It Begins With Us

15.

"Apartment." I say deadpan. "Your apartment."

"It's called a condo, Al." He says with a smirk and my heart almost escapes my chest. "Condo." He repeats.

"Al, huh?" I try to tease and he just throws a smirk over his shoulder.

"Alright then, you're....." I trail off as he unlocks the door.

Just as he swings the door open I dare to say it. Butterflies assaulting every part of my stomach.

".....Ry." I peer at him.

He pulls me in and slams the door shut behind me. My suitcase has toppled over to the ground on its side, my back is to the door, his chest is pressed tightly to mine. One of his hands is locked with mine and other is blindly grabbing at the locks. 

Above all, his lips are on mine. Desperate and warm. I'm sure as hell going to have more than just a hickey and sore lips tomorrow.

-

I wake with a groan and let out a big yawn. I feel around for my bedside clock. When my hand doesn't find a clock, or a bedside, that's when I know I'm about to be in for a shock. I lay there trying to prolong my blissful ignorance. After prepping myself, and pulling the comforter around my torso, I sit up and look out the window to the surrounding apartment buildings.

'Condo, Al. Condo.' I remember.

"Right." I mutter. "You slept with the love of your life in his expensive bed, in his expensive bedroom, in his expensive condo. Which is, by extension, in a very, very expensive building."

I smack the palm of my hand to my forehead.

"Why am I sitting here word vomiting?" I ask myself and somebody, the love of my life, tosses and turns on the other side of the bed.

"Ryle?" I blurt out, and he turns back my way, his eyes still closed.

"If for some unknown reason you can't remember last night," Ryle says, his voice deep in his morning tones,"then don't panic. We did a lot more than just kissing, but we did not have sex. Though we might have to take you to a head doctor for unreasonable, illogical, loss of memory."

I breathe a sigh of relief and he huffs. I watch as he push up off of his stomach and sits on his knees. He turns to me with foggy eyes and they strike a shiver through me, right down to my core. He comes over from his side on his knees and collapses on my lap.

"Hello." He says squinting up at me and I hope I've somehow lost a few dozen pounds off of my jaw so that my extra chin doesn't scare him away.

"Hi." I whisper back, tearing my eyes off of him and turning my head away to look out the window. Really trying to stretch that extra chin away.

"Hey." He says and I automatically look back down to him. "Want breakfast?" He asks and I smile a closed lip smile and nod.

"Alright then come get some." He says looking to my lips and my stiff smile spreads into a grin.

"Won't mind if I do." I mumble and press my lips to his.

He tries to deepen it and I pull away, shaking my head.

"Nope, I need to brush." I say and he turns away and sighs.

He rolls off of me and back onto the pillow completely exposing a bare torso. The navy blue waist band of his boxers peeks out at me and I breathe in a sigh of relief.

"Where are your clothes?" I ask throwing a pillow at his back.

"On the floor somewhere. You're the one who took it off last night." I can hear the damn smirk in his voice and I go red.

"Whatever." I mumble and sink off the bed onto the floor where his shirt and my shirt lies.

An idea pops into my head, and I can't help the grin that take over my lips as I grab his shirt and pull it on. Then carefully, crawl over to my suitcase and grab my brush and toothpaste. Holding them tightly behind my back, I finally stand. 

His shirt reaches a few inches below my behind and now I'm all warm and fuzzy on the inside. I turn to look at Ryle, and he's still sleeping with his back to me. I look from his back to his reflecion in the mirror across from him. He looks relaxed and I wonder if he really went back to sleep. 

Then suddenly, his eyes blink open and look right at my reflection. He watches me watch him, and I go red all over. From my cheeks to the rest of my face, and down my neck. His eyes break away from mine and travel down to my lips, and then to his shirt.

"You like my new shirt?" I ask putting my hands on my hips.

He nods slowly against his pillow, and my heart flutters. I step backwards, towards the washroom and he frowns.

"Alba." Ryle grunts sitting up on his knees again, and I grin and take another step backwards.

"Don't." He says, his eyes full of desire and I feel a squeal building up inside me.

I take another step and he turns to face me, on his knees again.

"I'm being serious." Ryle says, caution clear in his tone.

I take another step and I'm right at the doorway. My hand twists the handle and he jumps over the bed. I shriek and run in, slamming the door right in his face.

"Alba." He groans on the other side, and I giggle happily to myself. "Open the door." He says and I squeeze some tooth paste onto my wet brush.

"No thanks, I'm busy right now." I say and he grabs the handle and my stomach churns. "You can open it yourself." I quickly add before he realizes himself.

A nervous laugh blurts out of my as I literally hear him freeze on the other side and I my grip on my brush tightens almost painfully. Ryle turns the handle and the door pops right open. I burst into laughter as he stares at the handle and then at me.

"I never even locked it." I explain sneakily, giving him a grin and a wild smirk stretches his lips.

"Of course you didn't." He teases pulling me against him.

"Of course." I say and just as he leans in, I shove my tooth brush into my mouth and start brushing.

'I could never lock you out.' I think my heart warm.

"Take it out." He orders and I give him a foamy smile.

"First brushing, then kissing." I say and turn to the mirror.