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Amrita folded her arms across her chest. ‘I’m not sleeping on the floor, Jamie.’

‘Of course you’re not! I meant I would.’

‘No.’

‘I’m sorry, what?’

‘You’ve just driven hours to get here. You’re exhausted. You’re not sleeping on the floor.’

‘But that’s exactly why I should. I’m so tired I don’t care where I sleep. Just chuck me a pillow and a blanket down and I’ll be good.’

‘That’s silly.’

‘I really don’t mind.’

‘Well, I do. I fundamentally and categorically refuse to sleep in a perfectly good king-size bed while you sleep on the floor. So, if you sleep down there, I will too. And I really don’t want to.’

‘But, Amrita…’

‘But nothing, Jamie. The bed’s perfectly big enough for both of us, and you’re already tired. So do you want to waste more time having an argument with me that you’re going to lose, or do you want to get some sleep?’

‘Is it really OK if I pick the latter?’

‘You need to learn this about me: I’ll always tell you if something isn’t OK, and I won’t offer it if it’s not.’

‘Thank you.’ He rested his forehead against hers for a couple of seconds, before letting her go and heading for the small bathroom.

* * *

By the time Amrita emerged from the bathroom, de-glittered, de-glamoured and her face clean, Jamie was dozing in bed. Sort of. He’d clearly found extra blankets somewhere, and was snuggled beneath those, but on top of the duvet. And he’d taken the cushions from the chairs and tucked them along his back, making a barrier between them.

‘Oh, Jamie,’ she whispered as she climbed in next to him. ‘You really are too sweet.’

She couldn’t resist a gentle kiss to the top of his head and smiled at the way he sighed softly.

* * *

The pillows didn’t really work.

By the time Amrita’s alarm sounded – after far too little sleep – they had both rolled towards the middle of the bed, and his arm was flung over her waist. She silenced her phone quickly but wasn’t fast enough to avoid disturbing him completely. But she didn’t hurry to move away from him.

He woke slowly, blinking in the still dull light. He smiled lazily when he focussed on her, and she suddenly found herself thinking how nice it would be to start every morning looking into those dreamy eyes that were currently the colour of a calm sea before a storm. Soft, but deep. The thought caught her off guard and lingered longer than it should have before settling warmly in her chest, refusing to be washed away by the wave of emotions flooding her.

He blinked a couple of times, and the moment shifted, the colour lightening to almost turquoise as he smiled, sending her thoughts skittering as she realised it wasn’t just that his eyes changed colour – it was that she wanted to be the one they changed for as they filled with emotion.

‘Hi.’ She whispered the word, almost scared that speaking any louder would break the cosy spell between them.

‘Good morning.’ His voice was still thick with sleep.

‘Did you sleep well?’

‘I did. You?’

‘Yeah. Really well.’

‘That’s… good.’ He hesitated, his arm tensing for a moment as if he’d only just realised how close they were. Close enough that, even in the dim light, she could see the crease marks on his cheek from the pillow they’d ended up sharing. ‘What time is it?’

‘Early. The big day today. I’ve got bridesmaid duties, but you can go back to sleep.’ She still didn’t move, not wanting to disturb the sleepy, easy intimacy between them. Or for him to move the arm tucked around her waist, snug despite the covers between them.