After Midnight

Chapter 38- Star

I wake to the sound of rain hitting against the window. I grab my phone and look at the time: two p.m. I rub my face and go to my room. I quietly open the door and see Gage still asleep, wearing nothing but his boxers. I walk into my bathroom, quickly brush my teeth, and walk back out. I close the door slowly and head to the kitchen.

Laura slowly wakes, and I ask if she wants coffee. She nods, and I start to brew some. As the aroma of coffee fills the room, I grab a piece of toast and sit down at the table. I check my phone for any new messages while waiting for Laura to join me. After a few minutes, Laura walks into the kitchen and takes a seat across from me. We exchange good morning greetings and begin to discuss our plans for the day over breakfast.

"Now, time to get those boys up." She smiles as I run to the living room and turn the music on, filling the house with loud beats. We stand and wait for the boys to wake; they both open the bedroom doors and poke their heads out.

"What time is it?" Ace questions as he scratches his head.

"Ahh, my head." Gage complains. His hands cover his face as he stumbles to the living room in nothing but his boxers and crashes on the couch, taking my blanket and wrapping himself in it. "It's too early." He grunts.

I turn down the music, and Laura and I begin to laugh. "That's what you get for drinking so much. Do you guys know how stupid you sounded last night?" I ask them.

"Leave me alone," Gage says as he covers his head. I shake my head and walk to the kitchen to make some food for the idiots.

I take out the frying pan and begin preparing eggs and bacon for the inebriated demons in the next room. The smell of food makes them both jump off the couch as I pour two mugs of coffee. Laura and I each grab a plate and mug and walk over to them. I hand Gage his food and place his coffee down on the coffee table.

"Thank you," he says as he scarfs down his food. They both eat like they haven't eaten in days, and Laura and I exchange amused glances at their appetites. I tell Gage I'm going to take a shower, and then he can freshen up. I have clothes of his from his last stay here. He nods as he continues eating.

I walk to my room and close the door. I head to the bathroom and let the hot water steam up the room before entering. The water rolls off my body, and I can hear the sound of the rain tapping against the window. The warmth of the water soothes my tired muscles, and I let out a contented sigh.

Strong arms wrap around my torso, and I feel a soft kiss on my neck. "Mind if I join you?" Gage whispers, and I turn around to see a smile on his face. Together, we stand under the hot water, enjoying each other's company and the peaceful sound of the rain outside.

We step out and dry ourselves off before getting dressed. I grab his sweatpants and t-shirt from my drawer and pass them to him along with his clean boxers. "They're cleaned; I washed all the clothes you left behind."

He kisses me and says, "Thanks, baby."

I grab a tank top and shorts for myself and head to the bathroom. As I brush my hair, I can't help but feel grateful for this moment of domestic bliss with the person I love. I walk out as he walks in to do the same. I remove my sheets from my bed and throw on clean ones. He walks out and asks what I'm doing.

"Switching the sheets, you sweat when you sleep, and my bed smells like alcohol." I tell him.

"I'm sorry." He says. "By the way, why did I wake up here?" I turn to face him.

"Laura and I brought you both here to keep an eye on you guys. I've seen you drink, but never this much. I guess I was worried."

"Worried about what?" I take a seat on my bed and rub my face. He sits next to me. "You were worried that I might go back to who I was before you and wake up with a random girl in my bed."

I nod and look at him. "I may have been drunk, but I remember what I said to you. And what I said, I meant." He cups my face and says, "It doesn't have to be tomorrow; hell, it can be ten years from now. But I am going to marry you." He smiles, and my heart melts.

"I love you," I say.

"I love you, too." His lips press against mine. Our bodies entwine, and I feel like I'm floating on a cloud. In his embrace, everything else fades away, and all that matters is us.

"Let's go!" Laura shouts as we pull away.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"Groceries. We need them." I grab my purse and keys, slipping on my hoodie and sneakers. "Do you need anything?" He shakes his head, no. "Okay, well, you can stay here and wait or go home. I shouldn't be too long."

He tells me he will stay as he grabs the remote for my TV and lays back in my bed. I head out, and I see Ace walking out behind Laura. I grab his shoulders. "Dude, you owe me two hundred dollars for filling up your fridge." I smile.

"Shit, I forgot. Gage mentioned it to me. Give me one second to run and grab my wallet." I nod as I head to my Jeep. He runs up to my window and hands me the cash. "Thank you." I put it in my purse as he hands Laura some money to grab some things for him.

☾

I pull out of the driveway and drive. The rain is pouring down heavily, making it difficult to see the road ahead. I turn on the headlights and focus on driving safely to our destination. As we approach the grocery store, I notice the parking lot is almost empty due to the bad weather. I park the car, and we quickly run inside to avoid getting soaked.

Once inside, we take a deep breath and feel relieved to be out of the rain. We grab a cart and start our grocery shopping, hoping the rain will stop by the time we finish.

As we walk through the aisles, I remember the list of items we need to get. I start to check off the items on my phone as we add them to the cart. Laura grabs a few extra things that catch her eye, but we stick to our budget. As we approach the checkout line, I realise that we forgot one crucial item. I quickly ask Laura to wait in line while I run back to grab it. The rain has stopped, but the air is still damp and chilly. I hurry to grab the item and make my way back to the checkout line.