Royal Ever After

chapter eight

I wake up to the sound of a door creaking open. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I notice Sander getting ready to leave my dorm. That's when it hits me. Yesterday was real.

"Wait. Don't go. Please," I reach my arms out to him in protest. I sit up briskly, my head whirling out of exhaustion. "I'm sorry about last night. I'm really, really sorry."

"It's okay," he says, doing a 180-degree turn to sit back down with me. A part of me feels ashamed that I put him into a situation like that, but the other part feels extremely grateful that he's here with me now. By the faint light that envelops us, I can tell it's still early in the morning.

"I- I want you to hold me," I mutter.

"Like this?" he wraps his gentle hands around my torso, rocking me back and forth like a baby. My heartbeat catches up to his, and I close my eyes for a second, silently inhaling and exhaling. A smile slides across his face, his stunning hazel eyes peering back at me. I press my chest against his, and our fingers intertwine. I'm lost in his embrace, enraptured by the warmth it gives me. The pieces of my heart that have been struggling to fit into this world feel like they had found peace at last. Slowly, he lets go and rests his hands on my shoulders. We maintain our physical contact, my head leaning against his.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, rubbing the side of my back.

"A lot better," I admit. "Especially because you're here."

"Do you want me to stay until you fall asleep?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice." He unravels himself from me to allow the both of us to rest comfortably on the bed. All I can think about is his presence, his breath stirring against my skin.

"Do you remember what you said to me last night?" he whispers. My muscles tense as the faint memory of the rugby field wanders back into my mind.

"Yes, I remember," I laugh, slightly embarrassed at my forwardness when I was drunk. A brief pause lingers in between us before he smiles.

"I like you too." There is a firework in his gaze, something that sparks desire. Something that tells me he's been waiting, longing for the day to say those three magical words. He hesitates for an agonizing second before tilting his head down and closing the gap between us. The tender skin of his lips presses against mine, and before I can register it, we're kissing. There is a hard desperation behind the kiss. Urgent, yet passionate. This is what we both needed.

Our lips fit so perfectly together it's almost as if we were made for each other, like our sole purpose in this world was to find each other. And having him here, next to me right now, is enough. This is the only thing that matters. This moment. It's everything. His kisses trail down my neck while I spoon him. My eyelids fluctuate before closing, and I fall asleep nuzzled in his arms.

"Good morning, sleepy head," I wake up to Sander's soft voice. His fingers sweep through my tangled hair before he plants a kiss on my forehead. It's still hard for me to believe that this is real life. It almost seems too good to be true.

"Hey," I respond. "How are you?"

"Good, although you have terrible morning breath," he chuckles, pulling away from me.

"Oh, really? Is that so?" I lean in closer to him and breathe heavily. Sander tries to turn around, using his hands as a barrier, but that only prompts me to tease him further.

"Stop it, ew," he complains, nudging me playfully. When he looks to the side, I take this opportunity to pin him down, lightly blowing air into his face.

"You like this?" I grimace, diving in for a kiss. He doesn't reply and instead pulls me into him, deepening our connection. My lips brush his, delicately, like butterfly wings, just long enough to feel the ardency of his skin. Heat rises from my cheeks as our tongues collide, electric and delicious, exploring our longing.