onto his back, or rather tries to. Cursing he growls, “Why the fuck are you spooning me?”
“Because you were trying to shove me out of bed with your ass.” Ollie’s voice is muffled.
“If you poke me with your dick, I’ll give you nightmares for a month,” Ares threatens and wraps himself back around me. I hear a huff and feel the bed shift. I’m assuming Ollie has turned on his other side.
“Is it time to get up?” My voice is rough with sleep. I place my hand over my mouth, hoping it will keep my morning breath from rolling over them.
“Shh, not yet.” It’s Dante’s voice coming from behind me. I lift my head, curious where Milo is. I find him curled up at the end of the bed, his arms tucked into his sides and his chin buried in his chest. He looks like he’s freezing. Knowing exactly how he feels, I wiggle myself out from under Ares, and away from Dante. Still half asleep I walk to him on my knees and wrap myself over his back, making him the little spoon, much like Ollie did to Ares.
Milo uncoils a bit, his body loosening as he accepts my embrace. The cool air actually feels good after being squished between the others all night. Dante kicks his legs out, and Ares rolls away from Ollie, each of them taking up the space I was filling.
It feels like minutes later when the same blaring alarm goes off again. This time it’s accompanied by groans and demands to, “Turn it off.” Ares pulls the pillow right from under his brother’s head and uses it to cover his own.
“Get out and let me sleep, I haven’t sleep this good in years. Go, and take your fucking alarm with you.” His head pops up. “Laura?” When he sees me behind Milo he grins, letting his eyes fall closed. “You stay, come back up here and keep me warm.” Ares’s words are an invitation, but I think he means more than just laying down next to him.
“Oh, she can stay?” Dante sounds grumpy. “Selfish prick,” he adds without any real heat.
Too awake to fall back asleep, I roll off the end of the bed, landing on my hands and knees. I probably could stay in that pile all day long, but my bladder is demanding attention and I can’t miss another day of school.
I find the bathroom door easily now that I know where to look and push it open. When it closes I feel the tug of a heavy magnet holding it in place. It’s pretty ingenious really, the only problem I see is there isn’t any lock.
Washing my hands, I peer into the mirror, my hair is a little tousled from falling asleep with it still damp, but there’s not a halo of frizz like I was expecting. The miracle of nice shampoo and conditioner I guess. Or maybe my hair just doesn’t want to disappoint Ares. Having him brush my hair last night was the single most relaxing thing I’ve ever experienced. I can only hope he’ll do it again some time.
Using my second new toothbrush, I scrub my teeth and splash some water on my face. My bag is still on the floor in the corner, so I strip off my t-shirt and leggings. Digging through the bag I find my last clean pair of underwear and pull out an older pair of jeans I haven’t worn in a while. They’re tighter than I’m used to but not too bad. My problem is the length, I’ll have to cuff the bottoms to make them into capris or I’ll be wearing floods. I top it off with a faded green t-shirt that’s a little slouchy and call it a day.
Everyone’s still asleep when I come out. I’m not surprised to find Ollie half hanging off the bed, his arm touching the floor, and Ares spread out on his back. Dante faired a little better since he’s still on the bed, but not by much. Milo’s face is inches away from Ares feet, but he’s completely out. I wish I had a camera. Of all the times I’ve seen kids with phones, playing games and taking pictures, this is the first time I’m actually really jealous.
A light from the floor flashes, and the alarm starts again. Rushing over I grab it just as Ollie reaches out to nab it. His hand smacks down on mine, causing me to jump back from the