Summer glanced at him, her expression caught between confusion and disbelief. She wondered if he really meant that. Or were those just the senseless words of a drunk man?
"Total hundred thousand," he muttered. "Stay until I fall asleep."
Gideon had been dealing with insomnia for years, and no medication could improve his condition. He was certain sleep wouldn’t come. But having her by his side brought the comfort he had been longing for years.
He didn’t want to lose the chance to be with her, to feel her close to him. He would simply watch her sleep beside him. Maybe it would ease the years-long ache of his heart.
Summer hesitated. She needed to return to Hope as soon as possible, yet she couldn’t ignore what he was offering. It would take a few months to earn that much money. Though her pride was stopping her from being with him, the thought of her need for money for her daughter’s treatment stopped her.
’For Hope,’ she told herself, giving in to his demands yet again.
"Fine," she said. "I’ll stay."
That was all he wanted to hear. Satisfaction filled his heart, but he didn’t show it.
"Massage my head," he laid another demand. "It’s killing me."
Summer instantly regretted accepting his offer. But it was too late to step back. Swallowing the frustration, she sat on the bed beside him and started kneading his scalp.
Gideon almost let out a moan as her fingers started moving through his hair, giving right amount of pressure, easing the pounding of his head. His eyes closed involuntarily, his muscles relaxing.
Years later, he truly relaxed, a sense of peace settling inside him. It was as if he had returned home after fighting a long, lonely battle.
Time crawled forward minute by minute, but sleep didn’t come to Gideon. He kept shifting his weight from one side to the other.
On the contrary, Summer’s exhaustion was unmistakable. Her eyelids drooped despite her best efforts to stay awake, her movements growing sluggish. She stifled a yawn, blinking to keep her eyes open.
’Why is he not sleeping?’ Summer thought wearily, her thoughts blurring from drowsiness.
Gideon opened his eyes with a narrow squint and looked up to see her head bobbing forward. He instinctively reached out to steady her, to stop her from tumbling down. Before he could reach her, she leaned back on the headboard, her head lolling to the side. But her hands remained on his head, her fingers moving slowly in a sleepy motion.
Gideon didn’t move, though he wanted to lay her down properly. But he was afraid the slightest movement could wake her up. So he waited until she fell asleep.
Finally, her movement stilled, her breathing deepened. Summer drifted into deep sleep, her body curling onto the bed beside him. Gideon slowly inched toward her and tucked the blanket around her. He then wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her closer to him. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
The void in his chest that had haunted him for six years began to fade. Her closeness soothed the ache in his heart. It was as though the distance between them had truly disappeared.
He inhaled the familiar scent of her meadow perfume and closed his eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time Summer opened her eyes, it was already morning. She found herself beside Gideon, who was still sleeping.
"Uh..." She almost screamed, but she pressed her mouth tightly, fearing any sound would wake him up.
Who knew what he would do to her when he found her sleeping beside him?
Last night, he was drunk. Under the influence of alcohol, he had asked her to stay, but only until he fell asleep. He had never asked her to sleep on his bed beside him.
How could she sleep so soundly while a monster like Gideon was around?
The thought itself astounded her. Maybe it was because she hadn’t gotten a proper sleep ever since Hope had been hospitalized. She continued staring at him in a trance-like state.
His features were soft, no tightness in his jaw, no frown on his forehead. The fear that twisted his face was gone. There was no wildness in his eyes. He looked peaceful while asleep, and it made him look even more appealing.
His gentle look reminded her of old Gideon, who used to smile at her with affection in his eyes. That calmness and caring nature had always disarmed her, making her fall for him all over again.
She wondered if that side of him was still there in him. Or was it only cruelty that had left in his heart?
’Stop staring at him,’ a voice inside her head whispered, snapping her out of her reverie. ’He’ll kill you if he finds you are still here.’
Summer blinked, her chest tightening at the thought. ’I need to get out of here before he wakes up.’
She slowly lifted the blanket and slipped out of bed. Picking up her bag, she tiptoed and left quietly, closing the door behind her softly.
"God, Summer, how could you fall asleep beside him?" she cursed herself. She had done something last night that she had never imagined she would do in this life.
Matthew had just come out of his room when he spotted her slipping out the door sneakily and then hurrying away. "Wait, what?" He squinted at her departing form with a puzzled look on his face. "She actually spent the night with the boss!"
His mouth fell open, struggling to process what he had just witnessed. ’Did they reconcile?’ This was the first thought that appeared in his mind, his gaze moving to the closed door of Gideon’s room.
His legs moved toward the room instinctively and almost knocked on the door, but his phone rang, halting him. He checked the phone and then stepped back. Answering the phone, he walked away.
Inside the room...
Gideon stirred, his arms stretching to the other side, expecting to find Summer. But that side was empty, cold. He opened his eyes sluggishly, only to see that Summer wasn’t on the bed.
’Where is she?’
Panic gripped his chest. He sat up, looking around. There was no trace of her.
’She left,’ he muttered. ’She left me again.’
Just as the uneasiness inside him threatened to consume him, the door knocked, snapping him back to the present. He threw the blanket aside and clambered down the bed, striding toward the door. Twisting the knob, he pulled it open.
Matthew’s tall frame came into his view.
Gideon blinked his sleepy eyes. "Good morning," he said groggily.
But Matthew didn’t greet him back. He couldn’t. His gaze was fixated on Gideon’s bare torso, his mind reeling from disbelief. Seemed like what he had doubted had happened. But he wanted to hear it from his boss’s mouth.
’Did you sleep with Miss Summer?’ Matthew almost asked this question, but he changed it at the last moment.
"Did Miss Summer spend the night here?" he asked cautiously.
Gideon nodded curtly. "Yes, I asked her to stay until I fell asleep. But she dozed off. When I woke up, I couldn’t find her. I don’t know when she left."
As soon as he finished speaking, his expression froze. Not only him, but Matthew was stunned too.
"You slept last night?" Matthew exclaimed, eyes widening.