Off Ice.

Chapter Thirty-Three.

Finn

To say I'm on cloud nine would be an understatement.

Being home always brings my stress levels down drastically. Staying in my room and knowing that my mom and sister are downstairs always made me sleep better, but now that's just amplified by Avery.

I literally feel like I'm 18 again. I feel like I have no real responsibilities and can just spend time with her and do whatever we want. This break from work is beyond needed and there couldn't be a better place to spend it, or with a better person.

When I woke up this morning, Avery was still fast asleep on the side of the bed she slept on all those years ago. She was facing me, the blanket covering just above her mouth and being tucked under her nose - her hair falling over her face.

When I pushed it back so I could look at her, I was instantly brought back to the morning after she slept here for the first time - after we walked in on her dad. We obviously were only friends then so holding her and kissing her was not an option, but I remember pushing her hair back while she slept and admiring her. I couldn't believe she was with me then and I'm having a hard time comprehending it now. I still don't think I really deserve her but I'm selfish as hell so I'm not giving her back.

I just watched her sleep for close to a half hour, my fingers moving through her hair and against her scalp. I could see her eyes moving behind her closed lids so I knew that creative mind I love so much was hard at work - creating dreams that I could only hope were good to her.

I unfortunately had to eventually wake her up though, only because we had a tour at 11 and I knew she wanted to get coffee first. I gently started to press my lips to every part of her face - starting with her forehead and then going to her cheeks, nose, and lips until she woke up. The goal was to get a smile out of her as soon as possible and I achieved it, much to my pleasure.

Both corners of her mouth turned up as she let in a deep breath through her nose - her back hunching and her legs untangling from mine as she let out a huge stretch. Her eyes were still closed as she cutely yawned big, just like she does every single time she wakes up - not matter if it's from a deep sleep or a little cat nap. She then scooted herself over and kept her arms held to her chest as she pressed herself against me, silently telling me that she wanted a hug. That's when I wrapped my arms around her body and held her as tightly to me as I could, pressing exaggerated kisses to the top of her head.

We got up and got ourselves together then, both in good moods and with smiles on our faces. She looks so fucking good today, too. She's wearing these jeans that have one leg in black denim and the other in blue, a black turtleneck tucked in that hugs her body really fucking nicely. She's also go this long brown jacket on and her natural hair is just tied up in a ponytail - a nice layer of makeup covering her face. I really can't keep my eyes off of her.

Now we're standing in the main office of our third apartment complex, waiting for the landlord to take us to the one we're looking at. I'm standing behind her, my arms folded against her chest as she leans back into me, holding onto my forearms. The first couple places were nice, but neither had the amount of security that I want. We were able to go in without anyone asking why we were there or who we were. It would be really easy for Hughes to get in.

This place is even nicer, though. And the security is just what I'm looking for. It's a bunch of separated buildings that have two or three stacked apartments each and it's gated. Avery made a comment about how she couldn't believe we were looking at a gated community but I chose this one on purpose. The security made us sit there until he got confirmation that we were supposed to be here and that is exactly what I want.