An uncomfortable night

It took the rest of the day and more money than they wanted to spend, but Laura and Dan got what necessities they needed to spend their first night in their new apartment. It was nearly ten o'clock when they sat down to eat microwaved mac'n'cheese out of pink plastic bowls and cheap spoons, washed vigorously, from a dollar store.

"I'll get the space by the wall," Dan offered as he eyed their inflated bed pushed up against the corner wall. Their pillows, cheap feather ones from Big Bucks, had one of his mother's oversized shirts wrapped around it so they wouldn't have to sleep on the abrasive covering of the pillow.

"No, I'll take that spot. I don't move as much," Laura said as she tried to pull the last oversized shirts over her body. She'd already wore one of the snug ones he'd bought her. He had a feeling she knew her breasts might fall out if she wasn't careful.

"If you say so," Dan joked with a smile. He thought she moved around in her sleep more than she realized.

His prediction came true in the middle of the night when a warm body woke him. Laura draped one arm around his elbow as she snuggled up to his back. Her breathing tickled the hairs on his back.

Sleeping with anyone, especially a female, was not an experience Dan was familiar with. The first time he'd slept with anyone in the same bed was the night of the disaster. His mind simply wouldn't let him sleep, knowing that a woman, even if it was his mother, snuggled up to him. He groaned and tried to move his body into a better position, but his mother's arm seemed to tighten around him.

The next morning, he finally managed to wiggle out from Laura's embrace. He might have gotten a few hours' sleep between the time she woke him up and when his alarm went off. The noise made his mom roll over, effectively releasing her stranglehold on his body. With a numb arm, tingling with pain as blood flowed back into it, he tried to eat breakfast with his non-dominant hand.

"I slept well," Laura remarked as she stretched on the mattress. It made an ominous creaking sound, making her freeze, mid-stretch. "Okay, no sudden movements," she laughed. "How did you sleep, dear?"

"Uh... good," Dan lied as he ate.

Laura squinted her eyes as she rose. "Are you sure? You look tired. Is it the new place?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I slept okay," he lied again.

"What time do you go in?" she asked.

"Ten to six-thirty," he answered.

"It's almost time to get stamps again. That'll help restock the pantry. Can... you leave me with some cash so I can pick a few things up?" Laura asked as she carefully got off the mattress.

"I'll leave you what I have, except twenty for gas. I know my tank is about a quarter-full."

"Thank you, dear," Laura said as she hugged him. "You're doing more than I have a right to ask for," she continued.

"Hey, we've been through everything together. Something like a sinkhole won't keep us down for long," Dan said back as he hugged his mother tightly.