The lights were still on when Dustin came back in with two fresh bottles of water, his cell phone in his other hand, and his iPod between his teeth. Nicolae however, didn’t look like he’d need any music to fall asleep. Clothes had been removed and lay in a neat pile on the floor at the end of the bed. Nicolae rested on his back, one arm tucked up and under the pillow and the other askew beside him. Sheets and blankets fell at his waist, his bare chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm. Thick carpeting allowed for a stealth advance and Dustin snuck up beside the bed like a child tiptoeing towards sleeping parents. He set the electronics on the dresser with the slow, patient movements of a Tai Chi master, and followed them with the water. Then he let pajama pants fall, twisted off
