Page 80 of Last Light

Eight

IWAKE UP KNOWING I’VEslept long and that it’s very late. It’s bright in the room, even with the shades closed, and I don’t have that familiar heavy fatigue, the one that makes it hard to even open my eyes.

I stare up at the ceiling and remember where I am.

When I turn my head, I see that Travis is sound asleep beside me, his mouth slightly open and both arms resting on top of the covers.

I turn on my side so I’m facing him, watching his chest slowly rise and fall with his breathing and the way one of his hands is fisted in the covers.

I’ve seen him sleeping before. In the woods when we need to sleep in shifts. But he’s never slept this deeply while we’re camping. Most nights he only gets a few hours of rest.

I can’t even imagine how tired he is, how much he needs to sleep like this. I’ve got to go to the bathroom, but I don’t want to get out of bed because I’m afraid it might wake him up.

So I stay curled up on my side, watching him and trying not to think about how much I need to pee.

Maybe he wakes up naturally the way I did, or maybe he senses me staring at him. Either way, after a few minutes his eyelashes flutter, and he shifts slightly under the covers.

“Layne,” he mumbles. His eyes still aren’t open.

“Yeah. I’m here.”

“Layne!” This time my name is more urgent. His eyes pop open, and his head lifts from the pillow.

“I’m here.” I reach over to touch his bare chest. “I’m right here, Travis.”

His body softens, and he smiles at me, relaxing back against the pillow. “Mornin’.”

“Morning. We slept late.”

“Yeah. Can’t believe I slept so long. Musta been like twelve hours.”

“We were tired.”

“Guess so.” He reaches over and smooths my hair back from my face. Since I went to sleep without braiding it, it’s a wavy mess all over my shoulders and the pillow. “You sleep okay?”

“Yeah. I just woke up. Barely moved all night.”

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