The evening has drawn later than they realised, and the two friends exclaim with surprise as they place down their still half full wine glasses. It’s time for him to leave, he insisted, but it’s chucking it down, and besides, even if he left now, he’d still miss the last train. So, it’s decided that he’ll stay. They hadn’t seen each other for months, and they’re too comfortable now, and he’ll just sleep on the sofa and leave early in the morning and should still be on time for work.
Although, when their eyes draw heavy and sleep beckons, they don’t want to be parted, and, without discussion, he follows her into the bedroom. Barely any clothes come off before they crawl under the covers. Initially, they lay there back-to-back, the heat from the other’s body distracting the other from sleep. It’s not clear who turns first, but suddenly they are enveloped in each other’s arms, soft skin grazing against gossamer thin clothing, one of his hands firmly against her bare back. And although they should pull apart, laugh it off and stay firmly on their sides of the bed, they both drift away.
This isn’t necessarily wise, and at another time they’ll panic about what their mutual friends would say but right now, it is just the two of them; her light snores and the deep breaths he releases, like he’s been holding them in all day. Her arm casually slung around his waist, one hand on his chest while his fingers tangle in her hair and he holds her closer than he ever has, tighter, secure against his chest. Somewhere in the echoes of her dreams she can still hear his heartbeat, lulling her deeper into dreamland. His lips brush against the top of her hair, and his arms tighten without him realising, determined not to let her go. Her legs entwine with his and for a brief while they are safe there, in that bubble together.
In the morning, they wake up together, both slightly flustered at how tightly they are holding each other and detangle their limbs, cheeks pink with embarrassment. They laugh it off as they get ready for the day; claiming that the cold drew them together, they were both horrifically touch starved, they thought each other was a cushion, although they both knew the truth, even if they couldn’t admit it to themselves. Suddenly, it was time to leave, and they lingered longer than usual in the hug they shared on the doorstep, comforted in the other’s arms, before rushing off to their respective jobs. And that evening, as they lay in their lonely beds, their thoughts are filled of the other as they fall asleep.
🩷🩷🩷
Evabeth Harlow has been writing since she was 6. She specialises primarily in horror or fiction with horrific elements, but also writes speculative fiction and non-fiction. Her self published travel memoir, The Great European Escape, was released in 2023, and her Gothic horror novella, Amissis Liberis, was published in 2024. Sarah lives in the U.K., but frequently travels internationally. She can be found on Bluesky, Instagram and Twitter under the username aldbera.