"Please…"
Isobel sighed in resignation. She knew she shouldn't give in however she was dead tired and wanted to go back to sleep. She didn't have the strength to fight him off.
"Alright then sleep on the couch." She waved him off, raised the quilt to cover herself up when she felt the bed dip.
"I said the couch not my bed."
"In my years of living I've never slept on the couch and I won't start today."
He declared arrogantly and got into the covers. He stretched out his arm in search of something, it didn't take long for him to grasp what he was looking for.
"Gasp. What do you think you're doing?" Isobel almost jumped out of her skin.
"Interlacing our fingers."
"Well stop. I don't like it." She said and made to pull out first but he just tightened the grip a bit.
"Why? You make it seem like us touching is against the law and we aren't even romancing. What's the big deal?"
She froze upon listening to his words. He had a crude mouth although he's not totally wrong. They were just holding hands as expected from married couples however the second statement he made…
"You…" she glared at him.
"Just kidding. Just kidding". He smiled and lightly shrugged with raised hands in surrender.
Isobel slightly relaxed and once again her eyelids began to droop close when he said. "This way you can help with curing my repulse. Don't you think?". But there was no answer as she was already fast asleep.
And so a new nightly routine began.
Julius always sneeked into Isobel's bed by the time she was fast asleep and held her hand.
Simple harmless gestures that won't warrant much reasoning however Isobel was not comfortable with the idea and warned him to stay off.
Regardless Julius passed it off because he was aiming at something and as the days went by he was deeply struggling.
It started with the fingers simply interlinking but Julius wasn't satisfied with just that. When he gets into her bed at night he always lightly threw….
"Let's kiss goodnight Isabel".
But it goes unanswered as Isobel glossed it over outrightly pretending like she didn't hear a thing and goes to sleep or she glares hard and he had no choice but to smile and let it go.
"Kidding. Just kidding…"
He says. While in some rare occasions she comes up with silly excuses;
"Oh I'm tired. I want to sleep..."
"At this time, I have morning breath..."
"Mumble mumble...maybe next time."
He answers ok seeming as if all's well but the increasing dark glint in his eyes and cold frown marring his lips indicates the boiling rage, frustration he could no longer suppress. The object of his frustration is right in front of him yet he could not do a thing.
At her end she couldn't keep up with his excessive demands. She did try to get him off. Changing the locks to the door didn't hinder him not in the least. He moved in headstrong that at a point she thought to give up.