The Boy Next Door (R5 fanfic)

Chapter 25

Elizabeth’s P.O.V.

“Good morning,” Ross says as I open my eyes, a smile on his face as he props himself up, resting his head in his hand as he places his elbow on my bed. 

“Morning,” I reply, rolling over to lay on my back and stretching.  Last night was amazing.  Although we got close, we didn’t go all the way, leaving our underwear on, but that was pretty much it.  After making out, a lot, we just cuddled and talked in whispered voices as to not wake up anyone else in the house.  I have no idea why I feel so comfortable around Ross.  Ever since I first met him, I have had no problem opening up and talking to him, which is very unusual for someone as shy as me.  I just still can’t get over how lucky I am to have such an amazing boyfriend.

“What are you thinking about?” Ross suddenly asks, as if he was aware that he was running through my mind at that exact moment.

“You,” I tell him, deciding to not elaborate any further.

“What about me?” he asks.  I simply shrug and roll out of bed.  I make my way over to my dresser and grab a bra from the top door, swiftly putting it on.  It’s one thing to not have a bra on while making out in the dark dead of the night but it’s a completely different story to be talking to your boyfriend with your bare breasts being lit up by the sunlight filtering in through the curtains.  I also swipe a lifesaver mint from the package I keep stashed on my dresser.  I have the worst morning breath and refuse to kiss Ross with it.  I pop it in my mouth before turning back around and responding.

“Oh, you know, the usual stuff,” I say, talking around the mint, wishing it would dissolve faster.

“Meaning what?” Ross questions, standing up and slowly walking towards me, his pink boxer briefs stretched tight.  “Were you thinking about the way I say your name, Elizabeth?  Or how we can talk for hours without the conversation ever dying?  Or the way I touch you?” he asks, reaching out to trail a finger across my check, stroking my neck and drawing a line down my chest and circling my belly button. 

I shiver at his touch, causing him to chuckle, knowing he’s right.  He then quickly snakes his arm around my waist and pulls me towards him, the sudden movement causing me to bite down, crushing the mint into tiny pieces.

“Or maybe you were just thinking about me in general.  What it feels to be with me, to see me, to talk to me…to kiss me?” he says, leaning down to press his lips softly against mine.  He pulls away a second later and turns around, leaving me hanging, still teasing me like he did last night.  Ross still stands in front of me, not moving, and I know he is waiting for me to react in some way.  I contemplate for a brief second before thinking Oh, what the hell!  I walk around him and stand directly in front of him, a sly smirk plastered across his face. 

“I was thinking about you and how easy it is for me to talk to you and be myself around you and how happy I am that I met you and how you’re the best boyfriend in the world and I can’t ever imagine you no longer being a part of my life,” I whisper, finally deciding to answer his question.  I know we’ve spent a lot of time talking to each other and getting to know one another, but we haven’t spent all that much time expressing how we felt about each other.  I know he knows how much I like him, just like I’m aware that he really likes me, but to actually say the words out loud means more than any action could.

“I couldn’t have wished for a better girlfriend,” Ross says, his smirk now replaced with a smile that I can also see in his eyes.  He pulls me in for a hug and we just stand there, holding each other, neither of us wanting to let go first; until we’re forced to, that is.