"I don't know about you," Aaron said, glancing back at her, "but I'm exhausted and my head is starting to hurt, so I think I'm going to go to bed."
Nodding, Julie gazed at her boat-bed a little droopily. "Yeah, me too."
He seemed to think about it for a second, then he said, "If you want to, you can share the bed with me tonight—just try not to steal all of my blanket this time."
She brightened then, smiling at him as she followed him back to his bed. "See, you can be really nice."
"Don't tell anyone," he warned, walking into the room and flipping the light on.
"I'm just going to throw on some pajamas real quick," Julie told him, gesturing toward the bathroom and then walking in.
As she continued to think about everything she had learned that night, she quickly changed into her pajama pants and probed her brain for ideas about how to make Aaron more comfortable with her around.
If all else failed, she was going to have to move out. She didn't know how she would pay for it or where she would go, but Aaron was being really selfless, and she wasn't going to stick around and cause him unnecessary stress as a daily reminder of his ex-girlfriend either—that was no way to thank someone for their kindness, for helping you out when you got yourself in a tough spot.
She wasn't sure how, but as she walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom she resolved to figure it out.
Julie couldn't tell just looking at the bed whether or not Aaron was awake, so she made sure she was quiet as she turned out the light and climbed into bed beside him, curling up in the blankets as she enjoyed the soft comfort of a real mattress.
"Thank you," she whispered, just in case he was still awake.
"For what?" he murmured.
"For letting me stay in here tonight," she said, although she wanted to thank him for more—for letting her have some insight into his life.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said, yawning and rolling over to face her.
Even in the dark, she could make out his beautiful brown eyes just before they closed, and she smiled a little.
"Good night, Aaron," she whispered.
His eyes opened once more and he half smiled at her. "Good night, Julie. Happy new year," he added.
Smiling into the darkness, she watched him close his eyes again and then she whispered, "Happy new year."
Without another word between them, she lay awake in the bed watching absently as he drifted off to sleep, her thoughts elsewhere, traveling far and fast as she went over the different scenarios in which she made Aaron's life easier.
She could simply remove herself, that was the one solution she kept coming back to.
Unsure of why, she kept trying to push that one away, to come up with some other idea—one that didn't involve her leaving his apartment.
Eventually her thoughts ended up making her tired, and she yawned, her eyelids drooping as she tried to stay awake and keep brainstorming.
Finally, she abandoned her quest until the next day, and she simply enjoyed the fact that she got the bed for the night, twisting and burrowing in the blankets until she was comfortable.
She caused Aaron to stir, his body jerking a little and then he began to move, and she thought for sure she woke him up.
But his eyes never opened. Instead, his arms found Julie's body and even though he seemed to be asleep, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his chest.
It was inexplicable, the feeling of complete peace and contentment that enveloped her when he held her at night. It was strange, too, because she had never really been what you would consider a "cuddler" with anyone else—she liked her own space, thank you very much. But for some reason, the most platonic embrace she had ever slept in –with a man who didn't really even like her—seemed to make her feel the most at peace.
It made no sense, but it felt incredibly comforting, so she didn't argue or even try to overthink it the way she typically would. Instead, she nestled her head into his warm body and closed her eyes, just enjoying the moment without complicating it.
That night, as she drifted off to sleep with a grin on her face, she remembered the last thought to cross her mind was, Maybe it will be a happy new year….
Chapter Fifteen-
For the first time ever, Julie woke up before Aaron the following day.