bed chem | drew starkey

CHAPTER 11

EALRY - MID NOVEMBER 2023

aurora woke up to the soft glow of morning sunlight streaming through her apartment window. her head felt heavy, a dull throb reminding her of the previous night. she shifted slightly, something firm and warm beneath her, and froze.

blinking her eyes open, she realized she wasn't on her couch. instead, her entire body was sprawled over drew's, her legs tangled with his as his arm was draped securely around her waist. her heart skipped a beat.

what... how? she thought, her mind scrambling to fill in the blanks of the night before.

before she could piece anything together, drew's voice broke through her haze, low and amused.

"it's rude to stare, you know," he said, his blue eyes fluttering open to meet hers.

aurora gasped softly, her cheeks flushing. "i wasn't staring," she said defensively. "i was... thinking about what happened last night."

drew smirked, the corners of his mouth tugging upward as he shifted slightly, propping himself up on an elbow. "you got drunk," he said simply. "and i made sure you didn't break your neck getting to bed."

he sat them both up, his movements fluid and careful, but the new position had aurora unintentionally shifting onto his lap. she blinked, now fully perched there, but neither of them made a move to adjust.

"uh... how did we end up here?" she asked, glancing around her apartment in confusion. "i thought i passed out on the couch."

"you did," drew replied, his hand still resting lightly on her waist. "but you kept mumbling about being cold, so i got the blanket, and then somehow... this happened."

aurora's brows furrowed as she tried to remember, but nothing came to her. "great. now i'm that person who drunkenly starfishes all over their friend."

drew chuckled, his gaze flicking to her face. "didn't mind. wasn't exactly uncomfortable."

she looked at him then, realizing just how close they were. her hands rested lightly on his chest, and his steady breathing was the only sound in the room.

"you're really good at this whole taking-care-of-people thing," she said softly, her voice still scratchy from sleep.

his smile softened, and for a moment, the air between them shifted. "you make it easy," he said, his tone light but his gaze lingering.

aurora laughed nervously, brushing his hair out of his face. "you're too good to me."

drew raised an eyebrow. "don't let it go to your head, rory."

she rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her face. despite the awkward position, despite her blurry memories of the night before, she felt oddly... at peace.

drew, on the other hand, was acutely aware of her weight in his lap. sure, their characters on outer banks had plenty of moments like this—sitting close, leaning into each other—but this was different. there were no cameras, no scripts. it was just them.

he tried to push the thought aside, instead lightly patting her back. "come on, let's get you some coffee. you look like you need it."

"gee, thanks," aurora muttered, sliding off his lap and standing on shaky legs.

drew followed her, grabbing her arm to steady her when she stumbled slightly. "easy, floor-shifter," he teased, earning a glare that quickly melted into a laugh.

as they made their way to the kitchen, the unspoken tension between them lingered, quiet and comfortable, like it always had. but for the first time, it felt like maybe, just maybe, things between them were beginning to shift.