Loved & Loyal | 1

ix

After I served the pancakes and they disappeared into our mouths, we headed back upstairs to Abby's room. Her parents may be gone for the day but we both agreed that her bed was a lot more comfortable than her couch in the living room.

We went up the set of stairs that is so much like my own, down the hallway, passing Abs' parents room and the family bathroom. We opened the door to her room and I was greeted by the familiar bright blue walls. We flopped onto her white-sheet-covered bed, lying on our backs side by side with our hands and shoulders touching. My skin was burning underneath the clothes I wore yesterday, right where we were touching. I was aware of my best friend like I wasn't before. Her smell was all around me, her body heat scorching my side in the best possible way, and the air was filled with familiarity and comfort.

"My ceiling is so fascinating, isn't it?" Abby deadpanned.

"Hey, I like your ceiling! It's always been the same, every sleepover we've had, for every minute I've spent here."

Abby thought about that for a minute, then I felt the bed shift as she rolled onto her side to face me. I turned to face her and found out just how close we were. Her nose was almost touching mine, and I could feel my legs scorching from her touch. My heart rate sped up as I looked into her mesmerizing eyes and couldn't fight the need to look down at her full lips.

I realized what I was looking at and quickly flicked my eyes back to hers, to find that she was looking at my lips.

-Abby's P.O.V-

My heart leapt into my throat when his eyes flicked to my lips and I couldn't stop mine from doing the same. I was entranced with his lips. His thin upper lip and his full lower one, matched with a very nice pink colouring.

I hadn't realized how long I'd been staring until Ben cleared his throat.

"Huh? What?" I shook myself out of my daze and looked back into his beautiful green eyes. My breath caught with the way he was looking back at me, with a mixture of lust and longing. It felt as if he was looking into my mind, trying to read my thoughts. I quickly closed my eyes, not liking that thought.

Ben laughed at me. It was a nice laugh. Soft, low, very much so like him. Very much so the laugh from the guy I fell in love with.

"Caught you," Bear said in his husky, low voice. I shivered as the sound moved through me. He smirked slightly at my reaction but said nothing.

I blushed heavily and buried my face in his chest, scooting lower on the bed. It was my turn to smirk now, as I felt his hardened anatomy rub lightly against my leg as I moved down. I chose to ignore it but my smile grew as I felt him gasp lightly at the sensation. I snuggled against him further, ignoring his buddy from down under, even though I was intrigued about the reason.

He wrapped his arms around my body, putting his arm under my head so I rested on his bicep. He curled his arm up around my head so I felt his arm flex and my mouth was watering. My best friend had an amazing body. He was also attractively fantastic at hockey. His other arm came around my waist and curled under my other side. I tangled our legs together and wrapped one arm over his smaller, muscled waist, and snuck the other one under his body, meeting my hands behind his back and hugging him closer to me.

"Cuddles with you are, undoubtedly, my favorite."

"Thanks, Bear. It's never uncomfortable," I said against his chest, my voice muffled.

"Never is with you, Abs." His voice got lower and more gravelly, and I shivered as the nickname he gave me rang through my body, touching my every nerve, leaving it tingling.

It felt like we stayed there for hours, dozing on and off, wrapped in each others body heat.

It was 11:54am when we got up, Ben lifting his head to look at the red numbers on my alarm clock.

"Oh, shit! I really gotta go, Abs."

"Why, Bear?"

"Since Mom let me stay over, I have to be home for lunch. 'Cause I'm still grounded and all." I winced.

"Sorry, Bear, I hope you don't get into trouble because of me." He nudged me to look him in the eyes and grabbed my chin, cradling my face in his hand while keeping the other wrapped around me.

"Hey, it's not your fault. You were distraught. I stayed to comfort you. Your my best friend. My other half. I would stay and take care of you even if I was on the world's most wanted list." My heart leapt into my throat at his confession but worry soon clouded my mind because he was right.

He was my best friend. My other half. And vice versa. Which is why I can't tell him my feelings. Our friendship means too much to me. I've spent my whole life with him and his family, and if I tell him I love him and he doesn't return the feelings, romantically, then it could make our relationship extremely awkward and I can't handle that with him.

I looked into his eyes, seeing the sincerity. I knew he meant it. We would do anything for each other. I kissed Ben on the cheek, lingering for a few extra seconds and heard him suck in a breath through his teeth.

"Thank you, Bear. You're the best guy I know." He smiled weakly at me and I gave him another quick peck on the cheek.

I got up off my bed and grabbed Ben's hands, pulling him up with me. We stood in the middle of my room and Ben sighed.

"I don't want to leave you. My house is boring." My heart fluttered again and I smiled through it.

"It'll be okay, Benjamin. I mean, you do have Rex to entertain you." I grinned widely at him and felt a piece of hair fall in front of my ear. I saw his hand rise out of the corner of my eye but he hesitated, and put it back down by his side. I frowned lightly because he always retucked my hair behind my ear.

We headed downstairs and I walked him to the door.

"'Bye, Bear. I'll window-talk to you later." I brought him in for a hug and I kissed him on the cheek. He squeezed me in the hug before letting me go and jogging across our lawns to his front door. I watched him open the door and before he walks inside he turns to me and smiles, waves, and then he's gone, and I go back inside to lay on the couch and watch cartoons like him and I did when we were little kids. 

-End of Abby's P.O.V-