The More Boys I Meet

We got home and we quickly unloaded everything and I fell asleep on the couch as Pat brought in the last few boxes upstairs.

“Ells, you sleeping on the couch tonight?” Pat shook me awake.

“Mm,” I opened my eyes. “Mm yeah.”

“Okay,” he threw a blanket over me. “Night Ellie Bear.”

“Night Pattycake,” I muttered and fell back asleep.

It was early morning when I was shaken awake. I pushed them away and tried to roll over, but I wasn’t in my bed.

“Ellie,” they whispered at me.

“Fuck off you inconsiderate asshole,” I said, pulling the blanket over my head in a vain attempt of sleeping again.

He sighed. “You should be sleeping in your bed,” he told me.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

I heard him sit on the floor, next to the couch. “Look Ells, I’m sorry no one called. I didn’t think it would take that long or that they would check my head. I didn’t hit it that hard.”

“Mmph,” I said.

“You can be mad at me and me only, okay?”

“Why?”

He sighed. “I made them promise not to call you.”

I threw the blankets off my head and glared at the young Swede. “Why would you do that?” I hissed. “You guys are hurt!”

Marcus was looking up at the ceiling, some small cuts on his face. “Remember when I got my concussion and you were really worried you came home that weekend, despite all of the papers and work you had? I don’t think I have ever seen you that worried and I didn’t want you to be that worried again.”

“You obviously hit your head,” I muttered, flipping over to face the couch rather than Marcus Kruger. “I would have found out sooner or later you dumbass. Johnny’s got a broken wrist and Viktor’s got stitches and you don’t exactly look like you’re about to jump on the ice either.”

“I know,” he sighed. “I didn’t quite think this one through as well as I thought I did. I am sorry Ellie. It was a dumb thing to do.”

“It was,” I agreed. “You should be resting.”

“So should you,” he countered.

“I was perfectly happy resting on the couch until you woke me up. So why don’t you go on up to my bedroom and sleep there for the night while I go back to sleeping on the couch, yeah?” I said, pulling the blankets further up over my head, trying to block him out.

“I’m not going to bed without you,” he told me.

“Look, we’re not having the bed wars tonight...or excuse me, this morning. I am way too damn tired and I’m not moving. So go sleep in my bed.”

“I’ll carry you,” he said after a moment.

“No,” I said simply.

“Come on. You need to sleep in your bed. It misses you, you know,” he said and before I could protest further, he lifted me up in his arms.

“You should not be carrying me. You’re hurt,” I looked at him.

“It’s Tazer’s wrist that’s broken, not mine,” he reminded me and carried me upstairs to my room. He set me down on my bed and I laid there as he stripped down to his boxers and tee shirt and he climbed into bed with me.

“How long are you going to be mad?” he asked after about ten minutes of awkward silence.

“I’m not mad,” I admitted into my pillow.

“Then what are you?” he asked, evidently hearing me.

“Worried.”

He laughed shortly and pulled me closer to him. “I was trying to avoid that. We’re okay, I promise.”

“Is the deer okay?” I asked.

He paused. “Oh yeah.”

“Tazer killed it, didn’t he?” I sighed.

“I’m sure it’s very happy in deer heaven,” he tried to reason with me.

I hit him on the leg, laughing. “I hate you.”

“You say that now, but later today when I’m your personal space heater, you’ll be loving me.”

I turned around and buried my face in his tee shirt. “You’re probably right, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“You are sufficiently warm,” I acknowledged. “Maybe I like you a little more than I let on,” I told him, taking in his scent and his heartbeat.

“Well I’m glad,” he wrapped his arms around me and just like that, he was fast asleep and I wasn’t too far behind.