Resisting the Player -- [Completed - Unedited]

Chapter 18: Sister

I wake up to a wind brushing across my face.

At first, I refuse to open my eyes and face the world, but then I remember what happened last night—the nightmare and Aaron coming into my room and holding me until we both fell asleep—and my eyes shoot open.

I'm facing my open balcony doors, the curtains swaying with the morning breeze.

Aaron didn't close my fucking doors.

It's dark outside, the sun just beginning to change a sliver of the sky to the glorious and various shades of red and orange and purple and pink.

I feel Aaron's chest pressed against my back, his breath hitting the back of my neck, his arm resting over my hip.

I move so I'm resting on my other side and facing Aaron. I watch him as he sleeps. He's cuter when he's asleep. No annoying smirk, and he's silent for once, which is a fucking miracle in and of itself.

And he snores. Not those loud, chainsaw snores, but a cute little adorable snore that reminds me of the dogs from where they sleep against the wall over Aaron's shoulder.

Wait—

I count the dogs—one, two—and I realize that Pickles isn't with Zeus and Blue.

I hear a whimpering sound coming from behind me, and when I roll back over, I see Pickles sitting on the floor, looking up at me.

He's shivering, and I'm guessing he's cold.

I sigh before I pat the space of bed in front of me.

Pickles immediately jumps up on the bed and begins to lick my face, before he snuggles into my chest.

I laugh softly as I pet him, settling back into Aaron and cuddling Pickles close to me.

"Cassie?" comes a sleepy voice from behind me, and damn, if it isn't the hottest thing he's ever said to me, even if this particular tone inflection was unintentional. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I whisper back to him.

He moves in even closer to me and buries his head into my neck, drawing air into his lungs, tickling my neck. "What time is it?" he asks in that same sleepy voice, though it's slightly muffled now.

I search for my phone to find it under my pillow and check the time. "Just after midnight."

His face snuggles into the space where my neck and shoulder meet. "'Kay. G'night, Cassie."

"Night."

Pretty soon, he's snoring again, this time against my neck, obviously asleep.

The room is filled with sounds of sleeping coming from everyone but me.

I don't know why I can't go back to sleep; it's like my brain won't turn off. I just can't stop thinking about that nightmare, even though I can't remember any of it. And I'm not sure if I even want to remember it.

After a while, sleep comes to take me away, and I let it, praying that my brain doesn't decide to plague me with another nightmare.

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Something's vibrating.

And it won't stop.

I don't think I've ever been this angry at a thing in my life because oh my God I want to break whatever is vibrating right now.

Aaron stirs from behind me and groans softly, sending heat flashing through me.

I wonder if he sounds like that during se—