#Chapter 80: Reliving Childhood

Kayla The bed creaked as Nicholas sat down on the opposite side, his movements slow and controlled. I kept my gaze fixed on the ceiling, pretending I didn’t feel the weight of him sinking into the mattress, or the faint shift of the blankets as he pulled them over his waist. He was keeping his distance. Respectful and polite, the way Nicholas always was when he wasn’t trying to get under my skin just for sport. And yet, I couldn’t ignore the fact that even with a solid foot of space between us, I could still feel him there. His heat radiated through the sheets, warming me all the way from the other side of the bed. I shifted, turning onto my side to face the window so I wouldn’t have to look at him. The moonlight filtered faintly through the thin curtains, illuminating the edges of the room in a silvery glow. I heard Nicholas exhale softly, and then the bed shifted again as he turned his back to mine. For a while, neither of us spoke. It was neither comfo