After getting dressed, washing our faces and brushing our teeth in complete silence, we crawled into bed.  I’ve always thought Ashley’s king size bed was enormous, but tonight it seemed as though we couldn’t get far enough away from each other without falling onto the floor.  I laid there on my side—my back to hers—and stared at the wall.

I made a huge mistake.  I should have never told Ashley I thought she was hitting on me.  Now, if she was, she’s going to be super embarrassed.  And if she wasn’t, then I look like a conceited fool.

I laid there for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality, only fourteen minutes had ticked off the clock on the table next to the bed.

This is going to be a long night.

I could feel Ashley tossing and turning in the bed.

She’s as miserable as I am.

But a few seconds later, I felt it again:  a warm slender hand sliding over my waist, just above my hip bone.  My shirt had come up a bit when I laid down, so she was touching bare skin.  My skin tingled and burned at her touch, and all the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.  I gasped slightly when I felt her warm breath on my ear, but I didn’t dare move.

“Spencer…” Ashley whispered, “are… are you still awake?”

I slowly turned around to face her, not really sure what to make of the situation.  As I turned she didn’t move her hand, so as I rolled it slid onto my stomach, where it now rested.  Our eyes connected with the same intensity they had the night before.  It took me a moment to realize it, but there was an added twinkle in her eye; she had been crying.  This jolted me to a heightened sense of awareness, and I sat up a bit, putting one hand on the crook between her neck and shoulder.  I felt the same fire on my hand that was burning on my stomach where her hand lay.

“Yes, Ashley.  Yes.  I’m awake.  I haven’t been able to sleep.  Listen, I am sorry about what I said earlier, it was completely out of line.  I don’t know what came over me but I can see that it upset you, and…”