Connections | ✔️

Forty five

Valerie P.O.V

A loud, repetitive banging sound woke me from my state of semi-consciousness. Welp. I tried to fall asleep. Better luck tomorrow night, I guess.

"Valerieeeee," the muffled sound of my name echoed through the front of our apartment.

What the... ?

I pushed the sheets off my legs and swung them over the edge to get up. I quickly made my way to the door, looking through the peephole cautiously.

Oh my flipping g-

"Valll!!" The loud knocking continued.

I jumped in panic. He was going to wake up everyone in the area at this rate. I quickly unlocked the door to let him in.

"Carter. What are you doing?! It's 2am," I said exasperatedly, all the whilst my heart beat faster in my chest at the sight of him in person.

"I wanted to see you," he pouted adorably.

The smell of alcohol reeked from him.

Oh.

He's drunk.

I debated what to do, I couldn't just leave him out there. Flipping universe, you are too funny.

"You look so pretty Valerie, did you just wake up?" he said, two decibels higher than it should be in the middle of the night. I melted at the compliment before remembering our current situation. Well of course I bloody just woke up!

"Shh! You'll wake up Ellana, she's asleep." I scolded him in a hushed whisper.

"Uh nah she ain't, she's awake now and going to leave to tend to her drunk ass boyfriend." Ellana said, popping out of her room with an overnight bag in hand. "You gonna be okay? Want me to take him back to Kean and Alec's?" She nodded in the direction of the tall, gorgeous idiot slouched against the wall.

"No it's alright, Ell." I sighed, hugging her goodbye. We have a lot to deal with anyway. "Drive safely okay?"

"Will do, text me if you need me," she hugged me once again.

I turned towards my intruder for the night, shaking my head. He gave me a cheeky grin in return.

Absolute trouble.

"Come on," I sighed, grabbing onto his arm to lead him to my bedroom so he could lie down. The familiar warmth spread through me at the contact. All those feelings I had been repressing, bubbled up to the surface almost immediately.

I missed him.

I was planning on talking to him at one point or another after I had that revelation during the sleepover with the girls. They had some very insightful and valid points that I really had to take on board. I had to work through my thoughts, and on myself first, to build up that strength and confidence. I've made so much progress over the year, and I couldn't just let it unravel now. I had to keep growing and glowing. I needed to remind myself that this situation is very different to the previous situation I was in.

Carter was different.

I peeled off his shoes before urging him to get settled on the bed. I dug out a T-shirt of his he leant me some time ago, from the very back of my drawers.

"Hey, want to change?" I asked as I came over towards him. This was some serious de ja vu- I recalled the time he had done the same thing for me.

"Uh ah," he shook his head before leaning up to peel off his shirt and discarded it. I closed my eyes shut for a second in surprise, it's been a while. He still looked as good as ever. "I don't sleep with a shirt anyways. Keep it." He said, giving me a sleepy, crooked smile. Right. How could I forget?