Rubble: Devil's Rose #12

Chapter 14: Nicholas Frasier

At seven-thirty in the morning, after we have only been up for maybe ten minutes, Alice rolls out of her bed, body on full display for me. She reaches her hands above her head, stretching, and I just watch her comfortably from the bed.

I clench my hands around her still-warm bedsheets where she was laying as I watch her walk into her bathroom. And while I know that she has to get ready for work, and she has to leave her apartment in an hour, I don't want her to. I want her to stay in bed, locked away with me forever.

The shower runs for around fifteen minutes, and it's only when she comes out of the shower wrapped in a white towel and a wave of fog behind her that I finally get out of bed to start making her breakfast.

I pull on a pair of gray sweatpants, knowing exactly what I'm doing, and head into her kitchen. I hear Alice's footsteps behind me as she grabs a fresh cup of coffee from behind me and feels the light of the early morning flood through her windows as she approaches the curtains.

Her arms wrap around my bare waist, her face pressed against my back. I flip the pancakes I've made in the pan, letting one of my hands rest on hers with the other still having a grip on the spatula.

Moments like this, fuck, they can't be replaced by anything. I don't want to be anywhere else but right here, with her. I feel like my priorities have become different.

That's not to say that I didn't care about her before because I did. She's always been a priority in my life, but I wouldn't say that she's always been my number one priority.

But this relationship, this feeling that I have with her, is more sacred than anything else.

It wasn't that way before now.

She steps away from me, unfortunately, so that I can plate the stack of pancakes that I've made. She grabs butter and maple syrup from the fridge also getting out some already washed strawberries for us too.

We sit down at her table together, cups of coffee full as well as our plates, and stare at the sun rising above Grove Heights and Westmoor. We talk about our plans for today, what we are going to do with our time after work (which we both quickly know the answer to with just a glance), and when/where we're going to meet up.

Because Alice also has work tomorrow, and I have more flexibility with my schedule, it's easier to be at her place than mine. And while that's sort of disappointing because I would fucking die seeing her in my bed, I understand and respect where she's coming from.

Being present and on time for her job is so much more important than her being in my bed which will happen at some point.

I also know that every moment I get the spend with her, no matter where we are, is precious. It doesn't really matter if it's her place or mine.

After eating breakfast, it's pretty much time for her to leave for work. I'm about to run and grab my things, so I can follow her out when I feel her gentle hand on my arm.

I turn around from placing our dishes in the sink to see her holding a key in the palm of her hand.

"Are you sure?" I question, not even reaching for it yet.

It's not that I don't want it. I certainly do. But this is also a huge step for Alice. She's trusting me with the key to her safe place. To the one place that's always been somewhere she can go to take a break from the outside and real world.

I would never disrespect that, and she knows this, but I also don't want her jumping the gun because she feels like she has to.

"I'm sure," she replies definitively without giving any extra information.

When she's ready to share, she will.

"I'll give it back if you ever ask me."

"I know. That's why I'm giving it to you, Nick."

I lean down, not caring about the pink gloss on her lips, and kiss her gently.

"Thank you for trusting me with this, sunshine."

She presses another kiss to my lips and leaves me dazed in her kitchen.

I do our dishes, vacuum, and make her bed before getting changed into a new set of clothes that I can wear to headquarters. I text Tank that I'm on my way to headquarters but instead, he says to meet him at the warehouse which is about five minutes from headquarters.

The warehouse is where we keep most of the weapons we've confiscated, cars, old files from generations back, and shit like that. It's nothing we need on a daily basis, but it's always there in case we do need it.

The security in and on the place is tight, with security cameras and shifts of prospects there at all times. So, it's rare that anyone besides Tank or Alpha from the official members actually goes over there.

I'm not sure why I'm needed, but I'm curious, and it's a direct order.

Tank stands outside the building, with Whiskey next to him, and I can tell that today is going to be intense. I already know that it's going to be another inventory check which I seriously don't want to do. Usually, I don't mind it.

The organization and document shit is calming for the most part, but it's the fact that not only I have done inventory checks but we all have for the past two weeks straight. Nothing's even happened.

Alpha's just being so incredibly careful; something to both love and hate him for.

"I know we're doing inventory," I speak to both of them before they can even say anything.

"It's fucking awful," Whiskey adds with a roll of his eyes.

But with a death stare from Tank, we head inside slightly scared for our lives and get started. Whiskey and I give Tank some space, moving toward the opposite end of the building.

He's probably not going to be here for long anyway, something Whiskey and I couldn't give a shit about, so we decide to do our own thing.

"So, Scout's sister, what's that all about?" Whiskey asks me bluntly.

"I'm surrounded by gossip queens," I mumble, looking through another stake of papers.

"You tossed her over your shoulder in front of all of us. Of course, we're going to fucking gossip."

"Okay, yeah, you're right," I reply after a brief pause.

"More information about it would be great," he teases, sending me a knowing grin.

"Nothing's official. We aren't even dating really."

Which is sad to say out loud honestly.

"Just having some adult fun together, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, that's it. I wanna respect her, so I won't go too much into it and why, but it's been nice. I like spending time with her."

"And you two have always seemed close," he acknowledges, "like at the bar, we've all seen the both of you interact."

"It just comes easy to the both of us. I'm about to talk to her about stuff that's bothering me, and she can do the same."

The most simple way I could explain the fucking way I feel for her.

"You're happy with the relationship as it is right now?"

He asks the best fucking questions.

"I want more than what we're doing now because I am sort of obsessed with her, but I don't think she's even thinking about that. She has a certain reason for wanting to have adult fun with me in particular, and it has very little to do with romance."

And it's so incredibly awful. Because I would do anything for her. As long as she's safe and happy and cared for, I don't think I care much about anything other than that.

"Show her that there can be more. Do it subtly of course, but there might be a chance for more. If you think that's something she's stopping her from rather than just not wanting it at all."

He has a good point. I could show her that I want more than the fucking mindblowing sex. The sex is great, I never want to stop that, but we could have sex as a couple too.

A lot of it.