Picture Prompted Flash #1

Picture prompted flash writing is one of the exercises we do on the Writer's Retreat. We take turns posting a picture and everyone writes a flash piece in response (500 word limit). Here's my piece for this week. The picture is hard to explain (and I'm not going to post it here for copyright reasons) but it doesn't play a huge role in the piece anyway.

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Sleeping Over
(Word count: 499)

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

Gloria's eyes fluttered open as she slowly began to wake up. She was stretched out on the black leather sofa, her head resting on Bryan's lap. She glanced at the TV and saw a man with arms raised toward a cloud-filled sky.

"Who is that?" she asked in confusion.

"You've missed too much for me to explain it, we'll rent the movie again another time." Bryan smiled down at her.

"Sorry I fell asleep," she said. "It's been a really long week."

"It's not a big deal. I could tell you were tired, you barely made it through the first half hour." Bryan ran his hands through her hair as he spoke.

Gloria yawned and nodded.

"You going to drive home, or do you want to stay here?" Bryan asked her.

"I was planning to go home, I don't have a change of clothes with me," she told him.

"I'm not sure you should drive home. You can barely keep your eyes open."

"True. You don't mind me crashing here?" she asked.

"Of course not. Come on, we'll get you settled upstairs."

Gloria sat up and took Bryan's offered hand. He led her upstairs and into a small guest room. He turned on the lamp on the nightstand and pulled back the covers.

"Could I borrow a t-shirt to sleep in?" she asked.

"Sure, be right back," Bryan told her.

Gloria sat down on the edge of the bed and removed her shoes. Bryan returned and handed her a shirt. He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, sleepy head. I'm right across the hall if you need anything."

"You're being such a gentleman," Gloria pointed out.

He smiled at her. "What did you expect? You're exhausted and you've never stayed here before."

"True," she smiled back at him. "Good night."

"Night," he said again, and left the room.

Gloria quickly undressed and pulled the borrowed t-shirt over her head. It was one she recognized, one that Bryan wore frequently. It was soft and worn and smelled of him. She crawled between the sheets and turned off the lamp.

She laid there for a while trying to get back to sleep, but it seemed she was no longer tired. Maybe it was being in a new place, or the smell of Bryan from the shirt, or knowing that he was just across the hall from her in his own bed. She stayed in bed for a while longer, staring at the ceiling and letting her mind wander. She finally realized that her mind kept wandering back to the same thing. She wanted to be in the bed across the hall. She finally gave up and with a sigh, threw back the covers and got out of bed.

She stepped quietly across the hall and stood silently outside his door. After a moment she heard the sounds of movement from inside the room. She lifted her hand and knocked lightly on the door.