Overnight

Jimmy Junior carefully picked his way across the alley, his eyes straining in the dark to make out Tina's window. Once he found it, he picked up a few pebbles and tossed them up. It took a couple tries before he heard one connect with glass. Three pebble taps later, the window opened and a rope ladder dropped down for him. He quickly scrambled up.

Tina must have been sleeping before he arrived, because she didn't bother to turn on a light for him. By the time he was climbing through the window frame, she was already laying back down in bed, but she had shifted over to one side. Jimmy Junior pulled the ladder back inside and closed the window for her. Then he slipped off his shoes before joining her under the covers.

"Sorry I woke you," he whispered. He settled in and spooned against her, pulling her into his arms and burying his nose in her hair. She shuddered, the chill night air still clinging to his clothes.

"I was having a good dream," she mumbled.

"Sorry."

She felt so warm. He had to resist the urge to roll over completely on top of her to try to soak it all up. He breathed in deeply.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He thought about how his dad came home drunk again and how he'd had to carefully slip past him on his way over.

"Yeah."

Tina hummed in response and shifted against him. He stayed still for a moment, just breathing her in. After a few more seconds, he lightly poked her in the stomach.

"Tina . . ."

He waited a beat, then did it again.

"Tina . . ."

She sighed and rolled over in his embrace, snuggling against his chest and hugging him. A grin split his face, and he bent his head to kiss her crown before settling down again. He paced his breathing so it matched hers, and a feeling of deep contentment filled him. It was times like this that made him understand why Andy and Ollie always shared a bed.