In less than a minute her phone pings. “Professor Cooper said we can stay here tonight.”
“Of course she did,” Delilah grumbles. “I swear, that lady’s stuck so far up your a—”
“Delilah!” Olivia scolds her, her patience clearly wearing thin.
Delilah raises her hands in surrender.
With a tired sigh Olivia plops on the couch next to Delilah, and I quickly claim the last seat on the end next to her before Rat Boy can weasel his way in. He shoots me a glare before angrily throwing himself in the armchair across from us, pouting.
The room illuminates a little more when Delilah pulls out her phone, checking the time, yawning. “It’s already past ten thirty.”
Olivia involuntarily yawns as well. “Yeah, I guess we can all try to shut our eyes for a few hours. Hopefully it will be better in the morning.”
She unfolds the blanket, trying to cover as much of Delilah and me as she can with it. Instinctively, I throw my arm around the back of the couch, around her shoulders, to pull her closer to me for body heat. She lays her head on my shoulder, and I reach down to grab her legs, swinging them up and over to lay across my lap so she can be more comfortable—and more importantly, to try to provide her some more of my body heat.
Her body stiffens. “Are you sure about this?” she asks, almost nervous.
“Positive,” I assure her, loving the feel of her body on mine.
Eventually, she relaxes, snuggling into my side as I soothingly run my hand up and down her leg.
“I know you’re pissed at me,” Delilah says, “but can I get in on this cuddle session? I could really use the body heat.”
Olivia sleepily mumbles an approval and Delilah curls up into a ball and plasters herself to Olivia’s back, trying to soak up as much heat as she can while simultaneously using Olivia as a pillow.
“You need more meat on your bones. Even with your puffy coat on I can feel your spine jutting into my cheek,” Delilah playfully gripes, adjusting herself every few seconds to try to get comfortable.
After a few minutes everyone is settled, and I’m pretty sure I hear Delilah faintly snoring. Olivia has her cheek pressed against my chest, her eyes closed, but I don’t think she’s actually asleep yet.
I glance at Rat Boy, whose face is slightly illuminated by the lone flashlight resting on Professor Cooper’s desk, so it’s not pitch black in here. I catch him glaring at me in the dark, like some sort of demon. Normally, I’m not someone who scares easily, even after watching a horror movie, but I’d be lying if I said he didn’t give me the heebie-jeebies. If it wasn’t for the girls, especially Olivia lying comfortably against me, I’d get up and drag him to the nearest supply closet and lock him in.
For a good remainder of the night, I stay awake just to make sure he doesn’t try to kill me in my sleep. Once I’m sure he’s asleep, I give myself permission to close my eyes.
>> <<
I feel Olivia shift, causing me to stir awake. I blink a few times, momentarily confused as I try to regain consciousness.
I let my eyes adjust to the bright light pouring in the small window and harshly reflecting off the white walls. When I’m pretty sure I have my sight back, I glance down to see a pair of honey-colored eyes staring back at me, the light hitting them perfectly.
“Hi,” I rasp out, running the hand that’s not wrapped around her back and trapped by Delilah’s body through her hair, pushing some of it out of her face.
“Hi,” she whispers back, fighting back a yawn.
“What time is it?” I ask, rubbing my eyes with the heel of my hand. I stretch a little and a sharp pain shoots up my spine, causing me to flinch.
She looks up at me with worry. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just stiff,” I admit. While Professor Cooper’s couch isn’t bad, sitting up all night isn’t the most comfortable. I’ve slept worse, though.
Olivia moves to get off me, but I hold her securely, not wanting to lose the feeling of her quite yet. She gets the hint and rests back against me, checking her watch.
“It’s almost eight thirty,” she says, her eyes drifting to the window. “I wonder if the sun melted anything yet.”
Delilah lets out a groan, stirring. “Shhh.”
“Dee, it’s morning,” Olivia says.
All Delilah does is let out a grunt.
