Right Place, Wrong Time

58. Still Got Butterflies

The first time Lauren woke up the next morning, it wasn't even light yet. Joey's arm was wrapped around her, their legs tangled together, and being pressed against him without clothes on managed to be as comforting as it was new. She shifted a little to see his face better, but he tightened his hold on her in his sleep, and her heart felt raw at the seams in the best way possible. She gazed at him, his face pressed into her pillow, and thanked god it had never worked out with anyone else, because she'd never known happiness like this. Normally sleep would have evaded her, but when she closed her eyes again, Joey's heart beating a rhythm against her, it was easy to drift back off.

When she woke again, it was to the sensation of Joey's fingertip tracing her face. Her plan was to keep her eyes closed and enjoy it, but when he came close to her lips her subconscious took over and she kissed it. She opened her eyes to see him smiling at her, softer than she knew even he could.

"Hi," he whispered.

"Hi," she whispered back, and giggled.

His face broke into a smile, brighter than the light now streaming in through the blinds. "You're beautiful."

"Shut up," she mumbled, though she wanted him to keep talking forever.

His finger traced back up, over her cheek, over her scars.

"How did you get these?" he asked quietly.

"Chickenpox. When I was a baby."

Something in him seemed to relax. "So you didn't get hurt."

What did almost hurt was how fierce her love for him was. "No, baby."

"Well, they're beautiful," he breathed.

He leaned in to gently kiss them before moving to her lips. As she pressed into him, she felt him against her thigh. His teeth grazed her lip as he pulled away, a little flustered.

"So... last night," he said hesitantly. "I didn't really get to ask if it was okay for you, so..." he trailed off, cheeks red.

She pretended to think about it. "I did have a whole glass of wine last night."

She could almost hear his heart sink. "Oh."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Maybe you could give me a refresher," she murmured.

As her lips turned up in a smirk he grinned with relief.

"You were incredible. Seriously," she said, looking right into his eyes with her face just inches from his. "That was... the best night of my life."

"Really?" he said, eyes warm like melted chocolate and shining with tears again.

She nodded, trying not to cry herself.

"Mine too." He kissed her, the only lips she ever wanted to kiss again. "You're still an asshole," he said against her lips, as he nudged her thighs open with his knee.

"But you love me," she murmured, grinning.

"Yeah, I do. I really, really love you."

She wondered when that would stop giving her butterflies. Maybe never.

The refresher was worthwhile, because it felt even better than her memory, and what she really wanted was to stay right there with him all day until it was the only thing she could remember, but what she really needed was to shower.

"Nooo," he moaned when she tried to pull out of his arms.

She kissed him. "If we take too long, Julia's probably just going to come in here."