It’s strangely comforting to have Kian under the same roof. His presence alone lifts the pressure and burden off me. It’s because of him I’m able to fall asleep.
Just friends or more, I’m glad I have him.
Kian
I startle awake with a crick in my neck like I’ve never felt before. My eyes slowly focus and I realize I’m not in my room, on my comfortable memory foam mattress. Nope. I’m on an old sofa in Archer’s living room, my head bent back behind a sofa cushion and an arm’s asleep from dangling over the edge.
I slowly sit up, giving my body time to readjust. I find my phone tucked in-between two cushions and see it’s three in the morning. I’m too tired to go home, but I’m also too much of a princess to finish my night on the couch.
I think about taking over Sara’s bed, but it feels wrong. So instead, I find myself padding down the hall to Archer’s room. His door is open a crack and I look in to make sure he’s not naked or in some other type of private situation. He’s not, but he does look like he literally fell into bed and hasn’t moved a muscle. He’s on top of the blankets and sheets, in a pair of plaid boxers, with his arms tucked under his pillow.
For all of his brooding and tough guy masculine energy, he looks like a child when he’s asleep.
I return to the couch and grab the blanket he must’ve given me when he got home and cover him up with it. I dig through the top drawer of his dresser, happy to find his underwear drawer. I know we aren’t dating or anything right now, but I need these tight jeans off my body and for once, the whole no underwear thing is biting me in the ass. I figure Archer will be quicker to forgive me for borrowing a pair of boxer briefs than he would if I climbed into bed naked next to him.
I lie down on the opposite side of the bed and pull half the blanket to my side. He stirs and turns onto his side, facing me. I hold my breath, praying he doesn’t wake up. His eyes blink a few times, then close. Then open again, only wider this time.
“Kian?” he whispers.
“Shh, just go with it. I can’t drive home. It’s too late and that couch is the worst thing I’ve ever tried to sleep on.”
“It’s fine.” He yawns and his eyes flutter shut. Seconds later his breathing slows and he’s back off to dreamland.
Phew. I snuggle into my pillow. An overwhelming feeling of comfort spreads through my body and I stretch long before curling onto my side. My eyes feel heavy and sleep finds me within minutes.
The next time I wake up, sunshine is pouring through the curtains and I have a bear wrapped around me. An Archer shaped bear. He’s taken up the big spoon position, I’m the little spoon with his arm around my middle, and his breaths blowing across the back of my neck.
This is bad. I try to extricate myself slowly, but his arm tightens around me. This is not friendly behavior, Archer. I wait until he relaxes and roll off the side of the bed, landing on my ass.
“Ouch.” I moan.
Archer’s head appears over the edge of the bed. “What are you doing on the floor?”
“Isn’t this how everyone gets out of bed?” I joke and stand up.
“Are you wearing my underwear?”
The boxer briefs are two sizes too large and have slid dangerously low on my hips. I yank them back up. “It was either that or sleep naked.”
A sly grin appears on Archer’s lips.
“No.” I point at him. “No. No. You aren’t allowed to smile at me like that.”
“Why?” He chuckles.
“It’s flirty and we’re not doing flirty. Or snuggly. We’re friends who are figuring out our lives before jumping into another anti-relationship with each other.”
“All right. I’m sorry.”
I grab my clothes and stomp to the bathroom. After I’ve done my business and dressed, I return to Archer’s room to find Lou next to him in bed. He has giant tears falling down his cheeks and it breaks my heart. No, not accurate. It eviscerates my heart.
“Buddy, she’s fine. I promise. But she has to sleep lots and lots so she can get better.” Archer wipes the tears from his squishy cheeks. “She misses you so much and is trying so hard to get better.”
“Can I go see her?”
Archer shoots me a broken and sad smile before answering. “Not yet. The doctor wants her to get a little stronger first.”
“Hey, Lou. Remember how we made chocolate chips pancakes yesterday? I was thinking we could try Oreo today.” I intervene.
“Really?” He jumps off the bed and takes my hand, dragging me out of the room. Archer mouths thank you and I nod.
All day long, I keep the kids busy. We go to the park, we have lunch at Comida’s, we even stop by the boardwalk to play some carnival games, and still these kids are not worn out. By the time we get home to make dinner, I’m dragging ass. I don’t know how parents do it. Children are exhausting.
Archer texted me earlier to tell me Sara squeezed his hand. The nurses warned him it was probably a reflex, but he felt her with him briefly. Hope is a fickle bitch that can sometimes be mistaken as truth. I don’t tell him that, though. I celebrated with him because no matter if it’s a lie, you need hope to get through the bad times.
Bedtime for Emmy and Lou is 8:00 p.m. and you better believe they were both tucked in by one minute after the hour. All I want to do is watch TV and be a potato, but the paperwork of owning your own business never stops. So I work on my laptop until I hear the front door open.
“Hey. How are you?” I ask as Archer walks into the living room. His eyes are wide and glassy. I can feel the nervous energy coming off of him in waves. Fearful apprehension lands in my gut like a boulder. I push my laptop onto the couch next to me and jump to my feet. “What happened?”
“She woke up.” He smiles and drops of happiness spring from his eyes.
“She did?” I screech and then flinch, hoping I didn’t wake up the kids. “Really?” I whisper this time.
“Really.”
I run over to him and we embrace for a long time. Archer’s cheek rests on my head and we sway. His body trembles and I hold him to me harder. It doesn’t feel real. It’s only been a few days since Sara harmed herself, but it’s felt like a lifetime. I’m certain it’s felt even longer to him.
“Tell me everything.” I pull him to the sofa and move my laptop to the coffee table.
“About two hours ago, she squeezed my hand again and I had that same feeling. Like she was in her body again. Then her eyes opened. She panicked and I called the nurse. They ran a couple tests and decided they could remove the breathing tube. We didn’t get a chance to talk. Dr. Miller warned me her throat would be sore and she’d be exhausted after they took it out. By the time they let me back in the room, she was asleep. I thought maybe she’d gone back into a coma, but he assured me she was just resting.” He scratches his fingers through his beard. “They told me I should go home for the night because she’d more likely be out of it for a while.”
“That’s incredible. I’m so happy.”
“Me too. When I saw her eyes, it was the best feeling in the world.”
His excitement is palpable and I get caught up in it. Unable to stop myself, I give him another hug, which he happily returns.