Chapter 23

                                    

                                          
The following morning, I awoke with a start and found Sam standing above me, holding a mug of tea. I blinked up at him.
                          
"Morning, beautiful," he chimed, sitting down on the side of the bed with a grin on his face. "I like you in my bed." 
                          
I was in Sam's bed? I sat up and looked around the room. Clothes were strewn across the back of a desk chair and books were piled in the corner of the room on a shelf. I'd only been in his room once before, when he'd been ill that time. Now, I knew better than that. I breathed in and a deep, warming aroma filled my nose. It was the same smell that knocked me senseless every time Sam was near. He held out the thick hand pottered mug in his hand, the steam escaping into the air.
                          
"Thanks," I muttered and took it from him. I was suddenly very aware of the tiny camisole I was wearing, making me feel naked. I always felt aware of every inch of my skin around Sam. As I hugged the duvet to my chest, I blew on the tea and let my mind wander. A jolt of embarrassment ran through me and I looked warily at Sam. 
                          
"Where did you sleep?" I asked with what I hoped sounded like casual curiosity. I vaguely remembered ascending the stairs to bed, but I couldn't remember where Sam had slept. I jumped at the thought that I might have slept next to him. He ran a hand through his scruffy bed hair with a look of deep amusement on his face. 
                          
"Don't worry, you didn't corrupt me. I slept on the sofa." He laughed quietly to himself and I watched him, amused too.
                          
 I shuffled upright to drink my tea and it was just cool enough not to burn my mouth. It immediately warmed me, making me feel more awake. I needed to be alert around Sam. I knew what I felt for him was real, but I still needed a few details. I'd never thought of the Grim Reaper having any kind of humanity before yesterday. In fact, before yesterday, I'd never really given the Grim Reaper much thought at all. 
                          
Having realised I hadn't spoken in a good few minutes, I looked up at Sam, but he appeared to be lost in thought too. He was staring mildly at the duvet on my knees, and I immediately wanted to know what he was thinking. I wondered if he was thinking about me, but decided not to broach that subject. Instead, I decided to find out what had happened last night after our kiss. I remembered talking for a while and feeling completely exhausted. Sam had wrapped the blanket around us and I must have fallen asleep. 
                          
"So..." I whispered, cupping my hands around the mug and pulling my knees up to my chest. "Why did you sleep on the sofa?" I wasn't sure why I was asking. I was glad that he had, but I still wanted to know why. A small smile crept onto his face and I knew he was weighing whether to tease me further. 
                          
"I slept on the sofa..." he said, "because you fell asleep in Seline's garden room. I brought you up here to bed and you sprawled out. You were completely out of it." 
                          
"Oh," I muttered, a little abashed. I couldn't remember as much, but I did vaguely remember feeling exhausted. I still felt groggy and if truth be told, a little tetchy. 
                          
I tucked another stray lock of hair behind my ear. The window was open a crack and a breeze kept blowing strands of hair around me, making me feel like Medusa. 
                          
"You're funny in the morning—kind of like a grumpy dwarf," said Sam.
                          
I cocked an eyebrow at him. "And you're far too happy in the morning," I said. He laughed. I couldn't help but smile back, despite how I felt. I'd slept through the whole night, but it felt like I hadn't slept at all. My eyelids were heavy and my head was muzzy with tiredness. 
                          
I leant over to place my mug on Sam's bedside table and became unpleasantly aware of how much my body ached, as if I'd used muscles I never knew I had. I'd only ever felt like this once before, when my mum had forced me to do a kettlebell gym class with her, but now I wondered if I was coming down with something. Putting my hand to my forehead, I briefly wondered if I'd be able to convince my teacher to send me home.