The Longest Five Years (Completed)

Reagan

Present Day

This has to be the longest night of my life. I guess that's what I get for turning in at 9pm.

I've been up and out of my bed at least twice now, and it's not even 11:30 pm. At 9:30, I realized I forgot to brush my teeth. The bathroom is on the other side of the cabin, so that took me on a journey down the hall and past a very still Luke on the couch. On my way back, I saw his bare foot sticking out from the covers, and because I remember just how much he hates his that, I tiptoed over and tugged the blanket over him before heading back to my room.

Around 10:40, I remembered it had been at least two days since I'd checked my email. My phone reception is for shit up here, so I had to walk past him again to get to the porch, where I lit a cigarette and mindlessly scrolled through messages for five minutes; I didn't retain one word.

But the sky was heavy and thunder roared, so I put out my cigarette and headed back in before the rain fell. And as I walked past the couch again, I allowed my eyes to roam over the smooth planes of his now bare chest before heading back to bed.

Now it's 11:09, I'm still wide awake, and I've got an incredible craving for a glass of iced tea. My door creaks when I open it this time, and I freeze and stare into Emmy's room to make sure I didn't wake her. She's still fast asleep, clutching her stuffed unicorn, so I proceed down the hall. This fridge door has always stuck a little, so I give it an extra tug and some of the bottles inside rattle. I hold the door open, fumbling through the paper bag on the counter looking for the plastic cups we bought on the way here. I'm being too loud, especially now that I've knocked the bag on the floor, so I use the fridge as a light source to see if I've woken Luke. Still nothing.

I pour myself a big glass of lemon iced tea and stand in the kitchen, staring at the couch between sips. After a few minutes, I tell myself I'm being absolutely ridiculous, and vow to stay in my room the rest of the night. I could probably come up with another dozen reasons I can't fall asleep, but it really just boils down to one.

"Don't forget to make sure we turned off the coffee pot," he says when I walk past him. I jump. "It'll probably be the next thing you think of when you get back in your room..." His tone is teasing and I smile, stopping when I reach the couch.

"Sorry I woke you," I say, sitting down on the end table by his head. My eyes flick to the coffee pot to confirm that yes, it is turned off.

Outside, it's now pouring. The cabin is surrounded by pine trees, and I can tell how strong winds are from the way the branches shift back and forth.

"I was never asleep," he says. He's been watching me watch him this entire time. He looks up and backwards at me. I scoot a little closer so he doesn't have to strain. My legs are long and bare in these shorts, and I catch a breeze from the open window beside us. When I shiver, he reaches to the table and remotely turns on the electric fireplace.

"Here," he says, sitting up slowly and scooting over to make room for me. He's still shirtless, and and he lifts his blanket to share with me, I catch a glimpse of his black boxer briefs. Jesus Christ. Really? I swallow the thick, achy lump in my throat and settle myself on the cushion beside him. He stretches the blanket across my lap, and I pull my knees up in front of me. "Better?"

I nod and rest my cheek against the cushion to face him. He's smiling. For the third night in a row, we're sleeping under the same roof.

Surprisingly, it barely hurts.

"You're seriously in your underwear? What if Emmy comes out? You were fully dressed an hour ago," I do my best to keep my distance. He may have wrecked my heart over the years, but I've never claimed to be anything but completely hot for him. Even now.