The night is still and the train is quiet outside of your cabin; it’s almost eerie. You lay awake, staring at the ceiling above you as you practice different breathing techniques that are ‘Guaranteed to help you fall asleep in under 10 minutes!’. None of them work. Your mind is flipping through different scenarios, all the things that could happen tomorrow when you confront the former king and queen of Cordonia. Maybe you’ll get a confession and finally clear your name? Maybe they’ll deny everything and have you exiled – either scenario is likely.
You sigh. At least you know through it all you’ll have your friends by your side. Hana and Maxwell have been with you since day one, and even Bertrand has proven himself reliable as of late. And King Liam of course supports you, even if it is behind the scenes. You groan. If your name is cleared and everything goes your way, then you have problem of King Liam. He loves you, he’s told you multiple times, so how could you possibly break his heart? How will you tell him that you have no intentions of becoming his bride or his queen? How will you tell him that you’ve fallen for someone else? And not just anyone else, but his best friend.
A smile creeps onto your face as you think of Drake. He’ll be with you tomorrow too. He’s always been with you, in the shadows, keeping you safe and reminding you that you are not alone.
Finally, you come to the conclusion that you are not getting to sleep any time soon and climb out of bed. You shrug on a pair of jeans and throw a sweater on before quietly opening your door. As you peek out into the hall you see it’s vacant as slip out of your room. You make your way down the hall to a door at the end, not too far from your own room – he was never too far. You knock softly, you somehow know he’s awake. He opens the door almost immediately, still fully dressed from earlier.
“Montgomery,” he says. It wasn’t a question or even a greeting, just a statement – like her being there at his door in the late hours of the night was the most normal thing in the world.
“Can’t sleep?” you ask. He shrugs and steps aside to let you in, closing the door softly behind you. You look around his cabin, surprised by how tidy it is. So tidy in fact that besides the suitcase in the corner and the slightly wrinkled bed sheets it didn’t even look like anyone lived there.
“You want a drink?” he asks behind you. You turn to see him grab a bottle of whiskey from his bedside table and hold it out to you. You smile gratefully and take a swig from the bottle. He runs a hand through his hair and shifts uncomfortably.
“Did I interrupt anything?” you ask, holding the bottle out to him. He takes it from you and takes a long drink.
“Nah,” he replies with a shrug. “Just laying here.”
“I couldn’t sleep either. I’m worried about tomorrow,” you admit. Drake sets his whiskey bottle down and takes a seat on his bed, patting the spot next to him. You sit down, keeping an appropriate distance between you, even though every part of him longs to touch him.
“We’ve figured it out this far,” Drake replies calmly, “whatever happens tomorrow, we’ll figure that out too.” You smile appreciatively at him.
“And you’ll be there with me?” You ask weakly. He reaches over and takes your hand, interlacing your fingers in his.
“Every step of the way,” he says. You scoot closer resting your head on his shoulder. You both sit in silence for a few minutes, the sound of Drake’s even breathing next to you is enough to calm your mind and you feel your eyelids getting heavy.
“I should probably try and get some rest,” you mumble. “You too. We have a big day tomorrow.” You stand up and move to the door, but Drake doesn’t let go of your hand and you turn to look at him. His brow is furrowed as he looks at you and you know he’s fighting some kind of internal conflict. You’ve seen this look before during your stolen moments and secret kisses.
“You can stay,” he finally says, voice so low it’s barely above a whisper. You don’t respond, but instead return to him, stopping in front of him. You can see the tired in his eyes as you look at him and realize he probably hasn’t slept in days. You bend down, planting a gentle kiss on his lips before pulling away. You climb back onto the bed next to him and lay down pulling him down next to you. He pulls you close, nestling you against his chest and kissing you again.
“Sleep,” you whisper, kissing him one final time before resting your head in the crook of his neck. He’s asleep within minutes and you smile before letting the unconscious consume you.
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