Mia Lake

The night air is thick with tension as we step into the hotel lobby. I can't believe we're doing this. And how the hell did Alex find a hotel so soon.

Ezra's men are dragging the last of our bags. Amelia is practically bouncing with excitement.
"This is our first trip together guys! I'm so excited." She says hugging her husband from the side.

Meanwhile I'm still fuming, glaring at Alex from behind.

The receptionist hands him the keys, and that's when I see it.

Two keys.

Two rooms.

Wait.

"Uh Alex?" I say stepping closer, arms crossed. "There's supposed to be three rooms."

His eyes flick to me, that annoying smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Change of plans." He says so casually. "Only two rooms available."

Amelia comes up too now. "If you're uncomfortable, we can share a room." She says squeezing my hand.
He did this on purpose, knowing I won't ruin it for my best friend. Of course I want Amelia to stay with Ezra.

"No, it's fine. We can handle sharing a room. I mean...we're just going to be sleeping." I say giving Amelia a reassuring smile. She nods.

She moves back to Ezra and takes his hand. "I guess we're sharing a room then. It'll be like old times." She says to her husband, as he gives her a light kiss on top of her head.

They're the cutest.

"Alright see you guys at breakfast then." Ezra says walking with their bags to the elevators.
When they get in I turn back to Alex.
He's already tossing the key in his hand like he's won some kind of game.

"You've got to be kidding me." I snap.

"What?" He asks as if he doesn't know what I'm talking about.
The smugness in his voice is enough to make me want to scream at him.
"You did this on purpose." I say.

His smirk deepens, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes. "Well, you haven't exactly been willing to talk to me, Lake. You left me no choice."

My blood boils. "So your grand plan was to trap me in a room with you?"

"If it gets you to talk to me, then yeah."

"Unbelievable." I mutter, grabbing the key from his hand and walk down the hall to our room, not waiting to see if he follows.
I shove the key in, pushing it open with more force than necessary.

The room is...small. Cozy, sure. But it feels even smaller now that I know I'm going to be stuck in here with him.

And of course there's one bed.

This is a nightmare.

I put my bag on the floor and turn around to face him. "I'm not sharing a bed with you."

Alex steps in behind me, calmly closing the door. He's not bothered in the slightest. "I know. Take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor." He says.

He's not going to fight for the bed?

***

We get in our pyjamas and when I step out of the bathroom, Alex has prepared a bed on the floor for himself. That looks...uncomfortable.

I lift the covers and slip into the bed. I turn my back to him, staring at the wall, trying to ignore the fact that he's just...there.

Maybe I'm dragging this far too much but he hurt me. I was just trying to help him that night. To talk. Like friends would. But he was being rude.

"I'm sorry." He finally says, catching me off guard. I blink not answering him for a few seconds.

"You were a jerk." I say not accepting his apology just yet.

"I know." He says simply. Almost sounding disappointed in himself.

I turn over, finally facing him. He's sitting up on the floor. His expression unreadable.

"You didn't have to do all this" I mutter. "You could've just apologised." I add.

Because if he had just come to me and apologised, none of this would've happened. I would've forgiven him.

He looks at me and for the first time there's something almost vulnerable in his eyes. "Would you have answered?"

I look away biting my lip. He got me. We both know the answer to that.

With a sigh I move over to one side of the bed, patting the other with my hand. "Get in." I say not meeting his eyes.

Alex doesn't hesitate he stands back up and gets in bed beside me.

I place pillows between us. "What are you doing?" He asks confused.

"Building a fence. This is my side. That's yours. Stay away from the fence. And do not cross it." I say as he grins.

"You afraid you won't be able to control yourself, when you're next to me?" He asks teasingly.

I open my mouth in shock. "Absolutely not! Shut up before I kick you out of bed." I say pulling the covers tighter over myself.

And maybe he's right. Maybe I do need a fence to stay away from him. Because if there's no wall, I'm afraid my body will betray me.

***

I blink awake, feeling warmth all around me. My body is tangled in a nest of blankets, and something soft and firm presses against me. Slowly my brain catches up, and I realise it's not just the blankets. It's a person.

My leg is draped over his hip, and there's an arm around my waist.

No, no, no.

I glance up nearly loosing my breath. Alex. His face inches away from mine. His eyes half open, watching me.

"What the hell." I muttered under my breath, trying to move, but his arm tightens around me, keeping me in place.

"Morning, Lake." He says, his voice low and raspy from sleep.

I freeze, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Where did the pillow fence go?" I say in panic, as I try to get out of his grip.

Alex looks down at me, a lazy grin on his face. "Not sure. I woke up and you were all over me. Didn't think you'd be the cuddling type."

"Cuddling?! I'm not..." I roll away frustrated with myself. The fence was supposed to keep me away!

"You seemed comfortable." He says with a chuckle. He's enjoying this way too much.

I groan embarrassed of my actions. Why the fuck would I move over to his side in my sleep.
This is not good.

"I'm just saying, if you wanted to get cozy, you could've just asked."

I shoot him a glare. Heat rushing up my cheeks. "I wasn't getting cozy. I built a damn pillow wall!"

His grin widens. "Ah...the wall. Didn't work so well, huh?"

"Shut up." I say getting up.

"Not a word about this to anyone. Especially not Amelia. I don't want her getting the wrong idea. This is not happening again." I say before grabbing my clothes and heading into the bathroom.

Have you ever built a pillow wall?😂