Chapter 53 - Staying Up And Awake

Julie stared at Roman's sleeping profile as his body appeared relaxed, and his chest moved up and down as he breathed in and out. It looked like the black cat had finished strolling around the campus, had eaten all her chips and was now resting in her bed.

Walking towards one of her closets, Julie pulled out the blanket. She knew that if someone saw her now, on what was doing, they would call her an idiot for taking out a blanket for him because instead of taking the chair himself, he had chosen to sleep on her bed. But the temperature in and around the dorm had dropped, and her conscience didn't allow her to leave things as it was. 

Unfolding the blanket, Julie used both her hands to put it on his body as gently as possible so that she wouldn't wake him up. But right that instant, Roman's eyes snapped open, staring at her, and she froze. 

Her lips parted, but for a few seconds, not a single word came out of it. 

Her left hand was placed on the bed to support, while the other hand was left in mid-air. 

"What are you doing, Winters?" questioned Roman, his eyes subtly narrowed while he stared at her, waiting for her to speak. 

"I thought you might feel cold… so I," Julie felt like someone had knocked the air out of her body when he opened his eyes. "I put the blanket and was… tucking so that air wouldn't escape in," she completed her words. 

Roman's eyes narrowed further, and Julie softly gulped. Her whole body had turned stiff, and the left side of her shoulder had started to ache as she tried to support her body with it. 

Julie waited for Roman to tell something while he continued to stare at her, and finally, he said, "Weirdo."

"I will take the blanket back if you don't want it," retorted Julie, ready to pull it back, but Roman caught hold of it. 

"Did I say I don't want it?" asked Roman, and Julie let go of her hold on the blanket. "Lie down here," he patted his hand on the place next to him on the bed. 

Julie's face instantly turned red at his suggestion. Her eyes darted away from him, and she answered, "I am fine. I don't want to sleep next to someone who called me a weirdo." And it wasn't her but him who was the weirdo here!

Not complying with his order, Julie dragged her chair towards the bed and sat down. Putting the blanket around her body, she quietly glared at him for kicking her out of her bed. He might have offered her some space on the bed, but she looked at him with a look of suspicion in her eyes. 

Roman's lips twitched at her action. He asked, "Did I hurt your feelings? Would you prefer that I sweet talk to you?" 

"I think it would look creepy if you sweet talked to anyone," murmured Julie under her breath. 

"That is not what I felt when we were rehearsing on the stage today. It seems like actions from characters like Atlas turn you on," said Roman, watching her. Julie had hoped he wouldn't bring it up to save her from feeling embarrassed and calling her out on how she had turned flustered. 

"I don't like him. Atlas is someone who didn't have the courage to ask Iris out and only realizes after she leaves. And then he doesn't break off with Eve nor does he let go of Iris and is torn between them. I think he was a coward," Julie shook her head.

"How harsh," came the dull words from Roman. 

They both turned quiet when they heard someone's footsteps walking past the window of the dorm. Roman noticed how Julie's eyes turned anxious for a moment as if she would get caught with him and about the rumours that would spread in the whole campus. 

She brought both her legs to place them on the edge of the chair. 

"It feels like there are many teachers making rounds in the grounds of the campus today," said Julie softly, once she felt it was safe to talk. "It isn't normal."

Roman could tell that she was curious, and he asked her, "Why do you feel that? Isn't it normal to make sure that the students aren't breaking any rules that are set by the university." 

Julie shook her head before she said, "Normal rules yes, but here it feels extreme. Almost abnormal."

"What isn't abnormal, Winters? We are surrounded by abnormal things. You would be surprised to know that some of the normals that you believe it to be, are actually abnormal," Roman's words intrigued her. 

Julie remembered him mentioning in one of his letters how the book that held the information about the people who once lived here had been burned. 

"Seems like I am stuck here for longer than I expected," Roman sighed as if he wanted to leave and get back to his dorm. Rolling over, his back rested against the bed. 

With neither of them speaking another word, Julie decided to close her eyes as they had classes to attend tomorrow morning. Roman would skip classes because he was the topper, but it wasn't the same in her case. One minute passed and then two, and when five minutes passed where she started to drift away in her sleep, Roman said, 

"Don't tell me you are sleeping."

"It is nearly two in the morning. What do you want me to do?" Julie asked him with her eyes still closed. 

"I would like to see that promised mummy dance that didn't happen on the day of Hallow," Roman's words were direct without any humour in it. Parting her eyes open, she stared at him with one eye. "I am serious."

Julie hid her face in the blanket and grumbled when Roman's hand reached out for her blanket and tugged it. She wondered since when did she turn into Roman Moltenore's personal entertainment.

"Hurry up, I have other things on my mind for you to do," Roman sat up and pulled the blanket such that Julie now leaned forward. 

"I swear to God, I will scream bloody murder and teachers will be here!" Julie hissed, pulling her blanket back to her. The little sleep that had entered her disappeared. Roman stared at her with a look that dared her to go ahead and shout while he held one end of her blanket with his hand. "Why are you back to bullying me?" He didn't even have leverage with her letter to her uncle gone. "It feels like Satan has ascended into my room," she complained, tiredly. 

Roman had a deadpanned look on his face, not budging. Julie let go of her blanket. He could keep it all he wanted! She quickly pulled the chair from there and dragged it back near her desk to sleep there. 

"You have some nerve to go back on your word, Winters. You think with me here you are going to have a sound sleep?" demanded Roman. 

Julie tried to put a polite smile on her face, "I did not go back to my word. The mummy dance offer was only for Halloween, which has now expired."

"Now." 

"How about we talk instead? I don't know how to dan-Wait, you saw me dancing on the dance floor!" She pointed her finger at him as if she had won something until he said,

"Personal dance."

Roman lifted his chin, and he looked at her in a similar way as he had done when they were both on the dance floor. Unable to contain her mouth and thoughts, Julie asked him, "Do you have a mummy fetish?" This earned her a sharp glare, and she quickly said, "I was just asking."

She walked to stand in front of the bed with her shoulders and back slouched. Roman said, "Fine. Let's talk. What was the deal between you and your aunt." 

"..."

Roman, who had a good hearing, shifted his eyes from Julie to look at the dorm's door, which was locked. He brought his finger up to his lips, and Julie turned her head to look at the door as if wondering what happened. 

Was someone out there? Asked Julie to herself, and she turned to look at Roman. He then jerked his head to the bed as if asking her to come to where he was. She walked as quietly as she could and took a seat, and he placed his hand on her bare leg. 

He made a hand action as if to bring her feet up. Julie did as she was told with her heart rate increasing, and she felt the tension start to rise in her body and mind. When she looked back at the door,  she heard a slight sound from outside. It was barely audible, but Julie heard it. 

"The occasional night patrolling," said Roman and Julie believed it was alright to speak to him right now. 

"Do you know about it?" asked Julie.

Roman stared at her, wondering how much was allowed to be shared and where one had to withhold the information to the humans. 

"It is to make sure the students are safe and nothing disruptive happens to any of them. Veteris is not just a name, but a legacy that was created years ago and the people who work here try to uphold the name," replied Roman, speaking the truth, without revealing the existence of the night creatures. "Don't worry, whoever was there outside, isn't there anymore." 

Julie tore her eyes away from the door, and her eyes met Roman's that were looking at her. She asked him in a whisper, "How are you sure?"

"I just know," remarked Roman. "Just don't raise your voice and we should be good," and Julie nodded. 

They sat next to each other, trying to hear and pick any sounds before Julie asked, "What happened to your brother and parents?"

"They were killed," said Roman, his voice sounding slightly cold and distant. "It is a long time ago, you don't have to feel sorry for it."

"I lied about something," said Julie, gaining his attention. She then said, "It is just my mother, who passed away, my father is still alive. She was killed."

Roman only gave her a nod, somewhere he had already picked the truth without her uttering anything. Even in the most noisiest bonfire where people had been loud, he had picked the sound of her heart beat. 

"Is that why you and your aunt don't get along?" he questioned her. 

"Yeah," replied Julie nodding her head. She realized how Roman had understood her without her having to explain it in detail.