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A light knock sounded at my door, and I sat up in bed as Aiden crept into my room. He had his laptop under his arm, and he was wearing a pair of low-slung pajama pants. My chest tightened at the sight of him, and I couldn’t understand how I’d ever believed this boy was anything less than perfect.

“Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey yourself.”

He came and sat on the edge of my bed. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Me neither.”

He nodded. “I went to get a drink of water and saw the light under your doorway. I figured you might be struggling to sleep too. I thought we could watch a movie together?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

His face lit up in an easy smile, and he made himself comfortable on the bed beside me as he opened his laptop. Netflix was already displayed on the screen, and it appeared Aiden had already picked the movie too.

“You want to watchBack to the Future?”

“It’s a classic,” he replied with a smile. “I know you’d probably prefer to watch a horror flick, but some of us actually want to sleep tonight.”

I shook my head at him. “You’re such a baby, but it’s okay, we can watch your movie.”

“Perfect.” He started the movie and draped his arm around me, cuddling me close. His grasp was gentle, and his breaths came in and out in a slow and regular pattern. He appeared to be completely relaxed in this moment, but my whole body was coiled tight.

Aiden and I had watched a lot of movies together since we started dating. It was always on the couch downstairs though, never in my bed and certainly not in the middle of the night. He had kept me company in here during ourTiger Kingbinge, but we hadn’t started dating at that point, and it wasn’t nearly as intimate. Having him close to me in this way was terrifying because I liked it far too much, and I never wanted it to end.

I was too exhausted to stay tense, and eventually, I settled against Aiden, curling up as I lay my head on his chest. I loved the subtle scent of his shower gel, and I loved how warm he was as I snuggled against him. Everything about him drew me in and brought me closer.

I wasn’t sure what happened in the movie because exhaustion quickly overcame me. I fell asleep with one thought. I felt safe and secure in Aiden’s arms, and I wished we could just stay this way forever.

* * *

When I wokein the morning, I found Aiden’s arm resting over my waist, and I could feel the radiating heat of his body curled up behind me. My eyes flew open, and all remnants of sleep immediately disappeared. I’d slept in the same bed with Aiden last night.

I slowly rolled over to look at him. His eyes were open, and a sleepy smile was on his lips.

“Hi,” he whispered.

“Hi.” I cuddled into my pillow as I smiled back at him. His hair was disheveled, and there was a slight line across his cheek from where he’d slept on it. Aiden was just as gorgeous in the mornings as he was during the rest of the day. It was unfair.

“You slept in my bed,” I murmured.

“I did,” he replied. “Holding you in my arms as you slept last night was one of the best things to ever happen to me.”

“Me too.” I’d never felt so loved and so secure as I fell asleep. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be happening again any time soon. The thought made my heart clench in pain. “Today’s the day.”

“It is,” he agreed. “Are you ready to head home?”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready to leave you.” It felt weird to admit that to Aiden, but it was the truth. Something about being stuck in this house with him had connected us in a way I never imagined possible. It almost felt like he was a piece of me, and I wasn’t ready to be parted with it.

“I don’t want to get out of this bed.”

“Me neither,” he said. “But I think your parents might come looking for you if I don’t get you back there today.”

I let out a sigh. “Probably.” I was supposed to be happy about returning to my parents, but now I knew they were safe, I only felt sad to be leaving Aiden.

I moved slowly as I started getting ready for the day. Everything felt hard, and I was seriously dragging my feet as I showered and put on some fresh clothes. I’d packed my bags the night before, and I tried to avoid looking at them. They were stacked neatly in the corner of the room, and every time my gaze landed on them, my throat seemed to tighten. I had wanted to go home as soon as I got here, but now it felt so wrong.

Aiden helped me carry my bags down the stairs, and as he packed them in the back of his truck, Elliot and Jade came to the front door. They were both trying to look happy, but their smiles didn’t light their eyes. It felt like their positivity was just for show. They had come to feel like family to me, and it was going to be hard saying goodbye. As Jade gave me a tight hug, I knew she felt the same way too.