And Then There Was You (Chris Evans AU)

December: Christmas Break Part 3

Chris POV

I unlock Daphne's door as quietly as I can on the off chance she's fallen asleep during the short time I was gone. I've got Dodger on his leash so he doesn't try to jump on her.
"Chris?"
"Yeah, babe, it's me." I unhook Dodger's lead and let him go. "Dinner should be here in about twenty minutes," I tell her as I come around the corner. She's still laying on the couch but Dodger has joined her. "Do you want to put on pajamas? They've got to be more comfortable than jeans." She nods her head and sits up. "How's the pain?"
She holds out her hands for me to help her stand. "Manageable. Kind of just a lingering ache. Walk with me?" She asks tenderly. I put her in front of me, holding onto her hips I walk behind her down the hall to her room. I stay with her until she has her pajamas laying on the bed. I make her sit down before I leave the room.
I close the door but stand just outside of it. Leaning against the wall I ask, "When was the last time you had pain like that?"
Daphne doesn't answer right away. I can imagine her face as she is trying to calculate. She's trying to decide whether to 'forget' how long ago or to tell me the truth. "Around two weeks ago maybe."
I think back to our times together two weeks ago. "Were you doing anything strenuous beforehand? Either times I mean?"
"I don't think so. Well, I did pick up Sarah that day. Maybe I pulled something?" She tells me I can open the door now. I open it to find her walking towards me on her own.
I pull her towards me and hold her against my chest, resting my chin on top of her head. "What about today though?"
"The principal had us play some crazy games, I probably just tweaked something turning a strange way."
I don't tell her that I don't believe her. That I don't believe either situation can cause the pain in the area that she's described. Instead I lead her back towards the living room in the same manner we walked to her room.
"You get to choose the first movie. I'm good with absolutely anything," I tell her as I pass her the remote. Just then the doorbell rings. 
  I take the delivery into the kitchen to plate it before going back into the living room. Placing the food on the coffee table I sit on the floor with my back to the couch. Daphne slides off of the couch coming down next to me. "Smells delicious," she says as she rests her head on my shoulder. "Do you think you can eat?" I ask. She turns her head slightly to look up at me. "I'm sure gonna try," she smirks.
  Daphne presses play on the remote and we say grace before eating. I look at the tv to see she's chosen The Wedding Singer. "Are you an Adam Sandler fan?" I ask. "When it comes to this movie, yes," she answers taking a bite of her dinner.
  We sit there enjoying the food and the movie. I keep casting glances at her out of the corner of my eye. After a good forty five minutes she sighs. "I'm fine. You don't have to keep looking at me like that."
  I take her hand in mine. "Just worried, babe. That's all."  She tells me to stop. Standing up she starts picking up the plates. "No ma'am. Give me those. Get comfortable on the couch. I'm gonna clean up and we can continue the movie marathon." Reluctantly she hands me the dishes and sits back on the couch.

  I rinse off the dishes and load the dishwasher. It's close to 9 pm now so I tell Daphne I'm gonna take Dodger out for a few minutes. I've debated texting her mom and dad all night. Either to let them know what happened or find out if it has happened before. I pull my phone out again and stare at it. I glance back at the house where I can see Daphne get up to grab a blanket. She'd probably get angry if I told her parents. I put the phone back in my pocket and call Dodger to come back in the house.
  I take my place on one end of the couch and hold my arm up for Daphne to find her place beside me. She snuggles up under my arm up against my side. "Your turn," she tells me handing me the remote. I didn't even notice the movie had ended. 
  "Horror it is," I say only to tease her. She groans and sinks further into my side. "Fine, but only because I ruined your plans," she tells me. 
  "I wouldn't do that to you love. And besides it wasn't ruined. The important thing is I'm with you," I say giving her arm a rub. I lean down to kiss the top of her head. She lets out a contented sigh.
  I randomly click play on whatever movie was listed next in the line up. My mind still preoccupied.
  "Where's Dodger?" Daphne asks. I look towards the kitchen where he's laid out on the cool tile. "Bubba, come here," she calls him. He trots over, hopping up onto the couch. He sits next to Daphne and lays his head on her lap.
  Daphne turns her attention to the movie while absentmindedly petting Dodger.
"I love this," I whisper quietly.

~~~

Daphne POV

I start to stir awake, realizing I'm not in my bed. I'm on the couch. I try to stretch my legs but then realize Dodger is laying at my feet. I roll carefully from my side to my back being mindful to move Chris's arm from my shoulder to rest on the couch. Looking up I see a sleeping Chris. He had pushed out the recliner in the sofa and laid back in it. I realize I'm not laying directly on his lap. He must've grabbed a pillow and put it under my head after I fell asleep.
I study his sleeping face. His pink, perfect lips parted slightly. Long eyelashes splayed across the tops of his cheeks. His hair ruffled as though he had ran his hands through it several times. He is the most beautiful man I've ever seen.
I'm still unsure how I've been blessed to have this man in my life, any aspect of my life. If after our first date he had only wanted to be friends I would've thought I had won the lottery. But he chose more. He has chosen to love me. That concept is still lost on me. Each day I pray to be more accepting of his love for me, to see myself the way he does: deserving, worthy.
I pull my legs up a little further and sit up quietly. Dodger lifts his head at my stirring. I gently rub his head as I stand. "Come on boy, let's go potty," I whisper. He hops off the couch, his collar jingling. I watch Chris to see if he wakes. Thankfully he doesn't.
While Dodger is taking care of business in the backyard I check the time. 9:30 am. I run to the restroom in a hurry so I can get Dodger back in before he scratches at the door. I put some of his leftover food down in a bowl before I open the door to let him in.
I set to cooking breakfast, trying to keep all of my noises as soft as possible. First I start browning sausage. I throw a can of biscuits in the oven and crack six eggs to prepare to scramble. As I'm adding milk and flour to the sausage I hear a deep groan from the living room as the recliner is closed back in place.
"Hey handsome," I say as I'm stirring the gravy. I feel his hands reach around my stomach, his head rests on my shoulder. "Good morning, gorgeous." He kisses my temple. I close my eyes, content in this moment.
"How are you feeling?" He asks as he continues to hold me against his chest. "Much better. Thank you for staying, you didn't have to. I'm sure you couldn't have slept well."
He lets go of me but leans against the counter closest to the stove. He rubs his eyes and lets out a loud yawn. "You were too peaceful when you fell asleep. I didn't want to risk waking you up so I took one of the couch pillows and placed it under your head before I reclined back."
I pour the eggs in the frying pan. "You must have a terrible crick in your neck. I'm sorry, you could've left."
"I slept better than on the cots at the station," he assures me. "Stop apologizing. I love you and needed to know you were okay. Okay?"
I roll my eyes at him. "Fine."
He looks at me funny. "You're not grouchy. Have you been up long enough for coffee?"
"Nope, no coffee yet. I must not be a grouch because of the company I kept last night," I say as I turn off the burners and move the pans.
He takes a step towards me, placing his hands on my cheeks and pulls me in to a passionate kiss. There's no care in the world of morning breath as he carefully traces my lip with his tongue. "I look forward to waking up next to you in the future," he whispers against my lips.
My breath catches as my stomach flips. He gives me one more peck, steps away and grabs plates from the cabinet, handing me one with a grin on his face. He knows exactly what those words did to me.
"So, what were we talking about? Coffee, right. I'll get right on it," I say flustered. I know he's looking at me with a smug smirk on his face, happy with his results.