Adult Responsibilities

Chapter 16

Andrew woke up the next morning, feeling in a daze, but he immediately felt the smile creeping onto his face when he looked down. Kate was wrapped in his arms as he held her to his chest, exactly the way she'd been when they drifted off to sleep. She hadn't moved at all from his grasp, and he didn't dare move his arms from around her as his beautiful girl slept soundly against him. Andrew generally slept in, but for some reason, that morning he'd woken up earlier than usual. He grinned a little, thinking of the night they'd had where he had asked her to be his girlfriend. He felt excited, nervous, a little freaked out, and ridiculously happy as he thought about it. He looked down, taking in Kate's delicate face, and he kissed her softly on her forehead as she began to stir.

She fluttered her eyes a little bit as she started to wake up, and he looked down, watching her as she shifted around a little bit in his arms. She looked up at Andrew and immediately smiled, her arms balled up and resting on his chest, and he grinned at her.

"Well, good morning, pretty girl," he whispered to her softly, and Kate giggled a little bit. "Hi," she whispered, feeling a little shy as she woke up in the arms of her man, but he immediately dipped down, giving her a sweet kiss on her lips, making her feel immediately comfortable. Everything from the night before rushed back to her as she laid there in Andrew's arms, and she felt her heart skipping a beat. Andrew had shared more with her than she'd ever thought he could, and while it scared her, it had brought them closer together, and Kate felt amazing.

"I can't believe you're up this early," she said to him quietly, and he laughed. "I can't believe you slept this late," he countered, thinking about how Kate always woke up at the crack of dawn, ready to take care of Lila and get to work. Even on her off days, she generally woke up early, sneaking in a morning run or cleaning up or doing something productive, as her free time was so limited. But that morning, she felt like staying in bed forever, enjoying Andrew's affection on a day where she had no responsibilities to anyone but herself.

"There must be something about this apartment that makes people want to sleep in, because I could lay here all day," Kate said with a grin, and Andrew wiggled his eyebrows. "OK, fine, I'm in!" he teased, and Kate giggled. Andrew had a knack for making Kate feel completely wanted and desired, as if he was always thinking about her or wanting to be with her. It made her feel on top of the world, and she honestly adored him for it.

"Sweetheart, I'll stay here all day, but I have this feeling after 20 minutes you'd be dying to get up and do something productive," Andrew said with a knowing smile, and Kate laughed. "Generally, yeah. But maybe you've got me turning over a new leaf," she said with a shrug, and Andrew couldn't help but chuckle. "A lazier leaf?" he asked as he winked at her, and Kate shook her head. "You're anything but lazy. I was going to say a more fun leaf." He smiled, laying her flat underneath him and hovering over her a little as she giggled. "You're plenty of fun," he said to her softly in her ear, leaning in and kissing on her neck, nibbling at her a little as she let out a breath. "Andrew!" she gasped, and he laughed. "You're too easy, baby," he told her with a smile.

He looked down at her, admiring how incredibly sexy she looked in his college t-shirt that he'd let her borrow the night before, and his stomach did flips looking at her. Kate was so beautiful, and while she was completely unencumbered by vanity, the type of girl who didn't think twice about going out without makeup and in sweats because she was so focused on more important things, Andrew couldn't help but think about how lucky he was. She was absolutely gorgeous, inside and out, and as he gazed down at her, he felt his heart leap.

"So, maybe we should go to breakfast," Andrew said with a grin, and Kate smiled. "Sure, yeah, that sounds fun," she answered. "Now that you're my girlfriend, do I need to beg you to go on dates with me?" Andrew asked her with a chuckle, and Kate playfully rolled her eyes. "You haven't really had to beg since the first one," she reminded him. Andrew thought for a second. "Yeah, I guess that's true," he said, dipping down to steal her lips in a sweet kiss. "Are you still going to pick me up for every date now that I'm your girlfriend?" Kate asked, and Andrew nodded. "Oh, 100%, I'm more likely to do that now. You know I'm always worried about you running on empty all the time," he said seriously, and she grinned.