Please Understand

Chapter 35: I Understand

Mason

There she was, fast asleep on her comfortable mattress on the floor, stealing most of the covers from me. This was real; I was waking up from a beautiful dream to an even better reality. Her bare, pale back was facing me, and I could already see her dark hair was going to be a tangled mess, but somehow I knew she was going to look as gorgeous as she had last night. A smile rested on my lips and my heart soared. I could get used to waking up next to her everyday. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her against me, kissing her neck.

She squirmed, burying her face into the pillow, and letting a small groan escape her lips. Annoying her might possibly be my favorite thing.

I couldn't help myself, I continued kissing her neck, and keeping her as close to me as I could. This doesn't feel real. A week ago I thought she was dead, but here I was away from home with the girl I loved. Nothing could make me regret my words or actions that brought me to this moment. Every panic attack and hallucination was worth this moment.

"Stop," she whispered as she tried to swat me away. She let out an adorable snort, rolled over to face me, and pulled the blanket closer. "You are obnoxious."

"That's a big word so early in the morning," I teased and then I pressed my forehead against hers, breathing in heavily. Every sense felt heightened, my heart thumped in my chest, and I lost all ability to think.

Lightly, she brushed her lips across mine, and my fingers twisted in her hair as I deepened the kiss. Her hand was against my bare chest and she pushed me away with her eyes closed and a smile on her pale pink lips. Finally, she opened her eyes, and the bright blue color stole my breath. "You're kinda cute," she murmured while she combed her fingers through my hair, fixing it as best she could.

"You're cuter," I shot back with a smirk because we were both absolutely ridiculous.

She rolled her eyes, but then adoringly looked at me again. Could she be feeling the same way as I do? Was she hoping for the life I knew we could have? Or was she enjoying this moment instead of looking towards the future? "I don't want to be all gross and romantic," she muttered, and then her eyes widened in complete horror. What did I do wrong this time?  "What time is it?"

I knitted my eyebrows together, and tilted my head to the side. "If that's supposed to be sexy; I don't understand-"

She scrambled out of bed, gathered clothes, and slammed drawers. "Shit. Shit. Shit," she repeated as she hurried around, hardly caring that she was completely exposed.

I leaned on my elbows and watched her with a slightly amused smile even though I knew she didn't find her situation entertaining. "What's wrong?" I asked, not even feeling guilty for staring.

She was slipping on her clothes with her hair sticking up and coming loose from her braids. "Mason, I'm going to be late for work!" she exclaimed with a huff. "I need to leave, like, right now!"

"Oh! Dang, I'm sorry," I rambled, and I crawled out of her bed. Silently, I started pulling clothes out of my backpack, but I noticed she was trying not to look at me while she took her hair out of the braids. I pulled on a pair of boxers, and finally met her gaze. "What? I thought you were in a hurry."

She started blushing, and brushed out her perfectly long tangled hair. "Yeah, sorry. I have this stupid blonde Adonis in my room. I'm a little distracted," she shot back as she pulled all of her hair up into a sloppy ponytail. "Okay, I really need to leave. Get dressed and I'll introduce you to my roommates."

I rolled my eyes, but did as she told me; I know better than to argue with Amelia. My ego definitely loved all the attention she was giving me. Blonde Adonis, I could get used to this. "So what am I supposed to do for the rest of the day?" I asked as I buttoned my pants.