With my eyes still closed, I took a deep breath, getting a nose full of a familiar smellâthat woody sweet scent I'd come to associate with Elian. I rubbed my hand around, feeling his firm body beneath my palm.
Peeking through my lashes, bright sunlight assaulted my eyes. The white light turned everything pale and cloudy. I couldn't make out where I was. The room was far too big to be my bedroom. Also, I had curtains for this very reason.
A small gust stirred the hair on of my head. I felt the steady rise and fall of Elian's chest beneath my head, accompanied by the slow, steady thrum of his heart.
I craned my neck to see Elian's face just a few inches away. Eyes closed, mouth slightly ajar. He was fast asleep.
That's when it all came back to me. The movie night, the terrible incident I never wanted to think about again, and him being so sweet about it. I'd fallen asleep on him during his movie.
The ping of a phone snapped me out of my sleepy daze. I lifted my head to see over him. My phone screen lit up. Then it went dark again. I had a message, but I was wedged between Elian and the back of the couch. If I moved, he would wake up. And I didn't want that.
I reached up the hand that wasn't trapped beneath my body and gently brushed my fingertips across his jaw, sporting a bit of stubble this morning. I could really get used to this.
When my phone beeped again, his body jerked. He groaned. Another beep caused him to stir even more.
I did my best to slip out of my cocooned slot, making slow, careful movements. I grimaced every time he made a noise or shifted his body.
It was a terrible mistake to move, though. A night of sleeping on an old lumpy couch crammed together had left my muscles sore.
I stretched my arm out across his torso, grasping for my phone, which lay on the edge, just out of reach. I lifted a bit more to gain those last needed few inches before I could reach the phone.
"What are you doing?" he grumbled.
I abandoned my task to comfort him, rubbing gentle circles on his chest. "Shh. Go back to sleep."
He groaned loudly and stretched out his limbs, blinking against the harsh light. "What time is it?"
I took this opportunity to grab my phone. I clicked it to get the correct time. "It's 9:17."
I gasped at the sight of the seven texts from my mom. Each one becoming increasingly frantic. She'd woken up to find my bed empty, which was very unusual for me.
I sent a quick reply, letting her know I was not dead in a ditch, or gasping for water in the desert somewhere, fending off coyotes as she suspected.
Elian slipped his arms around me and tried to pull me down against him. I laid back down, adjusting myself, leaning over on him to be more comfortable. When I tucked my leg between his, he he locked his legs around it. His arms tightened around me. "Good morning." he said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. His bleary eyes looked over my face.
"Good morning."
He leaned in for a brief kiss and asked, "How did you sleep?"
"Pretty good, actually." Considering I'd spent the night stuck in the crevice of a couch, I'd slept great. I usually tossed and turned all night long, taking hours to get to sleep.
He sighed, leaning his forehead against mine. "Me, too."
"No offense, but your breath is rank."
He slapped a hand over his mouth. "I'm so sorry." he mumbled through a laugh.
He pulled away from me and slipped out of my grasp. "I'll be right back." He shuffled down the hall.
With the sofa to myself, I stretched out my arms and legs, rolling my shoulders and neck to ease some of my aches. I let out a big yawn and realized he wasn't the only one in need of freshening their breath.
I rolled off the couch and headed toward the bathroom. The door was open. Elian stood at the sink, brushing his teeth vigorously.
I stopped to lean against the doorframe.
He turned and tried to smile with the toothbrush in his mouth. "Do you need something?"
"Got any mouthwash?" If I couldn't brush my teeth, I would at least rinse this foul taste from my mouth.
He nodded and opened the medicine cabinet. He handed me a small bottle. I tipped my head back and poured the green liquid into my mouth, swishing it around to rid myself of the awful morning breath.
Elian stepped aside to allow me access to the sink. I spit the mouthwash out, leaving my gums tingly.
Elian bent down to put his head next to the faucet, filling his mouth with water to rinse his mouth. After spitting it out, he dried his face on a hand towel.
He put his toothbrush away and turned to me, hanging his arms over my shoulders. I took the initiative this time, kissing him first for a change.
Breaking away, he said, "I could get used to waking up like this."
"My thoughts exactly."
He drew a line with his finger down my forehead, over the bridge of my nose, and around my lips. "You have such a beautiful face. Very symmetrical."
As his finger traced over the part in my lips, I opened my mouth, playfully biting down on his fingertip.
He laughed and pulled his finger away. He took my face in hands, moving in to kiss me again. This kiss was more intense than the last, feverish. I stumbled back a step to lean on the wall for support. My head was swimming; I didn't want to fall over.
I could already feel the blood pumping, but it was not going to my face.
I gripped his shoulders and used every once of my willpower to push him back.
He immediately backed away. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." I said, breathless. "I just don't want a repeat of last night."
"That's not gonna happen every time. You were just really worked up. And it probably didn't help that I was grinding on you for twenty minutes."
"Well, clearly, I enjoyed it. Too much."
"There's no such thing as enjoying it too much." He took a tentative step forward. "I'm not trying to push you, if you really don't want to do anything. I just don't want you to be scared off by that one incident."
"I'm not scared. I'm just being cautious. It was mortifying enough the first time. I don't know if I could even look at you if it happened again."
"Honestly, it's kind of flattering. It shows how much you really like me."
"Yes, I do. Very much. But I don't see it that way."
"You're only embarrassed because it happened by accident, right?" he asked, raising a brow curiously.
"I guess. Yeah." I nodded.
"And if it wasn't an accident? Would you still be embarrassed?" He seemed like he was leading up to something. I had a guess about it, but I didn't want to assume and get disappointed.
"No," I said. "I wouldn't."
"I could do something about it. So that it's on purpose." Elian laid his hands on my hips, staring into my eyes. His fingers slipped under my shirt to graze my skin. "Is that something you'd be interested in?"
It took me a moment to shake my shock. I'd been pushing for him to move things along since we first kissed. I did not think my complete and total humiliation was what it would take to get the ball rolling.
"Just so I'm clear, what exactly are we talking about?" I asked.
"How about I just show you?"
"Okay." I blurted.
He moved in to kiss me again, pushing his hand into my sweatpants. It was strange to have someone else's hand down there. In a good way.
Elian kissed my neck for a second before moving lower. He pushed my shirt up to kiss my stomach a couple times. He kissed my hip, and the spot beneath my bellybutton where the thin trail of hair grew.
When he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of my pants, he looked back up at me. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes." The word came out stuttery, so I nodded. My heart pounded a mile a millisecond. I didn't know if it could hold out at this pace.
Then he pulled the pants down. He started using his hand, then switched to his mouth.
The air escaped my lungs all at once. All I could do was pant and gasp and grunt. I gripped at the wall, but there was nowhere to find purchase, so I twisted my hands into my hair, biting down on my bottom lip until I had to shout, "Oh, my God!"
"I can't... I'm..." I couldn't get words out. I could barely think straight. As my body started tensing up, I gripped his shoulders, digging my fingers into his skin.
Elian didn't stop until I finished and screamed with relief, nearly doubling over.
Elian stood up and smiled. "Are you embarrassed about that one?"
I shook my head, unable to speak. I pulled my pants up and leaned against the wall. My legs felt like jelly. I was grateful when he pressed against me; it helped to keep me upright.
Elian brushed my hair off my forehead. "How was it?"
I still had no words, so I hooked my arm around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.
After pulling away, he chuckled. "I'll take that as a good sign."
I nodded, my breathing still shaky. "Yes. Very good. Very, very good."
"Now maybe you can relax."
"Yeah." I definitely felt relaxed.
"Do you want to go grab some breakfast?"
"Before we do that..." I put my hands on his hips, letting my fingers slip into his waistband. I could see that he was ready to go with no help needed from me. "Can I try?"
Elian's lips spread into a grin. "Absolutely!"