Cuddle Buddies (Demi Lovato fanfiction) (REUPLOAD)

Cool for the summer

Saturday

Despite hoping for a nice lie-in, I found myself wide awake at 8 a.m. It wasn't surprising, considering my early start at the shop is the norm. My internal clock naturally wakes me around this time, regardless of any alarms. I tried to coax myself back to sleep but failed, deciding to rise and whip up some breakfast for us. I figured Demi wouldn't be up before 9 a.m. at the earliest. Or so I thought, until I descended the stairs and was met with the surprising sight of her in the kitchen.

"Good morning," Demi greeted me, a smile on her lips. She was dressed in a silk robe, and from what I could tell, only panties were beneath it. The view was, to say the least, a delightful way to start the day. "How'd you sleep?"

"Alright. You?" I joined her, subtly trying to catch a glimpse of what she was cooking.

"Feels good to be back home," Demi shrugged, catching me off guard by placing a kiss on my cheek. It was rather uncharacteristic of her. "Sit down, breakfast's almost ready." She playfully nudged me toward the kitchen island.

"What's on the menu?"

"Chocolate chip pancakes,"Demi said, turning to me as she deftly flipped one onto a plate that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. I stared up at her, genuinely surprised.

"You don't usually go for this kind of breakfast."

"Felt like it today. Plus, you mentioned a few weeks ago that you've had homemade pancakes in a while. I figured I'd make some for you." Demi said it casually, but my eyes glistened with appreciation. It had been so long since anyone did something like this for me. I couldn't believe she remembered that tiny detail from a random conversation we had weeks ago. All I wanted to do was pull her into a hug and kiss her until she understood how much this meant to me.

"Thank you," I said softly instead, grabbing her hand to make her look up at me. I hoped she could see just how appreciative I was. "Let's see how your homemade American pancake tastes."

They were incredible, surpassing any I'd tried at restaurants, and I made sure she knew that throughout breakfast. Her smile was contagious as she indulged in her culinary triumph. Once we'd finished eating, I volunteered to do the dishes while she lounged on the couch. After tidying up the kitchen, I relocated with my laptop to the couch's other side, messaging my mom that I was available for a Facetime chat.

Knowing the time difference, I had scheduled a Facetime with my family early in the morning. And by "scheduled," I mean I actually did the math, considering the significant time gap. It was morning here, but already evening in Norway – my mom usually started preparing for bed around 9 p.m.

Demi and I were engrossed in a detective series when they finally called.

"Hey, honey!" Mom greeted, her face beaming, and I responded with an equally wide grin.

"Hey, Mom! Good to see you." She looked well-rested, which lessened my guilt about living so far away. "I miss you"

"We miss you too. Any news about coming home?" Her voice held hope, and I sighed, hating to let her down.

"Still nothing, maybe around Christmas. I'll let you know as soon as I find out." I reassured her. It had been over half a year since I'd last been home for Christmas.

"It's alright, Honey. I know you're busy. How are you, Darling? And where are you, actually?" Her curiosity finally caught up with her as she noticed the unfamiliar background.

"I'm doing fine," I said a bit too quickly, maybe too defensive. "I'm at Demi's. She's back after two weeks, and we're having a girls' weekend." I explained. They knew we were friends, but nothing beyond that. No one knew about our cuddle buddies arrangement.