Chapter 11

“Are you okay?” Sam had a handful of trash in her hands, having been sorting through the wrappers and empty containers, and now stood staring at him in confusion.

Sure, this whole week had been weird, but this was especially strange. After the odd interaction at the gym, and Mick inviting Alyx to movie night, the big dark-haired man had fallen asleep the moment she left the room. And now, Alyx walked into his room, screamed something, then came out and slammed the door. Now he stood, wide eyed and with a look of horror on his face.

“Mick… Paxton…” He shuddered. “I knew, but I never wanted to see...”

Sam raised her eyebrows, forehead wrinkling. “See what?”

Despite seeing her and talking to her, Alyx’s eyes scanned around the room before coming back to her and finally seeming to notice her. “Mick and Paxton. They were-” Then, she saw something she never thought she would see. Alyx blushed.

Sam blinked, then felt her face get warm and knew she was blushing too. Immediately, she ducked her face and turned away to gather more trash. “Well. I mean.. That’s…” She moved to the trash and dumped the load, and when she turned around, he was still standing there looking dazed. “Interesting?”

He nodded, and without another word, grunted and started helping clean up, rolling the bags that still had chips and putting them away. They worked in odd silence, Sam a bit surprised that neither Mick or Paxton came out of the bedroom, until everything was cleaned up enough so they didn’t get bugs. The building manager was very insistent that people clean up food as communal living quarters frequently had problems with bugs.

Sam looked from the closed door to Mick and Alyx’s room, then to the short couch that would never fit the tall man’s frame if he tried to lie down. “So… What are you going to do?” Sure, they called a truce on their antagonism towards each other, but was she ready to invite him in to sleep in her room in Paxton’s bed?

Alyx looked at the door to his room and shrugged. “I don’t know.”

They stood, awkward in the dim light and silence, Sam unsure what to offer and Alyx unsure what to ask, until finally, he sighed and looked over his shoulder at her. “Can I use the blanket for tonight?” He motioned to the blanket that she had been using and left on the couch.

Sam nodded. “Yeah, but you won’t fit on the couch, will you?”

“I thought I’d take the floor.”

“Oh….” Sam looked at the space on the floor. It didn’t look much bigger than the couch, though it must be, and it was going to be hard and uncomfortable. Alyx was already setting up the couch cushions and trying to maneuver himself into a prone position on the floor. Sam winced, watching him.

Sam and Alyx had just become sort of okay with each other. She definitely wasn’t ready for him to sleep in the same room as her, but she also couldn’t really watch him sleep on the floor. She had done it often enough that she knew it wouldn’t be comfortable for him, and she wouldn’t be able to sleep either. Her face scrunched, glancing back at the door to her room, then at Alyx, who was folded at an awkward angle to fit around the furniture.

“Do you… I mean, if you want…” Sam shrugged, “Paxton’s bed?” Glancing away from his hulking form, she rubbed her palm over her elbow. “Since he’s in there.”

* * *

Alyx went still the instant he realized what she was offering, and then, moving slowly because he wasn’t sure he heard her right, his shaggy head looked over his shoulder. “That’s…. okay. I’ve slept on worse.”

He watched her slim shoulder lift, and she didn’t meet his eyes. “Yeah, me too.” Her dark eyes flickered over him, afraid to land in one place for two long, and she finally met his eyes for a brief second before darting away. “But you shouldn’t have to.”

Alyx could tell she was uncomfortable, and he didn’t want to make her feel that way, so he shook his head. “No. I’ll be fine.”

“Oh, come on.” Before he knew it, she was standing over him, looking down, cajolingly. “Don’t be like that. I won’t sleep knowing you are out here on the floor.”

He felt his chest expand as he inhaled slowly, thoughtfully, and for a split second he saw her eyes linger before moving away, and he reminded himself not to scare her. She probably didn’t like how big he was. Most people were intimidated by his size, despite being below her on the floor. She was scared of him. “You won’t be able to sleep if I’m in there, either.”

She scoffed, and he raised an eyebrow. “I’ll be fine. Just get up.”

He jumped, a small sharp pressure in his ribs startling him, and he sat up, realizing she had kicked him with her foot. “You kicked me?”

“I nudged you, not kicked you. Don’t be a baby and get up.” She rolled her eyes, reached down and snatched the blanket off him, and walked off to the room she shared with Paxton. And wanted to share with him tonight?

He sat on the floor staring after her for a moment before hesitantly getting to his feet. He shuffled nervously, then slowly approached the door she had left open. Peering around the frame, he prepared to duck away if she was upset. But instead, he could barely see through the shadows that she was already curling up in what he assumed was her bed, the blanket pulled over her and the lights out.

The other bed, Paxton’s, was a blocky shape against the other wall. Alyx really didn’t want to sleep in another man’s bed, but the couch wouldn’t fit, and without at least a blanket, the floor wouldn’t work either. So he hesitantly crept towards the other bed, gingerly climbing in as sneakily as he could so he didn’t wake up or disturb Sam.

Alyx could hear Sam breathing and slowly settled into the mattress, trying to ignore the scent of another man that lingered in the sheets. Before he knew it, his body was relaxing, and he drifted to sleep slowly.