It is the middle of the night when I wake up, it takes me a long time to remember where I am. It takes even longer to realize that I woke up for a reason, the reason being that I fell asleep with another warm body close to mine, but I'm cold and alone now.
"It's not okay anymore!" I hear Michael in the kitchen. He is talking softly, but his voice is frustrated. "It was one thing when it was just me, but now there's-" he stops, listening to the other line. "She's not! She has nothing to do with this! Hell, I have nothing to do with this."
I stand from the couch, walking slowly to the kitchen. "Well I'm not stopping," he spits. "No, I-" Michael starts a little when he sees me standing in the doorway, watching him. "I have to go," he says into the phone. "No." He pulls the phone from his ear and ends the call, watching me warily. "Hey," he says.
"Hi." My voice is small. The clock behind him reads sometime after two, but my eyes are still a little blurred from sleep.
"I'm sorry I woke you," he says softly.
"It's fine. Are you okay?" I ask. Michael's shoulders relax and he sighs, rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm okay." He crosses the kitchen and wraps his arms around me tightly. I don't know what to think anymore, about anything. It bothers me that there is something going on, something clearly much bigger than both of us.
"Let's go to bed," I murmur into his chest. I don't overthink it the way I normally would, bringing a boy into my bedroom. The thought doesn't even occur to me until we are both under the covers. I turn onto my side and break out in chills when Michael gently kisses the skin between my shoulder blades. His arm drapes loosely around me and I feel his entire body relax; he is asleep within minutes.
...
"Wake up, Katie," Michael's voice sounds right next to my ear, causing my abrupt return to consciousness. I jump, sitting up quickly.
"What?" I say wildly.
"Woah, easy there," Michael laughs, his hand on my shoulder. "It's just morning. You have to go to work today."
"Oh," I say, rubbing my eyes. I groan and fall back onto the pillows. I roll back over and close my eyes. "I'm quitting," I murmur.
Michael's arm snakes around my waist and he pulls me back against his chest. I open my eyes and see him reach for his phone. "I'll tell Dana," he says.
"No!" I grab the phone from his hands and he laughs louder than I've ever heard him laugh.
"Get up, then!" He says. Michael slides out of the bed and walks into the bathroom, leaving me to adjust to the harsh sunlight that has slowly started lightening the sky.
My exhausted legs almost collapse underneath me when Michael exits the bathroom and I stand up to take my turn. The sight of his toothbrush casually sitting on my sink makes my stomach do backflips, and I learn that it's difficult to brush your teeth while grinning.
Michael is nowhere to be seen while I change my clothes, but he is in the kitchen when I walk out there. "Good morning," he grins from the kitchen as I enter. It is odd to be right here right now. I've never taken a relationship this fast, although this doesn't seem too fast as it's happening. We were forced into this by the circumstances, but nothing about it feels forced at all. For my own peace of mind, I reassure myself that I would not have let Michael stay the night with me if things had been different.
Still, now that I know how it feels to wake up next to him... I have to be careful. Too much too soon won't benefit anyone.
"Good morning," I smile back. Michael is still wearing his dark blue sweater, the long sleeves coming down too far on his arms and covering his hands. He is still blinking blearily and his lilac hair is sticking up at odd angles, creating the most adorable sight. It makes me want to drag him back to bed and curl up next to him and sleep until neither of us is tired anymore.
"I can call Dana and tell her that you're not coming in today," Michael offers.
"I can't," I laugh. I won't use him as a personal connection. "I still just started. Plus, it's your family. And Dana knows that there's something going on here, I don't want her to think-"
"Dana has been trying to set me up with people for years, she'll be thrilled that I have a girlfriend," he cuts me off. "Plus, I already know that she likes you."
"Yeah but she- girlfriend?" I see the realization dawn on Michael's face at what he said.
"I didn't mean that, like... that. Unless you... is that what? I mean, like... what?" Michael stammers and then hides his red face behind his sweater paws and my heart nearly swells out of my chest.
I cross the kitchen and gently tug on his hands, desperate to see his blushing face. "Am I your girlfriend, Michael?" I murmur slyly, the ridiculous smile spreading across my face.
"Is that what you want?" He asks. He is smiling too, but he looks nervous and his eyes are so earnest.
"Yes," I breathe.
"Okay," he says simply.
"Okay," I can't help the giggle.
"Katherine, this is definitely a label, just so you know."
"I'm okay with that," I shrug. I kiss him on the cheek and grab my purse, already running a little bit late. "I have to go," I say apologetically. Will he stay here? Or leave? "You can stay, if you want. Maybe you should, actually." I am thinking of the men who came here looking for him. Truthfully, he should get far away from here.
Michael seems to sense the direction of my thoughts. "I'll be okay," he murmurs. I cross the kitchen and hug him tightly.
"You better be," I warn.
"Mmmm," Michael hums as he kisses me quickly on the lips. "Go to work."
I laugh as I walk out the door, reminding him to lock it behind me. There is no such thing as being overly cautious. I am paranoid now that we are both being watched, that someone will know that he is alone in my apartment. Maybe I should have asked him to come with me.
Don't be ridiculous, Kate. It's fine. He's fine.
Dana is already stressed when I walk into her office for the day. She immediately hands me a stack of folders with rushed instructions, her speech faster than her impressive high-heeled stride as she paces around the room.
"Dana," I say. "Breathe." She smiles at me gratefully, taking a deep breath in and out.
"Thank you, Kate," she laughs. "We just have a lot to do. Busy week."
"It's fine, just remember to breathe now and then," I laugh.
"You look great, Kate," Dana says. "You look... relaxed."
I laugh. "I slept well." My cheeks are probably heating up, but I will them not to. This is my boss, this is Michael's sister.
"Do you want to have lunch with me today?" Dana asks. "We can get to know each other a little better. I can give you the inside scoop on Michael," she jokes conspiratorially.
I laugh. "That actually sounds great."
"See you then," she smiles. It's a dismissal that I welcome, I clearly have a lot of work to get to. As I turn to leave, Dana grabs my arm. "You have something on you," she laughs. I twist my neck, trying to see as she plucks something off the back of my sweater. She doesn't even glance as she places it in my hand, but every part of my body seems to melt a little when I see what it is.
It's a pink post-it note with one word scrawled across it in messy handwriting that I've come to recognize. No, not a word... a label.
Girlfriend.
