Leave It To Me

Chapter Seven// Finding Flats & Swinging Bats

I woke up feeling warmer than usual. I felt around for blankets but instead... I found skin. I raced my fingertips up and down his arm that looped around my waist

8:56 was on the clock. I looked at his closed eyelids and long eyelashes. His snores were lighter than feathers, so quiet I had to stay completely still to hear them.

His breathing picked up as his eyes fluttered to life. "Why are you always staring at me?" He asked cockily, shutting his eyes. I rested my head on the pillow and shivered at the sudden chill.

"I don't know..." He kissed my forehead and laid his hand across my stomach. "Why do you always kiss my forehead?" He opened his eyes and looked at me, he shrugged. "I don't know..." He mocked.

I blew him a raspberry and laughed. He squinted his eyes shut and covered his face. "You're so weird." He said as he crawled over me. He sat on his legs and reached for me. I leaned into him and he began to tickle my sides.

"Reece! Stop!!!! Please please!!! I can't breathe!" I laughed and screamed. "Shhh! People are asleep." He chuckled. I rolled over to to my stomach and sighed.

He got off the bed and went to the fridge. It was stocked. "Why do you have so much food?" He frowned, "So I can eat... Models do that too." I pursed my lips and sucked my teeth. "But it's a hotel! Temporary." "Yeah, but I'm here for the summer."

He took a water and offered me one but I turned it down for orange juice. We sat on the couch. "Don't you miss your family?" I asked him. He shrugged, "No more than they miss me." "What does that mean?"

"Nothing. I'm 20, I can live on my own. I don't need them anymore." We sat in silence for a few seconds before he stood up. "I'm gonna go take a shower." He said getting defensive. I turned the tv on when he got in the shower, but it didn't hold my attention.

I walked past the bathroom and noticed it was cracked open. I smiled to myself as I thought of a plan. I slyly slid into the bathroom and sat on the toilet. The water blocked out my breathing.

It was hot, "THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE!!!!" I sang terribly off key and out of pitch. Three different thuds were heard and Reece poked his head out of the shower. "Did I scare you?" I asked, doubled over in tears. He mugged me and rolled his eyes,

There was a knock on the door. "Are you expecting someone?" I yelled over the water. "No, it's probably housekeeping or something." "Ok, I'll get it then." I said closing the door behind me.

I looked through the peep hole but nobody was there, just a pile of towels on a cart. I opened the door and screamed when at least 7 reporters jumped in front of me flashing cameras. "It's true!" "Did you spend the night here?" "Where's Reece?" "Are you guys a thing?" "How long have you been together?" "Is that Reece's shirt?" They all yelled over each other.

I slammed the door and locked it. But that didn't keep them from screaming questions and accusations through the door. Reece came out of the bathroom in sweatpants but no shirt. Towel in hand, he dried his hair. "Who was that? Why'd you scream? Are you ok?"

I took my eyes off of his glistening chest and up to his eyes. There was so much worry. "I'm fine... It was just some reporters." He gave me a reassuring smile and nodded. "What'd they say?" I shook my head and shrugged. "They just asked a lot of questions about whether we were dating."

He never looked away from me, but I had focused my eyes on the carpet. "And you said?" He probed. "Nothing, I just slammed the door. They're still out there." I ran my hands through my hair, separating the dreads as my fingers went from root to ends.

"I should get going. I told my mom we could finally go apartment shopping." He brought his eyebrows together. "You said you didn't have anything planned for today." "I know... But I've been putting it off and it needs to get done." He sighed. "Just stay on campus. I did it. It was fun the first year."