Brooklyn
We lay in silence for a few minutes. My head was resting on Justin's chest, listening to every steady beat of his heart as his fingers trailed up and down my spine. For the first time in days I felt completely at peace. Finally everything was sorted out—for good I hoped—and I was back where I wanted to be: with Justin. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest, making me able to breathe again without my stomach churning in anxiety every passing second. The worst part was done, now all that was left to do was tell Ryan somehow. Which, come to think of it, might actually be the worst part.
I sighed involuntarily, making goose bumps erupt on Justin's skin when the hot air hit it. He peeked down at me from his lying position underneath me. The bed wasn't wide enough to fit us both lying on our backs (not that I minded, to be honest).
"Are you okay?" he asked, his hazel eyes narrowing in fear that I had changed my mind and thought this had been a mistake—that was how good I could read his expressions, only when he let his guard down, though.
"Yeah." I nodded once, placing my chin on his sternum so it was easier to look him in the eye. His hand that wasn't propped behind his head stopped at the small of my back. "I'm just thinking about how I'm gonna tell my brother about you and I making up."
I bit my lip as his features seemed to relax. "Don't tell him," Justin said simply, as if it really was an easy task hiding something from a person that someway managed to find out everything I did on a daily basis, even when he wasn't in town.
"I have to. I mean, he's gonna find out sooner or later, anyway." I tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear, hoisting myself on my elbow so my face was hovering over Justin's.
"Later sounds better to me," he muttered lowly, darting his gaze away.
I rolled my eyes playfully at his predictable answer, and shook my head. "I'll figure something out," I said, not sure whether I was trying to convince Justin or myself. Not that I had any other choice than to come up with a plan, anyway.
"Since you're multitasking, while you're at it," Justin started, moving his hand down from where it rested on my back to my butt. "you can kiss me too, right?"
I giggled before letting him pull me down to his lips. I teased him with short pecks, pulling away before he could get to trap my lower lip between his. He groaned childishly, tugging me down again with his hands that were now both circling my waist.
I grinned teasingly, staring into his beautiful eyes. I was mesmerized by the way the orange pinkish light coming from the window gave them a violet glow. I hadn't even realized the sun was going down already.
"You're so beautiful," I blurted out, observing the imperceptibly crooked line of Justin's nose, the heart-like shape of his full, pink lips, and the shadows his eyelashes casted on his honey-colored cheeks. I traced his defined jawbone with my fingertip, up to the cute little mole under his left eye, and down the small scar on the opposite cheek.
Justin let out an amused laugh. "What?"
I blinked, startled by the sound, and annoyed that he had interrupted my contemplation. "What what?"
"You can't call me beautiful, I'm a guy," he stated, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Girls are beautiful, especially you."
Before I could protest, he rolled us over so he was newly on top, peering down at me with a genuine smile. "Very, very beautiful," he added, dropping feather-like kisses on my temples, then my nose, my cheeks, and lastly my mouth, where he lingered a bit longer.
