322: LATE NIGHT CHUCKLES


    ARIEL’S POV


    “But I have a question, Ariel,” Luke vocalized, and I wondered what it was that he


    wanted to say.


    Moving my hand around his chest, I uttered, “Go ahead, sire. Speak out whatever is


    on your mind.”


    “Since you’re not living with Laura anymore, I’m just wondering.” He fixed his eyes on


    1. me. “Where will you be working now?”


    I arched my eyebrow. “Oh, seriously? Is that your question?”


    “Well, yeah. I mean,e on, I’m just curious. And concerned around here. If your


    want, I can let you work at mypany.”


    “Thanks, but t


    won’t be necessary,” I brought out.


    Luke looked at me for seconds and finally spoke, “Oh, I see.” But his tone was low.


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    “Don’t forget that about the Vitality Group. I grinned at him.


    “Oh, right. The Vitality Group. I totally forgot. You’re going to be working with your‘


    second husband.“”


    I sighed promptly. “Please don’t say that.”


    “Don’t get upset; I was just joking.”


    “Well, don’t joke like that,” I told him.


    “Okay, then. I guess it’s time to go to sleep,” Luke stated, covering our bodies with the bed sheet.


    “Goodnight, Ariel,” he said softly, kissing me on the forehead.


    “Goodnight, Luke.” I smiled at him, closing my eyes while he caressed my hair. And


    with the next minutes in silence, I drifted off to sleep.


    When my eyes opened, I looked everywhere and realized that I had woken up in the


    middle of the night at the wrong time. ncing back at Luke, he was still sleeping peacefully.


    I so hated this, waking up in times like this. It seemed like it happened regrly when I was with Luke.


    And I was d that I didn’t have a nightmare. Boy, that could have been fucked up, and I could


    conclude that I was jinxed.


    Minutes passed as Iy on the bed, repeatedly closing and opening my eyes, but I still couldn’t sleep.


    So, what to do now? Exercise? Nah, not really. Maybe I should just


    get up and walk around. It might make me drowsy, I guess.


    But now that I think about it, that was a stupid idea. There was no way walking around was going to


    help me sleep.


    I quietly slipped out of bed, making sure not to disturb Luke, who could wake up at the slightest sound


    despite his seemingly peaceful slumber. I tiptoed across the room, feeling slightly ridiculous about the


    idea. Who seriously walks around in the


    middle of the night expecting it to help them sleep?


    While I paced, my thoughts wandered aimlessly. I considered the idea of counting sheep but quickly


    dismissed it as too cliché. Perhaps I should count something more interesting, like the number of times


    Luke snored in a minute. The thought made me chuckle softly to myself.


    In the midst of my silentughter, I identally stepped on a particrly vocal


    floorboard. It squeaked under my foot like a trumpet in the quiet of the night. I froze, holding my breath,


    then slowly turned to look at the bed.


    Luke was sitting up, rubbing his eyes and blinking at me in confusion. “Ariel, why are


    you marching around the room? Did you decide to join the night’s gu something?” he asked, his voice


    thick with sleep.


    Γ


    I bit my lip to keep from giggling. “No, I couldn’t sleep. I thought walking might help,” I admitted, feeling


    a bit foolish.


    He squinted at me, then looked around the dark room as if he expected to find some hidden answer to


    my insomnia. “Walking, huh? Because nothing screams ‘sleep‘ like a midnight parade,” he remarked,


    the corners of his mouth twitching.


    “I know. It sounds silly when you say that,” I told him, and despite my best efforts, a smile escaped.


    392 LATE NIGHT CHUCKLES


    He then swung his legs off the bed, his eyes lighting up with mischief. “Well, if we’re going to do this,


    we might as well do it right. Wait here,” he dered before


    disappearing into the closet.


    He emerged a momentter, donning a fluffy bathrobe and holding another one out. for me. “If we’re


    going to be part of the night’s guard, we need to look the part. And nothing says ‘guard duty‘ like fluffy


    robes.”


    I couldn’t contain myughter any longer. “Oh, is that right? The ancient order of the


    Fluffy Robe Guards?” I teased.


    “Exactly,” he said, putting on a mock–serious face. “Now, let’s march. Maybe if we tire ourselves out,


    we’ll actually get some sleep.”


    “Are you seriously going on with this?”


    “I’m not the one who was walking around like a night guard or something.”


    The room was silent for seconds, and I stared at him with my hands fixed on my


    waist.


    After a little while, I had to move the lips. “Okay, let’s go on with that.”


    So, there we were, marching up and down the room in our fluffy robes, trying our


    best to muffle our giggles so as not to wake the entire household. After a few


    minutes, we copsed onto the bed, out of breath and grinning from ear to ear.


    Luke looked over at me, his eyes soft in the dim light. “I think that’s the most fun I’ve


    had at 3 AM,” he said.


    I nodded. “No doubt about that. Who knew insomnia could lead to such an


    adventure?”


    So we settled back


    found us more eased, this time with smiles stered on our faces, sleep


    found us more easily. Perhaps it was theughter, or maybe it was just thefort of knowing that


    together, we could turn even a sleepless night into a cherished


    memory.


    The day was now bright, and my eyes were now open. But after a yawn, I widened


    them immediately, seeing Luke on the floor.


    What in the world was he doing there? He was with me on the bed when we slept next to each other.


    Or wait, don’t tell me I pushed him off the bed. I didn’t do that, did


    17


    As I watched Luke stir on the floor, confusion etched across his face, I couldn’t help but wonder how he


    ended up there. He slowly sat up, rubbing his head with one. hand while looking around in


    bewilderment.


    “Um, Ariel,” he started, his voice groggy from sleep. Why am I on the floor? Did the bed finally decide it


    couldn’t handle the two of us?”


    I tried to stifle a giggle, feeling a mix of concern and amusement. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I just woke


    up and saw you there. Maybe you were sleepwalking and


    decided to explore the floor?”


    He frowned, considering the possibility. “Or maybe,” he said with a sudden sparkle of humor in his


    eyes, “you decided to throw me off the bed in your sleep. Were you dreaming of being a wrestler or


    something?”


    The thought was so ludicrous that I burst intoughter. “Yes, that must be it. I was dreaming of being in


    the wrestling ring, and you, my dear, were my unfortunate


    opponent.”


    Luke stood up, dramatically clutching his back as if injured. “Well, it seems I’ve lost the match. But don’t


    get toofortable, champion. I’ll demand a rematch tonight.”


    Iughed even harder, watching him y up his pretend injury. “I’ll make sure to train in my dreams


    then. Maybe I’ll dream of being a gymnast tonight, you


    and no


    chance.”


    He chuckled and made his way back onto the bed, pulling me into a gentle hug.” How about we just


    stick to being teammates in our dreams? I think the floor, and I have had enough of a tussle for one


    night.”