What I Want

Chapter 2: About Last Night

Ben woke up first, being used to waking up early anyway for his morning workout. Last night, of course, was the best workout of his life. The sun was barely up. The colors were magnificent. The way they lit up the sky was truly beautiful, but not nearly as beautiful as the girl lying in his arms.

He looked down at her, just now noticing that she had gotten dressed in the middle of the night. He tucked a piece of violet hair behind her ear as she slept, not wanting to wake her just yet. Even in her sleep she looked stunning. He wanted to admire her before she awoke. It had just dawned on him that he would get to see this for the rest of his life. He couldn't help but smile. He just lay there for hours watching her sleep, a content look on her face. She was glowing. Eventually, her eyes opened slightly, but she noticed him staring at her.

"How long have you been up?" she asked sleepily.

"A few hours. Not too long," he smiled, content with where he was.

"What were you doing this whole time?"

"Watching you sleep."

"Creeper," she groaned groggily.

Ben couldn't help but laugh.

"I can't help myself sometimes I guess. But anyway, we should probably get up before my folks wake up and discover we never made it home last night. They'll know what happened." Mal's eyes shot open at the realization.

"We better get moving then. That is the last thing they need to know. Plus, I promised Evie I'd hang out with her today anyway."

"Yeah, the guys have been bugging me about hanging with them too. Lets get moving then." He threw the blanket off of them, the cold fall morning making them shiver. Mal looked down and realized Ben was still naked, and still hard.

"You may want to take care of that," she whispered.

"Oh, trust me, that will never go away anytime you're around." Mal blushed at the comment, not used to giving anyone that kind of reaction. She never thought anyone would like her in that way, but she liked it. It made her feel wanted.

Ben got up and went to grab his pants, giving Mal a perfect view of his butt. She also noticed the raw marks on his back from her nails, dried blood all over him. She wanted to say something, but she was too shy, which was highly unusual. However, in this case, she just couldn't bring herself to say anything. She felt a little guilty, but she swallowed it, not wanting to admit that it was her fault.

After Ben was dressed, they made their way over to his scooter.

"Why'd you bother getting dressed last night? Was I not warm enough for you?" Ben teased when they were about 50 yards from the scooter. In reality, she got dressed because she wanted to be sure that he didn't see her scars when they woke up. She refused to admit it though.

"I'm still a little shy. That's all," she replied sheepishly, knowing very well that she definitely didn't sound like herself. She wasn't typically the type to shy away from anything, but what she experienced last night, was something she was still trying to process.

"There's no need to be. You know I'll love you no matter what I see."

She said nothing. Mal knew that. She just needed time to get used to being so, what's the word? Vulnerable. She was so used to being tough and callous. Opening up the way she did last night was scary for someone who was used to being so closed off. Being open with another person was something that she was still learning, and will continue to learn for the rest of her life.

As they drove back home, Mal's arms wrapped around Ben, holding on tightly. As she held him, she couldn't help but relive the way they had embraced each other last night. It was a sweet memory that she would hold onto forever. She pressed herself up against him, wanting to be closer to him, just like last night. She could feel herself falling asleep on his shoulder, but she didn't care. Mal was the happiest she had been in a long time; maybe even for the first time.