Lauren led him by the hand as they walked past the living room, where Joey saw her family all asleep in front of the TV, and crept upstairs. She sat cross legged on the bed and he sat down facing her, holding her hands loosely in his lap.
"So we're good now?" he asked nervously, feeling better but still needing the reassurance.
Lauren smiled, and the relief washed over him again. "Better than good," she said, squeezing his hands.
"And you're sure this is what you want?"
She leaned forwards, making sure he was looking her in the eyes, and there wasn't a trace of insincerity in them. "You're all I want."
Joey gripped her hands, overwhelmed with sheer love for the girl sat in front of him, and impossibly glad that she had fallen for him as much as he had for her.
"I promise I won't do that again," he said, never wanting to argue with her like that.
"Ever?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she smirked at him.
He grinned. "Just while we're at your parents." He'd barely even let himself think about the idea of getting this life with Lauren when they went back to LA, and her reminder just made him love her more.
"Do you want me to back off?" he asked tentatively.
"No," she said quickly, her voice gentle. "I overreacted."
He raised her hand to his lips. "So is this okay?" he asked softly, pressing a kiss to her palm.
"Yes," she rolled her eyes.
"How about this?" he asked, leaning across and kissing her temple, his lips lingering on her skin.
"Just shut up," she groaned, pushing him down by his shoulders and lowering herself down on top of him to kiss him properly. He grinned against her lips, his arms circling her waist as he kissed her back. She pulled away slightly for breath, her lips still grazing his. Joey stretched up to give her one last slow kiss. Then Lauren let her head drop to the pillow and hooked her leg over his, her hand clutching the front of his t-shirt.
"I love you," she said softly.
Joey pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"I love you too. So much. And I want you to tell me if you're ever uncomfortable with what we're doing."
"It's not because of you, it's-"
"I know. But I want us to be able to talk to each other."
He felt her nod.
"I'm so glad we didn't end our first Christmas day fighting," she sighed.
"Me too," he replied, feeling even more appreciative that night than usual of getting to fall asleep with Lauren in his arms.
On Boxing Day Joey booked his flight home, feeling relieved to at last get back to California and see his parents. It almost felt like living in an alternate universe, here in Michigan with Lauren and her family, going from friends to a fake relationship to a real relationship in a matter of days. He didn't regret it at all, though. He'd spent years of his life believing that he was destined to pining over Lauren, never believing she'd reciprocate his feelings. So even though he was ready to go home, he was at the same time reluctant to leave, frightened of the way their relationship might change once they were back at home living their normal lives.
As he was sat on the couch looking at flights, Lauren came up to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind, her head resting on him as she watched over his shoulder.
