Found her

Chapter 41 | Cherishing

L U C A S

Nobody wondered if I would crack under all this pressure.

'Fuck, no!' I yell at the phone. 'Can't you hear what I'm saying? The rumors need to be gone by tommorow. I don't care how! They. Need. To. Be. Gone.'

I hang up and chuck my phone onto my bed, it narrowly misses it and lands on the floor. I grumble, reaching for it again and placing it softly on my desk. I lay face down on my bed, head pounding, feet aching.

I hear the door open and close softly, the tapping of shoes against the hardware floor, and I feel a small body get next to me on the bed.

'Luke?' Lexi's timid voice asks, placing a small hand on my hair. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm okay, Lex.' I reply, my voice muffled by my pillows. 'Just tired.'

'Do you need anything?' She asks, lifting my head slightly so I can meet her eyes. She rests her hand on my cheek, smiling.

'No, Lex, I don't need anything. Thanks for asking though.' I smile back, watching the dimples on her cheeks make an appearance. 'I just need to go back to sleep.'

'You can sleep.' She tells me, pushing me down so that I'm laying on the bed.

'I can't.' I argue. 'I have so much work.'

'It's okay, work can wait.' She assures me, laying down beside me. 'I'll rest with you.'

I stare at her for a few minutes, watching her get comfortable under the covers.

I sigh. 'I guess work can wait.'

Lexi and I nap for almost an hour before we get up at noon, both sluggish and sleepy. My migraine was almost gone and I feel so much better.

I give Lex a kiss on the head. She giggles and squirms away, smiling brightly.

'You feel better?' She asks, concern etched on her face.

I nod. 'Thank you, Lex.'

***
I feel a pair of warm arms tighten around my waist. I stiffen before relaxing, relishing into her warm embrace. Her strawberry vanilla smell hits my nose.

'Hey, handsome.' She mumbles, her voice muffled by my shirt.

I turn around and hug her properly. Pressing my chin to the top of her head. 'Hey, princess. How was your exam?'

She stiffens, looking up at me. 'I got a few questions mixed up.' She mumbles, a sad expression on her face.

'Say-'

'But that's okay, right? Because I did good in other exams, and I know that a couple of questions wrong is okay.'

I smile, bringing her close. 'Right. It's okay, you'll be fine.'

She gives me another dazzling smile that makes me dizzy. I tuck a strand of brown hair behind her ear, watching her shiver when my hand grazes her earlobe.

'Can I touch you?'

Her eyes snap up to meet mine, and for a second I see the guilt in her eyes. 'I hate that you have to ask.'

'Sadie.'

'Don't you wish that sometimes I wasn't so messed up? That you could touch me without having to ask?'

'No.' I say, sternly. 'I was raised to respect boundaries. Consent isn't a joke. I will always ask.'

She looks down, shame etched on her face. I watch her hesitate. 'Don't...Don't you wish, sometimes, that I was someone different?'

My eyes widen, wondering who the hell put that idea in her head.

But I think I know.

Her darling father.

She grew up being compared to her older brother, being controlled and exploited. Words like 'disappointment' and 'mistake' were injected in her head at such a young age.

She deserves so much better.

'Never, princess. I never, and will never wish you were someone different, and I-'

Love you.

I love you.

'You're perfect, you're everything I ever wanted, everything I needed. ' I finish, grasping her small hand in mine, and pressing it to my lips.

She looks up at me, green eyes tearful. 'Thank you.' She whispers. 'You can.'

I raise my eyebrows.

'Touch me. You can touch me.'

I immediately grab her face and press my lips to hers, violently and dangerously. Her eyes widen, before relaxing and kissing me back, with just as much passion.

The desire is blinding. Hot and warm and perfect. I pick her up and lay her down on my bed, then pull away. I watch her whine when our lips seperate. I chuckle.

'Relax, close your eyes.' I whisper. She obeys and her green eyes disappear.

I place a finger on her lips, parting them, her plump lips soft and wet and swollen from the kiss. I then run my finger down her jaw, her chin, her collarbone, her neck. She shivers wherever I touch her.

'Okay?' I ask.

She nods. 'Very okay.' She whispers.

I run my fingers down her arms, her wrist, tracing her knuckles, interlocking our fingers together.

'What are you doing?'

'Admiring you. Cherishing you. Proving to you that you are perfect.' I say, my lips finding hers again. She gasps in surprise and I take that as a sign that she's enjoying this.

She raises her hand and grasps my hair, pulling at the strand. I gasp and she takes that distraction to flip us around. Ungracefully, might I add. She let's out a grunt.

'How do they do this so smoothly?' She grumbles, pulling herself up on her arms. 'My turn.'

She presses her hand to my chest, feeling my heartbeat. She pulls off my shirt and runs her fingers over my chest and stomach and abdomen. She runs her finger up and down my lower stomach and I bite the urge to moan.

'Sadie.' I groan, throwing my head back onto the pillows. 'God.'

She grins. 'Happy?'

'With you. Always.'

She presses our lips together again.

I've realized I have fallen insanely in love with this girl.

***
A/N:
Unedited.