Convincing Amy (Amy, #1)

Chapter 24: Perfect

Chapter Twenty-Four 
PERFECT

Matthew was ninety-nine-point-nine per cent sure that he was dreaming. But there was that point-one per cent that gave him huge doubt. His eyes were shut tightly - as he assumed he was dreaming - but he could definitely sense someone lying next to him, against his body, breathing deeply. The person was murmuring - Matthew hoped that it was a woman murmuring, for if it was a man, he didn't know how he'd react. Matthew peeped his eyes open slightly, gaining a brief glance at the sleeping figure beside him.

It was Amy.

He relaxed a little upon realising that. She was lying right beside him, the length of her body meeting the length of Matthew's body, and her head was rested on his shoulder. Her eyes were shut comfortably and her mouth was pouted open and murmuring incoherently. Occasionally, her mouth would smile, even. Her arm closest to Matthew (her left arm) was resting on her stomach whilst her right arm was sprawled over Matthew's chest. Even with her wild array of bed hair, Matthew saw the most beautiful woman in the world lying beside him.

And then he woke up.

Not literally - he was already awake - but his mind suddenly caught up to his body. He was horrified that Amy was here, beside him. He was sure he'd convinced himself that he should have left Amy to sleep on her own, seeing as he hadn't had verbal consent to share the same bed as her. Matthew assumed the worst of what Amy could possibly think when she awoke. Why hadn't he respected her enough to let her sleep on her own? Had they done anything last night that she wouldn't approve of - had they been drunk?

Suddenly, she stirred.

Matthew gasped in fear. Amy shifted her weight a little, but she didn't wake. Matthew breathed a sigh of relief - he still had time to evacuate the bed. He slowly lifted her arm off of his chest - not that he objected to the contact - but when he did, she stirred some more, pouting and murmuring loudly. Matthew continued nonetheless. As he lay Amy's arm down on the mattress, he was able to step out of bed. He watched with caution as Amy rolled over onto her otherside, facing the door now. Matthew began tip-toeing around the bed toward the door. He stopped to swing the door open, but when it was open, she spoke.

"Where are you going?"

Amy was lying down still, but her arms were supporting her upper body so she could look at Matthew straight on. Her hair was wild and her eyes sleepily filled with rheum. She had a look of disappointment upon her face of the fact that Matthew seemed to be escaping her. Running away from her, almost.

"Er, to the, er, bathroom!" Matthew lied. He hated himself for doing so, but it seemed to fool Amy.

"Oh, okay," she mumbled sleepily, yawning as she rubbed her eyes clear. She lay down against the pillows again, closing her eyes tightly, hoping for a few more hours' sleep. But her mind continued to wander all over the place. She was sure Matthew had looked as though he was trying to evacuate the bedroom without waking her. And yet, he was only going to the bathroom? His actions didn't seem to match.

Amy sighed. She thought it'd be a nice idea to sleep with Matthew, but if he was acting like this, was he any better than TJ? Or Oscar, even? For her ex-boyfriends, Amy had been like a bad smell that they couldn't keep away (at least, that's how Oscar and TJ viewed it; Amy had thought it was love, of course). So why was Matthew acting so distant this morning? Unless he genuinely had to use the bathroom. But there was something about his stance that made Amy doubt that.

The mattress beside her moved as extra weight was added. Amy could feel the doona moving around and could sense Matthew's warmth radiating off his body. The smell of his sweet skin made Amy smile and shuffle her weight closer to Matthew, her eyes still closed tightly. She wrapped her arms around Matthew's torso and snuggled firmly into his chest, smiling. Matthew began stroking her hair and kissed her forehead lightly.