Always There

Chapter Five

Songs for this chapter:
• Don't Call Me Angel - Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, & Lana Del Rey

Chapter Five:

Bryce's POV

Slowly, Blossom leans towards me, pressing her soft lips to my neck.

She's gentle at first, but I feel her use slightly more pressure all of a sudden. I know that she's certainly going to leave a mark and I let her, wrapping my arms around her tiny waist as she stays seated in my lap.

I have to suck in a sharp breath when she rocks her hips against mine, whether it be intentional or not. I know that she knows damn well that Anders and Scarlett are watching us, and I feel my shoulders tense as Blossom eventually pulls her mouth away.

She gasps out loud as she examines my neck with wide eyes, and she brushes her thumb against a patch of skin about a square inch large.

"I'm so sorry," she mumbles, and before she can move out of my lap, I grip her hips to keep her in place.

"Stay," I murmur, and she pauses for a moment.

"Can I just get a blanket first?" she asks, and I nod at her.

She stands up, heading around the couch to grab a blanket from the basket in the corner of the room. When she returns, she seats herself down in my lap, draping the fuzzy blanket around us as she curls up into a ball while nuzzling her face against my chest.

I wrap my arms firmly around her, stroking her back as I look up to find Scarlett and Anders glaring at us.

"I can't believe she actually did that," Anders comments just as Scarlett asks, "Since when have you been the type to . . . cuddle?"

Blossom lets out the softest of giggles but she doesn't say anything to either of them as she remains curled up against me.

I'm surprised that she's allowing herself to be so vulnerable and affectionate towards me in front of Scarlett and Anders considering she was trying to stand up to Scarlett not too long ago, but I'm glad that I don't have to watch her forcing herself to be what she's not anymore.

I don't like how she gets so insecure around extremely confident people. As much as I want to see her find confidence in herself and for her to see that she has no reason to be ashamed of anything, she needs to realise that she'll get there eventually.

I hate to see her compare herself to others when she's fucking perfect in my eyes.

"She's my girlfriend. That's a typical thing for couples to do. And it makes us happy so leave us the fuck alone," I respond to Scarlett, answering her question about cuddling while ignoring Anders' comment.

Scarlett laughs, and I watch as she shifts around in her seat so that she can drape her legs across Anders' lap.

"No more truth or dare, then?" she asks innocently, and I shake my head at her.

She pouts, reaching out to run her fingers through Anders' hair before she then prods, "Then what the hell else are we supposed to do? Sit here and talk about our feelings?"

Blossom sits up a little bit, enough so that she can stare directly at Scarlett as she asks, "Thanksgiving break is over tomorrow. Are you two just skipping school?"

She flutters her eyelashes at them as she casually awaits an answer, and Scarlett just narrows her eyes as she replies, "I don't give a flying fuck about school. Don't be so snarky, you little bitch."

To my surprise, Blossom doesn't seem offended by being called a bitch, and so she's silent long enough for Anders to ask Scarlett, "Would your sister want to hear that, Carly?"