Loving Kinnick (Rewritten)

Do You Want To Kiss Me?

For not being able to sit still for two seconds and trying to bet Miles the lint from her pocket that she would be up all night, she is now asleep in my arms. She buried her face into my neck, and I could not only hear his snoring but feel them against my neck as her small breaths inhaled and exhaled. Flyaway curls tickled my nose, and I wouldn't dare push them away if that meant I would wake her up.

After accidentally nailing Miles in the face with a ping-pong ball, I watched him chase her around the yard with revenge in his mind. Her laughter filled Trevor's backyard as she begged for my help. I realized that Bo is quicker than I thought and more of a troublemaker than she showed. It made me sit at the edge of my seat, hanging on to every move she made. I watched with disbelief and amusement. She is truly a sight worth seeing.

Watching her got me out of my head for a few hours. It made me realize there were more important things to pay attention to than the problems I faced in my life. I realized there is more color in this world, and it could only be seen if you look for it. I was never looking for it, but Bo found me, and ever since then, I have seen things more differently.

When I twisted the doorknob of Bo's front door, I frowned at the lack of security she had. It wasn't locked. How often did she go to bed without locking her door? How would she keep herself safe if someone were to break in? I would have to take her home every day now to make sure she was safe before she laid her head to rest, and if I find out it is Seth not locking the door before he leaves to go to work, I'll snap his fingers in half. That will give him a genuine excuse for why he leaves his daughter without taking any safety precautions.

I have only seen her house through the sheer white curtains drawn over the windows. Now that I was inside, I noticed there wasn't much to see. My family home wasn't full of love, but I know most parents have pictures of their kids on the wall; mine did not, but they didn't love me, so it was understandable. I assumed Seth loved Bo, but where are her pictures then? And how could not want photos of this curly-haired girl on the wall for all to see? She deserved to be pinned to the wall because she was a fucking masterpiece.

The original woodwork was covered in a thick layer of dust. The couches looked fluffy, as if someone had never touched them. Their house looked like a showcase, something like a showroom Seth would invite all of his prissy friends to see.

My shoes colliding with the steps echoed through the stairwell. I tried planting my feet softer with every step I climbed to avoid disturbing the girl in my arms. I softly kicked open every door on the second level until I found her room. My breath hitched when it creaked.

She had a massive bookshelf that stretched across the wall of her room. It was filled to the brim with books of all colors and sizes. My curiosity grew at the number of books stacked next to her bed, marked with different color post-it notes. Were they her favorite? Did she keep these close by because they were her escape or because they reminded her of her mom?

After laying her gently on the mattress tucked into the corner of her room, I walked toward her bookshelf with wonder. My fingertips ran along the spines of every novel, questioning if she read all of them. I pulled a few off the shelf, recognizing the small tally marks inside the front cover. It had five, but the next one I pulled off had six. As I picked up one of the books next to her bed, I noticed the inside cover was full.

"That is my favorite book," her small voice startled me. "Well, one of many."

"How many would that be?"

She giggled, wiping her eyes. "A lot."

The corner of my lips tugged upward. I stared at her with adoration as she sat upward with a lazy smile on her face. When her caramel eyes opened to look at me, I felt my breath hitch. Never have I ever been stared at by someone who made my life feel like it was falling into place.

"I need to brush my teeth," she swallowed harshly. "I can taste that my breath is nasty."

"You can barely stand," I furrowed my eyebrows. "I don't want you to hurt yourself -"

"Can you help me?"

"Help you brush your teeth?"

Her head softly moved up and down as she pushed curls out of her face. "I guess so."

"Of course," I nodded without second-guessing. "Let me help you up."

Her feet kicked over the side of the bed as she attempted to stumble toward me. I caught her upper arm as I steadied her frame. The way she nearly fell made me wonder if I should leave at all. She tried assuring me everything would be okay earlier if I dropped her off, but the way she swayed back and forth made me think otherwise.

She wrapped her fingers around a single one of mine, making me admire the size difference. "You have tiny hands."

"Or yours are just big."

She led me into her bathroom, where she pulled a toothbrush from behind the cabinet door. As she struggled to see herself in the mirror, I cupped the underside of her armpits to lift onto the white countertops. Her fingers fisted my shirt for stability.

"I've got you," I promised as she looked at me with wide eyes.

She revealed a toothbrush with familiar faces. "What is this?"

"My One Direction toothbrush," she stared at me with questioning. "Why? It sings."

My eyes rolled as chuckles left my lips. After spreading toothpaste onto the bristles, I looked up to see her smiling widely at me. Her toothy grin made butterflies erupt in my stomach. A few weeks ago, I told John how I didn't want to train her, and here I am, brushing her teeth.

Her eyes stayed on me the whole time as I gripped her chin. I circled her pearly-white teeth with soft movements. Bo was fucking infatuating. For years I struggled to wake up in the morning, now I have something to look forward to when my eyes open.

"You would be a good dad."

I choked, "what?"

"You'd be a good dad," she spits out the toothpaste. "Do you want to be a dad?"

"I never thought about it."

"Do you want to kiss me?"

My eyes fell to her lips, wondering what they felt like and if they were as soft as they looked. Were they as soft as they were beautiful when she smiled? I have dreamt of kissing her since I saw her for the first time.

"All the time."

She cocked her head to the side as she stared up at me. "Why don't you?"

"Say the words and I will."

"If you remind me, I'll ask," another yawn came through. "Will you carry me to bed?"

I cradled her body, swopping her off the counter as a fit of giggles fell from her lips. She kept her arms wrapped tightly around my neck as I laid her down on the mattress. As she stared up at me, I pulled the plain white covers to her chin.

"Can you sit me with me until I fall asleep?"

I kicked my shoes off next to her bed before slipping underneath the covers. "If that is what you want."

She pointed toward the TV. "Have you seen this movie?"

"No," I shook my head as I stared at the green monster breaking stuff on the screen.

"I love the Avengers," she said as she laid her head against my shoulder. "When are you coming over again?"

"You want me to come over to your house again?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I, silly?"

"I'll come whenever you ask me to."

"Will you hand me my medicine?"

"Medicine? For what?"

"I have trouble falling asleep," she murmured. "I can't shut off my brain. My overthinking starts overthinking."

"Where are they?"

She wiped her eyes. "I don't know - you are working a little better than anything I have taken before."

"What?"

Her eyes drooped down. "I think you are my remedy, Kinnick Carson."