Waking up the next morning, I notice that my face is nuzzled into the side of Connor's neck. I take in a deep breath, a whiff of cologne touching my senses. I open my eyes and smile before tightening my arm that's across his stomach. He turns on his side, so now my face is in his chest. He wraps his arms around me, and I notice that he's lying down on my other arm, so we're hugging.
"You know, if you just wanted a hug, you could've asked," I say, startling him. He looks down at me and chuckles.
"How'd you know I was awake?" he asks.
"Heartbeat. It wasn't slow. Actually, it was pretty quick," I say with a smirk.
He leans in, his lips brushing my ear as he whispers. "Now you know."
I smile and kiss him softly, and when I pull away, he looks surprised. "What?" I ask.
"What about morning breath?" he asks.
"I push it aside. When you really love somebody, something as little as morning breath doesn't matter," I say, swinging my legs over the edge of bed while stretching. I freeze when I realize what I said.
"Um..." I trail off.
"Don't worry; I knew. I'm just not ready to say it yet," he says with a smile.
"To be honest, I'm not ready to say it yet. It just slipped. Sorry about that," I say, my cheeks burning. I grab some clothing and run into the bathroom, locking the door behind me.
I get a quick shower, somehow shaving my legs and armpits in under five minutes without missing a patch. Can you hear the crowd cheering? After getting my shower, I step out and dry myself off before getting dressed. I dry my hair with the towel and hang it up, and then I go downstairs for breakfast. Connor and I drive to Starbucks for our usual, and we decide to stay and chat.
"So, now that you know about Kristen and Riley, do you feel better?" he asks, handing me my drink while sitting down across from me.
"Thank you. I don't really know. I'm glad that she's not mad at me, but at the same time, I feel bad that they're going through a rough patch. I wish I could help, but I know nothing about relationships," I admit.
"Did you ever have a boyfriend?"
I shake my head. "No. I was too busy training and working. The whole group of teens that they have are like my family. It would be too weird to date one of them."
"I understand. So, was I your first kiss?" he asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Actually, yes," I say, making his smile grow. All of a sudden, the blood drains from his face as he looks at the door. I knit my brows together and turn around, only to gasp.
Ethan.
I get up and slowly walks towards him before running the rest of the way, leaping into his arms. I feel the tears streaming down my cheeks as he hugs me. I hold him tight, clinging onto his shirt.
"Ethan!" I sob, and I feel something warm and wet his my neck. I pull back and see him crying.
"I'm sorry. I was stuck in the rubble for so long," he says. I wipe the tears off of his cheeks.
"All that matters is that you're alive," I say, and I hug him again.
"Ethan?" somebody mumbles. We turn around to see Connor standing there. I step away from Ethan and join Connor's side, his arm going around my waist.
"Thanks for taking care of her," Ethan says, holding out out his hand for a shake. Connor returns the gesture.
"No problem. It's not that hard to take care of my girlfriend," he replies, kissing the side of my head. I blush at the sentence, and Ethan smiles at us.
"Wait, now you're all she's going to talk about. Ugh," he complains. I realize that everybody's staring at us. Ethan must've noticed it, too, because he sits down the booth that we were in before. Connor and I slide in on the other side, and we talk for hours.
* * *
"Will you be my date to this?" Connor asks.
"I was thinking of going with Tank. He has the body for a tuxedo," I joke.
"Who would've known that I would ask a terrible comedian to be my girlfriend?" he asks with the biggest smile. I playfully shove him before trying to get up, but he pulls me back down on his bed.
"Connor, I need to go to bed," I say.
"What's wrong with mine?"
"Does your nightstand have a gun in the drawer?"
"No."
"That's the problem." I get up and walk to my room. I don't know that Connor followed me until he closes my door and climbs into my bed with me.
"You never answered my question."
"Of course I'll be your date. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you like to see me get tortured."
"Goodnight, Connor."
