Page 70 of In the Same Boat

‘Well, technically, it’s my bed, so you’re the intruder…’

‘Or I’m the guest,’ she says, rolling onto her side to face me.

I don’t know what time it is – early morning – too early to get up, that’s for sure. It’s still a little dark out but I can see her, Sammie, staring at me.

There’s a sparkle in her eye, something that wasn’t there last night. She’s smiling at me, like she’s pleased to see me – which is the last thing I was expecting. She looks lighter though, happier, not at all like she’s regretting the plans we made when we were tipsy, which is good.

‘You know you said that, when you’ve shared the bed with other people, they haven’t been next to you…’ she reminds me.

‘I was only joking,’ I insist.

‘That’s a shame,’ she says, her voice low and breathy. ‘I was hoping you’d show me how it’s done, how we fit together…’

What?!

She’s biting her lip like she means business.

‘How we…’ My voice trails off.

‘Something like this, maybe?’

Sammie whips away the covers and then the T-shirt I let her borrow – almost in one swift motion. I look down and realise I must have taken my boxers off at some point… in my sleep? Before I can figure it out, Sammie climbs on top of me. She places my hands on her hips before putting her own hands on my chest.

‘Is this what you want?’ she asks me.

‘Yes,’ I practically groan. ‘Yes… I…’

‘You want me?’ she asks, rocking her hips back and forth.

‘I do… I… want you… I…’

I take a sharp breath in as my eyes open wide. The light hits them, immediately forcing them shut again. It takes a few seconds for me to come around.

Oh my gosh. Oh no, I… I was dreaming. I was having a sex dream about Sammie. Shit! She is still here though, but not next to me, almost on top of me. She’s snuggled up to me – presumably in her sleep. And no one can be blamed for things that happen while they’re sleeping. Look at my dream, I didn’t ask for that. It felt real though. Really, truly real. She is cuddled up to me, her hand on my chest, her left leg draped across my body. I must have somehow noticed, while I was asleep, and turned it into a dream, that’s all. An autopilot glitch.

Of course, my body hasn’t quite got the memo that it was all a dream yet – I need to calm down, before she wakes up.

Wow, she does look beautiful when she sleeps though. When she truly relaxes, when she isn’t stressing, or looking at me like she wants to kill me… she’s gorgeous. There’s something almost angelic about the way her blonde hair is everywhere, like ivy growing on a building, making everything it covers that little bit more beautiful. I wonder if…

‘Decent?’ I hear my dad’s voice call from the other side of the door.

‘I, er…’

It all happens so quickly. Dad walks through the door and Sammie wakes up. She realises she’s cuddling me first, then that my dad is in the room – it all happens in a second, but it’s enough time for her reflexes to kick in. She stays exactly where she is.

‘Bloody hell, Dad, don’t wait for an invitation, will you?’ I tick him off.

‘I thought you called me in?’ he replies.

‘No…’

‘You said “hiya” – I assumed that was you welcoming me in?’ he reasons.

‘When have I ever said “hiya”?’ I ask.

I feel Sammie’s muffled giggles vibrate against my chest.

‘I don’t know – you’re surprising me all of the time at the moment, Romeo,’ Dad says, laughing to himself.