Ryan was being a gentleman. He put his blanket and pillow on the floor in a corner.

“Why do people sleep in the bathtub on TV?” She asked. “It’s so cold and hard.”

“I have no idea. I think the floor is a much better option.”

“Yeah. If you have to pick one.”

He took his iPad from his bag. “I’ll be downstairs while you get ready for bed. I’ll come up later.”

“Okay.”

After he left, she sat on the edge of the bed. This had probably been one of the strangest days of her life. Not the most stressful, though, by a long shot. When her sister first got sick and was diagnosed with kidney disease – that was one of the most stressful. And it was still stressful. But as long as she was doing something to help, she could keep most of the anxiety down. The more she worked, the more money she could save up to help pay for the kidney transplant.

Her father had died three years ago – her other stressful thing, leaving them very little in the form of resources. Then last year, her mother was let go from her job because she was taking too many days off to take care of Abby.

And now with the cost of healthcare, they needed to find the money to pay the doctors.

She sighed.

This was something she would never tell anyone in Dallas. It was bad enough that everyone in her home town knew. She was so tired of the pitying looks and questions about her sister’s health. Her sister was always on her mind, but sometimes it was nice to have a conversation about something resembling normal life.

She got ready for bed, putting on her tee-shirt and shorts. Unfortunately, she hadn’t known she was going to be spending the night with anyone, much less Ryan, when she packed last night.

She took her Kindle and curled up on the bed. It felt so wonderful to lie down after such a long day.

Just as she was falling asleep, someone knocked lightly on the door. Who would be at her door this time of night? She glanced at the clock. All of nine o’clock.

She got and padded barefooted to the door and peeked through the peephole. “Ryan?”

“Yes. Can I come in?”

She opened the door. “Did you forget your key?”

“No. I just didn’t want to startle you if you were awake.”

“Oh. Okay.” The floor was cold beneath her feet. She turned and ran back to climb back under the covers. Shivering, she pulled the quilt under her chin.

A few minutes later, Ryan came out of the bathroom, also in shorts and a tee-shirt. She smiled to herself at their similar taste in sleepwear.

He went to the spot where he’d left his blankets and pillow on the floor and settled in. It was such a huge bed, she felt guilty at letting him sleep on the floor. On the other hand, if she invited him to the bed, would he get the wrong idea?

She sighed. And decided to leave it alone. The guilt was better than having him think she was inviting him for something more.

“Good night.” He said.

“Good night.” Smiling to herself, she snuggled under the blankets and wondered if she’d be able to fall asleep with Ryan in the same room.