Page 30 of Lovewell Lane

“Let’s just go to bed. I’ll change the sheets,” I spoke before I could even think. It was like my brain caught up to everything she just said and needed to respond immediately. What the fuck was I thinking?

“Okay,” Margo breathed out. “I promise I don’t snore.”

I chuckled if only to let out the anxiety I was feeling. “You should take off a couple of coats first. I’ll go change the sheets.”

Then I stormed out of the living room as fast as possible. In my room, I threw the clean bedding on an armchair sitting in the corner of my bedroom. What. The. Fuck. I was a grown-ass man. I had a daughter, a farm, and a 401k. Why was I inviting a twenty-six-year-old woman I barely knew into mybed?

She clearly made me incapable of thinking logically. It was too late to back out now. Something told me if I tried to sleep on the couch she would get revenge. Maybe even leave to go sleep outside again, the thought of which made my skin crawl.

I decided to stop thinking about it and just make the damn bed. I could just wait until she fell asleep to sneak out and sleep onthe couch. There was no way I’d be able to sleep with her next to me anyway.

She appeared in the doorway as I was putting fresh pillowcases on. Her silhouette was significantly less circular with the loss of a few coats and the ski pants. She still wore a hoodie and thick sweatpants, and I thanked the heavens she didn’t undress any more than that.

I fluffed the pillow and sat down on the bed unceremoniously. “I can just sleep on the couch.”

“No,” she argued. “I will.”

“No.” I sighed. We could go in circles all night. “Let’s just go to bed.”

After brushing my teeth for as long as humanly possible without making my gums bleed, I put on extra deodorant and retreated back to the bedroom. Margo was still wearing her navy hoodie and sweatpants while lying on my bed as stiff as a board.

“Last chance, I am happy to take the couch.” I wasn’t happy to, but I was less happy to make a woman uncomfortable in my bed.

“I’m all good,” Margo chirped. Her body posture reminded me of a vampire sleeping in a coffin.

“Do you want to get under the covers?”

Margo nodded. “Sure, if that’s okay.”

“Fucking hell. Margo, if you want me to let you sleep in here alone, I will. I fall asleep on the couch all the time.”

“No, I’m good. It’s just— weird. To sleep next to someone.”

Oh. “It’s been a while for me, too. I’m not going to pull anything. Just want to sleep.”

That made her laugh. She sounded nervous, her laugh was a little too hard. “Trust me, I have no doubt that you aren’t interested in me.”

What the hell did that mean? I didn’t have the mental capacity to figure it out with her lying in my bed next to me.

“Then we should be all good to sleep.”

With that, I cut out the light next to my bed. I’d just wait thirty minutes, maybe an hour, and I’d take my pillow to the couch. And catch up on sweet sweet sleep.

She smelled nice. Even from the distance we had on the bed— which was as much as possible, the scent of jasmine hit my nose. It was sweet. Distracting. Just like her. I listened to her breathing and matched my breath with hers.

It was interesting to see her like this. In such a domestic situation as sleeping. Margo was all energy and action, so laying next to her in the quiet of my bedroom was uncharted territory. I thought she’d have nervous rambles to get out like she usually did when she felt awkward. But it was quiet. Comfortable, even.

That was the last thing I remembered thinking before I fell asleep.

-

I woke up warm. And relaxed. I often woke up with my muscles sore, depending on what I did the day before. Farm work was a chore, and working at the store often required heavy lifting, too. But I felt well-rested this morning.

Then my eyelids shot open. Shiny blonde hair was in my face. It was soft against my cheek. Pressed against every inch of the front of my body, was her. Fuck. I was practically lying on top of her, my arm circling her entire waist as I held her close and pressed her into my sheets. I rolled onto my back as fast as possible and laid there. Listening to her breathing and hoping to whatever was out there that she was still asleep.

I got out of bed and took an ice-cold shower before changing quickly. Quietly leaving my room, I hoped to create distance between us, even with freezing cold water pouring over me, I couldn’t stop thinking about how it felt to have her pressed against me, warm and pliant in my arms. I needed to clear my head. I didn’t even think to check the time, but my father sitting at the kitchen island told me it was already too late.

“Why do you look like you just got caught necking in church?”

---