Chapter 104

I awaken to an empty bed and a slightly ajar door. “Knox?” I call out, sitting up and scanning the room. I call his name again, but there’s no response. Where could he be?

I don’t rise from the bed, feeling utterly drained from the torrent of tears I shed last night. After everyone had left the room, it was just Knox and me for the rest of the evening.

I had continued to weep into his shoulder while he gently teased me. Each time I managed to stop crying, I’d think about the movie and the waterworks would start all over again. And now, I’ve woken up this morning. Alone. In my own bed.

It’s such an unfamiliar sensation, even though I’ve only woken up next to him a handful of times. I feel so secure with him, so protected.

I continue to lie there, waiting for him to reappear, when I hear footsteps ascending the stairs. Seeing that it’s Ben and not Knox, I’m met with his signature smirk.

“Sorry, I’m not Carter, sweet cheeks,” he teases, kicking the door shut behind him and crawling over the bed to lie beside me. I settle back down with him and we gaze at each other.

“I’ll just suffer with you then...” I tease back, eliciting an even wider smile from him.

He’s always such a cheerful person, even in the mornings, and sometimes it irks me to no end. He knows this too. That’s why he often exaggerates his morning cheerfulness just to get a rise out of me.

How can someone be that happy in the mornings? I’m barely functional until lunchtime.

“Aye! I’m a delight and you know it!” He ruffles my already messy bedhead hair, making it even more disheveled. He then rests his hands behind his head and stares up at the TV screen mounted high on my wall.

The same screen where I watched people speculate about the identity of the girl in his Instagram picture, knowing full well who it was.

Pulling out my phone, I open the app and navigate to his profile. Ben leans over to look at the screen and I click on the picture he posted of me. Except it’s not the one where my face is hidden.

It’s the one where I’m smiling down at him from his lap, taken on that same day. The caption is what catches me off guard: My Love. I can’t help but smile at his sweet gesture.

I stare at those words, trying to absorb them but failing miserably. It just doesn’t feel real. None of it feels real.

“He’s got good skills, you look beautiful, sweet cheeks!” Ben compliments me, and I give him a questioning look, waiting for the inevitable ‘but’. “Some good airbrushing skills too!”

He laughs and I punch him hard in the arm. He lays back down, cradling his arm and laughing at my reaction.

“Kidding, I’m kidding! You do, I’ve seen the collection of photos of you though. He’s really talented at photography, he has some unbelievable shots of you...”

“There’s a collection of them?” My voice raises higher than usual. Seeing him nod his head, my curiosity peaks.

And I like the photo, along with the one that currently holds the title of most-liked photo on Instagram with eighteen million likes. That’s right, eighteen million likes!

“Where is he?” I ask Ben, and he shuffles to his side, propping his head up on his hand to look at me.

“Downstairs, making ‘His Love’ breakfast,” he quotes him with his fingers, joking with me. I roll my eyes at my best friend and drop my phone down on the bed.

I stand up and turn on my heel to face Ben.

“I’ll go to my love and you go to yours,” I wink, and he groans, chasing me out the door. I sprint down the stairs away from him and burst through the kitchen door to see a shirtless Knox with his back to me.

Completely oblivious to my entrance. Ben slows down and winks at me, leaving us to it. He exits through the back door to go see Hannah. I wink at him as he closes it, rolling his eyes in response.

He raises his hand up and flips me off, biting his lip. I return the gesture.

I tiptoe towards Knox, as quietly as I can, and wrap my arms around his waist. I feel him tense up, then relax as he turns his head over his shoulder to look down at me and smiles, realizing it’s me.

“Hey, baby doll,” he murmurs softly. I kiss his back while he rubs his hands across my arms, waiting for the food to cook.

Still wrapped around him, I turn to his side and look at what he’s preparing for us. His arm goes around my shoulders protectively and he kisses my head.

“How’d you sleep?” He asks, and I look up at him.

“I slept amazingly well, actually. Courtesy of you, I imagine,” I reply, watching his grin widen as I snuggle further into him, resting my cheek on his warm, sun-kissed skin.

“I’m glad. I didn’t like it when you didn’t sleep. It used to annoy me when you locked your door at night to stop me from coming in to cuddle you asleep.

Now, I can come in whenever I want. You look well-rested though, and beautiful... as always.”

I blush at his words but look down at the food in front of me—bacon and eggs. Not too much, I’m not a huge breakfast eater. He knows this.

“So you uploaded a new picture to your Instagram, I see,” I say, looking up to see his concentrated expression replaced with another smile.

I run my hand up his chest, putting myself in the way of his cooking.

“I did, you like it?” He leans down and kisses my lips softly. I nod, excitement building inside of me.

“My love, huh?” I poke his chest and he trails his hands down my butt, squeezing it, then continues down to the backs of my legs.

Hoisting me up, I wrap my legs around his waist while he holds me up with one hand.

“My love,” he murmurs against my lips before claiming them once more. “You always will be, Alex.” He reaches past me to check on the sizzling bacon and eggs, while I remain entranced by him.

His blue eyes flicker behind me, checking on the food, and I catch him smiling, aware of my gaze.

“My love,” I echo back to him. His eyes snap to mine, a small shimmer in them that sends a flurry of butterflies through my stomach. His other hand settles on the small of my back.

I’ve never felt this way about any guy before. Not even Drew. There’s something about him that pulls me in, despite our tumultuous past and constant bickering.

“God, I love you so fucking much,” he confesses, and I bite down on my lip, trying to suppress the overwhelming emotions swirling within me. I never thought I’d love someone this much.

I know it’s what people call the honeymoon phase, but I’ve been in a relationship before, and it wasn’t like this. I feel so secure with him. It’s a feeling I’ve never experienced with any other guy.

This intensity.

I press a quick kiss to his lips, but he takes the back of my head and deepens the kiss, our tongues dancing and battling for dominance.

“Fuck the breakfast, baby doll, I’m taking you right now!” he declares, but I burst into laughter, gripping the sides of the counter to stop him from sweeping me off my feet.

“Knox! No, later. I’m hungry—” I continue to laugh, hearing footsteps approaching from outside. Two blonde heads, wrapped up in each other, slide the door open.

Knox groans at them, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You two have the best timing in the world...”

I roll my eyes at him while Hannah just smiles at Ben. It’s clear they’re smitten with each other, and I couldn’t be happier for them.

“Hey, I mean we all had to listen to you two get it on last time. There’s only so much one can take of your screams,” Ben teases, and I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment at the thought of them hearing us.

I slide off Knox and feel the cold tiles meet the balls of my feet once more. I love the feeling of walking on cold tiles, especially after a night out in killer heels.

“Hey, what can I say? When you’re good, you’re good,” Knox smirks at Ben and winks at me. I nudge my hip at him, trying to get him to zip it.

“I was talking about your screams, Carter. I thought it was Alex at first, but turns out it wasn’t,” Ben retorts, and Knox shoots him a glare while Hannah and I dissolve into laughter.

Knox throws a tea towel at Ben, who dodges it, letting go of Hannah. I cover my mouth, laughing into my hand, while Knox huffs in mock annoyance.

“Hey, what can I say? When you’re good, you’re good!” Ben repeats Knox’s words back to him, and even Knox can’t hold back a laugh. I flip my hair dramatically while Knox grabs my waist and pulls me back to him.

He rests his hands on my stomach from behind, his chin resting on the crown of my head.

“So I was thinking, you, me, dinner tonight? What do you think?” Knox suggests casually.

“Okay? Any particular reason?” I pivot in his arms to face my handsome boyfriend. He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers gently caressing my cheek.

“It’ll be our first date since we’ve become boyfriend and girlfriend. No better reason than that,” he says, his lips curling into his signature million-dollar smile.

I rest my cheek on his chest, breathing him in as I consider his words. My second date with him. My first now that we’re official.

“Okay, I’m excited now! Where are you taking me?” I ask, bouncing on my toes, nearly stepping on his feet. He’s got big feet. And you know what they say about big feet.

“Nope, it’s a surprise... Don’t pull that face with me, baby doll! It won’t work...”

I pout at him, giving him my best puppy dog eyes. It usually works, but he shuts his eyes like he did in New York. Dammit!

“Alex, stop that! I want it to be a surprise!” He laughs at my antics. I should’ve known he’d close his eyes. He knows me too well. I lean up on my toes and give him a quick kiss on his lips.

“Fine... it better be good,” I tease him. I know it will be. He knows what I like.

“No pressure,” he chuckles, playfully punching my shoulder.