Terra squeezed his hand a little as her eyelids drifted shut, content to fall asleep just like this. But a question jumped to mind again, one she’d already asked, but somehow felt she hadn’t gotten a satisfactory answer to.
“Why did you sneak backstage?” she mumbled, fighting sleep.
Locke yawned and rolled onto his side, hand still holding hers, his eyes shut. “Because I wanted to see you,” he mumbled, half-asleep.
Terra bit back a squeak at the sudden intrusion, wondering what he was doing. When his fingers brushed against hers, she curled them away, startled. She quickly unfurled them, though, carefully seeking his touch again.
She always was a timid girl, so when she initially pulled away, Locke waited for a moment, waited to see if she wouldn’t push him away. As her fingers uncurled, Locke felt them brush against his hand and he smiled as he took her hand into his, wrapping his fingers around hers.
She glanced at him as she arranged her pillow, turning her head fully when she realized he was looking at her.
“What?”
He smiled to himself and laid back down beside her. “Nothing,” he said softly.
“O—okay…”
She lifted the edge of her blanket and slipped beneath it, tucking it under her chin as she settled. She looked over at Locke. “Good night, then.”
“Goodnight,” Locke offered in return as he slid under his own blanket. He laid in silence for a moment, staring up at the ceiling before sliding his hand out from under his blanket and into hers, searching for her hand.
Locke watched her, keeping to himself that sleeping on her floor was still one of the most comfortable places he’s slept since… well, in a long time, anyway. He turned on his side, propping his arm up on his elbow and resting his head in his palm as she made herself a bed beside his, a small, sincere smile playing at his lips.
She glanced at him as she arranged her pillow, turning her head fully when she realized he was looking at her.
“What?”
He smiled to himself and laid back down beside her. “Nothing,” he said softly.
She rolled over onto her stomach and peeked over the edge of the bed at him. “I feel bad for inviting you here and then making you sleep on the floor…” She drummed her fingers against her mattress, thinking. Then, she bounced back up onto her knees, gathered her blanket around her, and grabbed her pillow. She crawled off the bed and settled on the floor next to Locke’s makeshift bed. “Now it’s fair.”
Locke watched her, keeping to himself that sleeping on her floor was still one of the most comfortable places he’s slept since… well, in a long time, anyway. He turned on his side, propping his arm up on his elbow and resting his head in his palm as she made herself a bed beside his, a small, sincere smile playing at his lips.
“I wasn’t asleep,” she retorted meekly, crossing and uncrossing her ankles. “I was waiting for you. I just wasn’t looking.”
Locke grinned as he pulled himself the rest of the way inside. “Waiting for me, eh?”
“Well…yeah.” She shifted again, tucking her legs beneath her and sitting on her knees, finding it difficult to be comfortable all of a sudden. “It would have been rude of me not to.”
“I see,” Locke said with a nod as he kicked his boots off at the foot of her bed and crossed over to his usual spot on the floor, laying back on top of his blankets.
“I wasn’t asleep,” she retorted meekly, crossing and uncrossing her ankles. “I was waiting for you. I just wasn’t looking.”
Locke grinned as he pulled himself the rest of the way inside. “Waiting for me, eh?”
Locke came around the back out of habit and found the window of her bedroom open. With a small sigh he made his way up and pulled himself inside, silently cursing himself for most likely waking her.
Terra turned again to sit against her pillows, and almost cried out in surprise to suddenly see Locke halfway through the window.
“At least say something before you just crawl in!” she yelped.
Locke stopped, sitting on the windowsill, one leg still hanging outside. “Hey, you invited me over, how was I supposed to know you were asleep already? Sheesh…”
Terra twitched out of the doze she’d fallen into, glancing around the room, then at her clock. She’d only been out for a few minutes. She yawned and looked at the window again, the curtains fluttering just a bit in the breeze. She waited a moment, to see if Locke would appear. When he did not, she turned over and crawled up to the head of her bed, rolling the blankets down. If she fell asleep again, at least she’d be able to wiggle herself between the sheets.
Locke came around the back out of habit and found the window of her bedroom open. With a small sigh he made his way up and pulled himself inside, silently cursing himself for most likely waking her.
Once she’d finished changing into a t-shirt and pair of shorts, Terra pulled back her bedroom curtain and pushed the window up, leaning out into the cool night air and slowly surveying the yard. She hadn’t gone to the auditorium this evening, but she’d managed to get up to the roof long enough to tape a note to the outside of the door to let him know he was still welcome to stay the night in her room.
She wondered if he would come, though, or if maybe he’s found someplace else he’d rather sleep. She stepped away from the window and dropped herself onto her bed, wondering about the little pang of disappointment she’d felt when she’d considered that he might not come.
Locke climbed to the roof as he’d done before and found a note attached to the door. After he’d read it, he shoved it deep into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette and started to smoke it. He hated feeling like somebody’s charity case, but this was Terra, and something about her just struck him as different. She didn’t have the same condescending, self-superior tone in her voice when she spoke to him. She never once pretended that he should just be oh-so-grateful to her for what she was doing for him.
She was different.
He crushed the butt under his boot and climbed back down the side of the building, then headed off towards Terra’s place.
