost was giving me a hug. With goose bumps appearing all across my arms and the hair on the back of my neck sticking up, I grab my sweater that sat on the hope chest at the end of the bed.

Putting it on I make my way out of the room, heading across the hall and over to Will's bedroom. Opening the door, the hinges creak and the floor boards beneath me groan when I step on certain areas.

Tip-toeing my way over to Will's bedside, I almost knock something over that sat on the top of his dresser, but catch it and find out that it's just a bottle of hand cream. Placing it back in its original spot, I continue forward.

When I'm right beside him, I lean downward and gently shake his shoulder with one hand. He lets out a tired moan, and rolls over onto his side, facing me. I shut my eyes for a second, finding this to be a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Instead of doing so gently, I harshly begin to shake him, and after a minute and half he wakes up.

"What?" He grumbles, his voice raspy and oh-so-attractive.

"Can I sleep here?" I ask him, and he opens his eyes and rubs the sleep out of them with his hand.

He nods. "Sure. Just try and not hog the covers, its freezing."

"Okay, first of all, I do not hog the covers. You do. And secondly, no shit, Sherlock." I mutter back, crawling onto the bed and making my way over to the left side of it.

Covering up with the sheets, and pulling the comforter up to under my chin, and sliding my arm under the pillow. Curling up into a fetal position, trying to make myself warmer, I feel Will wrap his arm around my waist. Pulling me towards him, my back hits his chest and I hear him let out a light humph.

My eyes fall shut as I listen to the sound of his even breaths. Becoming relaxed, I find myself practically melting in his arms. He grabs onto my hand, intertwining our fingers.

"Warmer?" He whispers, and I could feel his breath on the back of my neck.

"Very." I whisper back to him, dozing off quickly.

***

Will groans as he moves another box out of the way, piling it on top of another one. I still don't understand why I couldn't put any of my stuff up, but every time I went to ask for an explanation from him he'd wave me off.

I was currently making salads in jars, very happy that we had gone shopping earlier this morning. Pouring my homemade salad dressing into the bottom of the big jar, I continue to fill it up while using a funnel so everything doesn't go everywhere.