Chapter 44: Fake Sleep
While Derek had been in the shower, Emily had been having a silent crisis.
The situation had the potential to be an epic disaster if she did not handle it accordingly. What was she going to do? How was she going to do it? Her mind going a mile a minute as she’d tried to think of a way out if her situation.
She was tired, so tired that her eyelids kept drawing shut without her input, trying to drag her down to sleep. Only her fear forcing them back open again each time they closed. But Emily knew that at some point the fear keeping her awake, would lose the battle that it was waging with her body. She needed sleep, but she could not afford to sleep. As soon as she did she just knew she would be having a nightmare, and after years of being the only one who knew about that side of her life, Emily did not want anyone to know, least of all her boss. There were just things that were too personal, and the man that she reported to, seeing her in the grips of a night terror was one of them.
But regardless of that, her body was slowly but surely pushing her towards shutting down for the night.
And as soon as she gave up and went to sleep the jig would be up, her nightmare secret would be out faster than she could say sweet dreams. He would never look at her the same after that, she just knew it. To avoid that happening, Emily had first thought of going outside. Maybe walking around the building, doing a bit of late night exploring until she could be almost certain that he was asleep. Then she could sneak back in, get under the covers and get some shuteye before a nightmare inevitably woke her up. But at least then Derek would be so deep in sleep that he would not feel the bed trembling as she shook, overcome by a fear of things that were not even real.
Her little idea of exploring was halted in its tracks when there was a sound like a cat scratching its nails over the door, then a shadow flew right next to the window, too fast for her to tell what it was.
"It’s just an owl, just and owl. Do not be scared, it is just an owl, there is no need to panic, it is just an owl, it will not hurt you," She’d tried to tell herself, but still, just to be safe, she had gotten out of bed and gone to close the curtain, the fabric not even covering the whole window entirely. No doubt if she actually slept, the sliver of light that would come in through that small gap would bother her immensely, but since she knew she would not be sleeping through the night, Emily did not let it bother her. All she had to do was be in the room for one night, its shortcomings would be for someone else when they checked out in the morning.
Job done, Emily had gone back to her chosen side of the bed, but before she could get back into it, Derek had called out, asking her to bring his clothes, and once he was dressed he had come out and gotten into bed, which brought Emily to her current problem.
All she had to do was stay awake a minute longer than Derek, but the man was sleep proof. She had clung to her charade of reading for as long as she could. Sighing in fake contentment every now and then, and then turning a page even though the words were swimming on the page and she had no idea what was going on.