Chapter 4: Separate Blankets

I didn't go back to the shop.

I typed, "How would you know?"

Then I closed the laptop before anyone could answer.

That night I made the bed rules official.

I wrote them on an index card while Knox was brushing his teeth, and I propped the card against his lamp.

BED RULES.

1. Own blanket.

2. Own side.

3. No sneak attacks.

I drew a small moose with a stop sign under rule three.

He came out of the bathroom in a T-shirt and boxers, picked up the card and read it with his whole forehead.

"No sneak attacks," he said.

"You know what that means."

"I really don't. Spell it out for me."

"No sliding over in the night. No arm. No cold feet."

"I don't have cold feet. You have cold feet."

"That's why it's in the rules. So you don't get any ideas about my feet."

He turned the card over. Then he turned it back.

"There's a moose with a stop sign," he said.

"It's for clarity."

He set the card down very gently.

Then he got into bed.

He didn't get under the covers.

He lay down flat on top of the comforter, fully on his own side.

He folded his hands on his chest.

"What are you doing?"

"Following the rules."

"You'll freeze."

"I'll survive." He stared at the ceiling. "I don't want to accidentally touch your blanket. It's very independent. I respect that."

"Knox."

"Annika."

"Get under the covers."

"Under which covers? There's three now. There's my covers, your covers, and the guest covers, which Inga has never used."

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