Chapter 38 : A Real Gem

Troy

Her hair was tumbling over the side of the bed as I rose onto my knees, climbing from the bed I had made myself on the floor for a second night. She was sideways on the mattress, her head closest to me, with one arm dangling over the side of the bed as she slept.

And, for the second night in a row, I had held her hand in mine as we fell asleep.

During the day, she barely gave me a passing glance, her demeanor somewhat cold and standoffish. But at night, when it was just the two of us… well, I would take what I could get.

I walked slowly across the floorboards, wincing as I opened the door and it creaked loudly, the sound seeming to echo in the small room. She always slept like the dead, thankfully, and I closed the door behind me as I slipped into the darkened hallway.