The Kings II

27

THREE MONTHS LATER

Alexis

I rolled over and brushed my hair away from my mouth, looking at Fred from over my shoulder.

"Hey, wake up," I said, turning off my alarm.

He groaned and rolled over on his side, burying his face in the pillow.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," I sang, shaking his shoulder.

He looked over at me. "Make me."

I just giggled and sat on top of his back, my hands on his shoulders. "I know pressure points."

"That'll make me just pass back out," he muttered, his voice muffled in the pillow.

I reached behind me and pinched his ass, making him jolt right up.

"Okay, I'm up."

I climbed off of his back and stood up, raking my fingers through my messy hair. "Jog first?"

He nodded and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"I'll make our shakes."

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the protein powder from on top of the fridge, dumping some in the blender along with some milk. I turned it on and leaned against the counter.

"What time do I have class today?" Fred asked, scratching his abdomen as he leaned against the doorframe.

I looked down at his phone. "Yours starts at twelve."

He nodded and walked back into the bedroom, making me stop the blender. I pulled it off of the stand and grabbed two glasses for Fred and I, giving each of us an equal amount before putting them in the fridge.

I walked into the bedroom and smiled, admiring Fred's defined back as he slipped into a tight shirt. There was no denying that Fred had definitely muscled up over summer.

I wrapped my arms around him from behind. "You look good."

"Thank you," he said, "gray sweats or black?"

"Gray, always," I said, smiling, my hand on the band of his underwear.

"Then gray it is," he said, pulling a pair of gray sweats off of the hanger.

I plopped down on the bed. "You're getting more comfortable."

He stepped into his sweatpants and turned around to face me. "What's that mean?"

"You're bringing more clothes over," I said, smiling up at him.

"Because you've asked me to," he said.

"So it has nothing to do with you wanting to live together?"

He just chuckled and walked into the bathroom without a response. I stood up and grabbed a pair of leggings, a sports bra, and an open-back shirt to show off my cute sports bra. I slipped into my clothes and Fred brushed past me, his hand on my hip.

"You want to go down to the coffee shop?" He asked, clipping his watch on his wrist.

"No, I'll be tempted," I said, sitting down on the bed to slip on my tennis shoes.

"Like you can't use a pastry," he said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm trying to get lines, Fred," I said.

"You've got lines, everywhere," he said, "I promise, one muffin isn't going to cut off those lines completely."

"Are we in a competition now?" I asked, standing up, "is that why you're trying to get me to get a muffin?"