Going Up | ✓

The Morning Afterlife - (5)

The Morning Afterlife.

I'm woken the next morning, not by Ivan kissing me, which is the usual cliche, but by the undeniable urge to pee. I exhale loudly, before prising Ivan's arms away from my body and getting up. I pull on a plain black t-shirt I find on the floor so it will cover me up sufficiently.

I'm just washing my hands when I hear him realise that I'm not in the room anymore.

'Poppy!' Ivan howls and I hear a thump from the bedroom, followed by a lot of loud rustling.

A smile creeps onto my face at the desperation in his voice. 'Ivan, I'm in here!' I call, drying my hands before exiting the bathroom.

He whips around, and immediately rushes towards me, his hands clamping themselves on my waist and his eyes shining brightly with relief. 'I thought you'd left!' he accuses me angrily.

I shake my head, smiling and resting my head on his shoulder. 'No,' I deny. 'I was just in the bathroom, that's all. I had to pee so bad.' I can't help my stomach doing backflips at his reaction to thinking I wasn't there anymore. He was so worried.

Ivan looks at me for a moment, as though he's not quite sure how to react, before finally bursting out laughing. 'You are something else,' he grins, tweaking my nose lightly.

'Come on,' I try to wriggle out his grip. 'I'm hungry.'

His eyes darken a shade or two. 'So am I,' he responds huskily, his hands not moving an inch as he stares down at me intensely.

I shake my head, dropping my gaze and pulling my head back slightly. 'No, I'm hungry for real food, Ivan,' I tell him, just as my stomach growls loudly.

He groans in protest, but drops his hands from my side all the same. 'Okay,' he murmurs, before taking my hand and leading me into the kitchen. 'That t-shirt looks good on you by the way,' I don't miss the heat in his eyes as they rake down my fairly exposed body.

I just roll my eyes and scan the contents of his cupboards. 'Where did you put the cereal?' I turn around to find him staring unashamedly at my behind.

I exhale loudly, before leaving the room, ignoring his calls. I return a few moments later in a pair of old mesh shorts I found at the bottom of his drawers as well as the t-shirt I was already wearing. 'I'll ask you again, where is the cereal?'

He looks only slightly shamefaced. 'They're up there,' he points to the cupboard above the fridge, a smirk forming on his flawless face. 'Can you reach that?'

I glare at him. 'I know I'm small, but I'm not that small, okay?' I huff, stretching up to the cupboard but his only response is loud, unchecked laughter as I fail to reach the cupboard. I groan in annoyance, taking a step back.

Ivan walks up behind, still chuckling. 'Do you need some help with that?' he murmurs, his hand resting on my hip as he playfully nips my ear.

I roll my eyes, exhaling loudly. 'Yes, please,' I sigh, taking a step away from him so he can access the cupboard more easily.

He doesn't stop laughing as he opens it. 'What cereal do you want?'

I glance up into the cupboard, deliberating. 'Ummm... chocolate pillows, please,' I eventually decide.

He easily grabs the box of cereal from the cupboard and hands it to me, still grinning. 'I guess we'll have to find a different place for the cereal, huh?'

I swallow hard. He hasn't stopped making all these references about me still coming round, and this arrangement continuing. But I can't tell if that's what I want, or not. I mean, yes, I enjoy the sex part of it and he's a great guy, but getting into a relationship just now is so dangerous for everybody involved. 'Yeah,' I laugh lightly, dropping eye contact and brushing past him.