He stretched out on the bed, on his side to fit the two of them side by side. Brennan reached down to take his shoes off, but it mattered little because his feet came over the end of the bed anyway. As she got comfortable, he played with the drying ends of her hair. A calm settled on him, the same peaceable feeling that covered the room like a warm fur and filled it with warmth. As she slipped off, she sleepily said she was glad he was here, and a fond smile tugged at the corners of his lips. With one last stroke of the silken curtain of drying hair spread out on her pillow, he added, "Me too, Imp."
Thinking that she was asleep, he curled up a bit closer to her. Not as tired as she had seemed to be, he stayed awake for some time. He thought of nothing important, instead just letting his mind play skipping stones with memories. By the time he did drift off, he had wrapped his childhood friend's long hair around one hand as if it was a lifeline he could not let go of, yet there was a smile on his face.