“We need separate beds” she muttered as she put the pillow over her one exposed ear. Her elbow ‘accidentally’ found his solar plexus, bringing him to wakefulness with a start.

“Ow!”

“Well at least you’re not snoring anymore” she snapped.

“Do you always have to wake me when I snore? I haven’t had a full nights sleep in weeks!”

“Neither have I! Nor have our neighbours, probably. You could set off their car alarm from here!”

“I’ll buy you ear muffs then.” He turned, and tried to resume his sleep. She was having none of it.

“There’s surgery you could get done” she said. “I wouldn’t even have to hold the knife myself…”

“What? I’m not getting an operation just so you can sleep easier.”

“So I could sleep AT ALL!” she cried.

She remembered all at once, a story about how goats and dogs can be debleated and debarked, with a simple incision. Could google talk her through it on a human? Crazy idea. The pillow went back over her head.

They never got separate rooms. Lonely people need something more than sleep.