me to me | morgan fallen {on hold}

a bottle of bourbon

Kat blinked in nervousness, her fingers lingered over each piece of fabric she owned as she debated on her outfit. She didn't know why she was nervous; it wasn't the first time that she'd hung out with Morgan but she had never been this nervous. Tonight was different and she couldn't hope but wonder if he felt that too.

Pounding down a shot while putting on a casual outfit, she paced the apartment in anticipation. When the knock on her apartment door arrived, she forced herself to relax. She opened the door to reveal Morgan with his hands in his pockets and a mischievous grin with a twinkle in his eyes, "You look nice".

She rolled her eyes out of habit and blushed, "Thank you Morgan, you do too".

As they began to stroll to his truck, Kat felt butterflies swarming around her stomach. "Where are we going?" she asked as she smiled at the nice breeze that accompanied their departure.

As much as she knew it was a simple fling, she could feel her body melting and shaking at the anticipation of the night.

Morgan shot her a quick smile. "It's a surprise. Figured we should make it memorable, yeah?". He pulled out from the driveway looking straight ahead as Kat saw the excitement on his face make his mouth curl up.

He began to drive through a familiar part of town but startled Kat as they departed into a quieter part. It was a place she was unfamiliar with, gazing out the windows the familiar streets became unknown streets that led to look over an overlook.

"Wow," Kat said as Morgan parked his truck. Taking in the sight in front of her and not removing her gaze, she got out of the car, "I didn't even know this place existed".

Morgan watched her as he walked behind her with a picnic mat, a bottle of bourbon and a blanket in hand. Kat felt her pulse steadying, settling into the quiet thrill of just being there with him, no expectations and no demands.

"You know," he began, his voice softened more than she'd heard before, "I don't think I ever asked what you wanted out of this. Us.".

She looked down as she sat on the blanket, his question threw her off guard and made her feel vulnerable in an unusual way. "I- I don't know," she said honestly. "I've spent so much time doing what I thought I should do, like with Max... being who I thought I should be.... that sometimes I forget to ask myself what I really want".

He nodded as he took a seat next to her and took a swig out the bottle. "I think that's why I like this," he said as he stared into the distance. Kat was shocked by his response as she turned to him to give him her full attention.

"There's no pressure to be anything but ourselves" he continued.

She smiled, feeling better about the situation she was currently in. Sitting together, she felt a wave of peace wash over her body. The view in front of them was the small town lights glittering along the horizon.

Morgan handed her the bottle with a slight grin, breaking the silence. "Your turn. Unless you're trying to pace yourself".

Kat laughed at the remark, "Oh please you're holding me back". Taking a swig out of the bottle she felt the knot in her stomach dissipate.

For a while, the two went back and forth of taking sips out of the bottle as the breeze replaced the silence. It wasn't until Morgan scooted closer and draped the blanket over their shoulders that Kat realized how cold the weather had become.

"You cold?" he whispered.

"A little but the bourbon will keep me warm enough" she admitted, but she wasn't sure if it was the breeze or him being this close to her giving her goosebumps.

Morgans's arm draped around her shoulder comfortably as he spoke, "I wasn't sure if you would come tonight" his words reflecting some playfulness. "Thought I scared you off".

Kat raised an eyebrow, leaning back to look at him, "Scare me off?".

He shrugged looking at the view, "I don't know. You seem like a.... careful person. Like you don't let people get to know you easily. And here I am dragging you to a random outlook to drink bourbon".

Kat let his words sink in as she fiddled with the fringe on the edge of the blanket, "Maybe you're right. I'm careful... but to keep things simple, you know? No messy relations with anyone".

Morgan turned to her with an unidentifiable expression on his face, "And do you think this — we — are simple?".

Her breath hitched at the unexpected question. All she could hear was the rustling trees as she stared into his eyes. The playfulness was replaced with seriousness as she replied, "No but it isn't a bad thing".

His lips curled into a soft smile. "Good because I don't think I want to keep this simple".

The weight of his words hung between them. And for the first time, she didn't feel like she needed to fill in the silence. Instead, she leaned into him as their connection filled the silence of the night.

And for the first time in a while, Kat felt like she didn't need to worry about hurting others or the consequences of her actions. Being with him at the overlook was enough for her.