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Elyse was exhausted– tired. She'd been up all night, restless. She couldn't sleep, she couldn't find the sleep that she was waiting to come over her. She wasn't even sure how she ended up in her bed after all.
Her feet carried her through her apartment, to the kitchen. As she approached the fridge, she jumped at the sight of someone on her couch. It took a moment for her heart to stop racing and she realized who it was. Jared.
He must have been who put her in bed. Now, he lay on the couch. He was stretched out, an arm draped over the top of his head while the other rested on his stomach. His feet dangled from the end of her couch, head propped against the armrest in a position that made her cringe. From the looks of it, he wasn't getting much sleep either. The blanket that she kept on the couch was discarded to the floor now.
"Jared." She whispered as she squatted down beside him so that they were face to face. She placed her hand onto his shoulder, gently shaking him awake. His eyes slowly opened as he brought a hand to his eyes to rub them.
"Hmm? El?" He sat up, keeping eye contact with her as he ran a hand through his tousled hair. His voice was laced with pure sleep and he cleared his throat in attempt to get rid of it.
"You look exhausted. Are you even getting any sleep?" She whispered, sitting back on the floor as she looked up to him, her legs crossing. He shrugged in response, leaning back against the couch as his eyes closed.
"You have work tomorrow, you need sleep." Elyse whispered once more as she pulled herself onto the couch to sit beside him. She leaned her arm on the back of the couch, her head resting on it as she watched him silently. Mindlessly, she reached out and brushed the strands of hair away from his face. He opened a single eye to look at her through the corner of it.
"I think you have work too." He pointed out with a tired, yet teasing smile. He closed his eyes once again and settled his head against the back of the couch with a quiet hum. She rolled her eyes in response, nudging him with her knee.
"Don't use my words against me, Jared." She attempted to be serious, but her smile broke through just a little. She pushed herself up from the couch before putting her hand out to him. "Come on."
He opened his eyes at her words, glancing from her outstretched hands to her. His eyebrows rose as he hummed a response. "Hm?"
"Come on." Elyse shook her hand lightly to him, gesturing for him to take it. After a moment, he did and then she was pulling him off the couch with a groan. "You're supposed to help me out here."
He stood with a quiet snort, his fingers lacing with hers as he stood beside her. He stared down at her with tired eyes, brows rose as if asking, 'what now'. Elyse huffed quietly in response.
"I'm not letting you sleep on the couch, not when there's a bed merely a room away."
