His Sunshine | ✓

Chapter Thirty - To Be Holding Her Again

When I feel Layla's hands in my hair, I tilt my head back to look up at her. She smiles, pulling the hair back from my face so she can see me properly as she speaks to me quietly. "Are you guys staying here at the apartment?"

I nod, a smile growing on my face, "My parents were going to book us a hotel room, but your mom insisted that there's enough room for the four of us."

She grins, fingertips lightly tracing my jawline, "Good. I want to be as close to you as possible while you're here."

"Me too, Sunshine. Me too."

~

Layla flops down onto her bed as I set Anna's suitcase down next to her drawers. Anna will be staying in here with Layla while Liam and I will sleep in the two twin beds in the spare room and Max will sleep on a spare mattress in Bella's room.

If I'm being honest, I really want nothing more than to sleep with Layla in my arms tonight. I've been deprived of her touch for so long, and I just want to hold her. But we're friends. That's something couples do. She doesn't like me like that. Even if we have slept like that before, that was different. Now I've realized I like her and I don't think anything like that will ever happen again.

I collapse onto the bed beside Layla, throwing a hand over my eyes as I let myself relax. The apartment is almost completely silent now. There's the barest sound of chatter coming from the other rooms. We ordered Chinese for dinner a little while ago and had that while everyone was catching up. Now it's a little after eight o'clock and we decided it would be best to have an early night after our flight. Laura has already gone to bed while Liam, Anna, Max, and Bella are in the living room still.

I suddenly feel a small weight on my chest and my eyes fly open to look down. Layla has her head resting on my chest, right over my heart. Right over my new tattoo that is now bandage-free. I let out a shaky breath as she rests a hand on my abdomen. The things this girl does to me.

We lie there for a moment, neither of us moving and just enjoying the quiet. Her body is warm against mine and I relish in the heat she provides. Her vanilla scent completely engulfs me and I take a deep breath in, feeling at home even though I'm thousands of miles away from my house.

She sits up after a moment and looks down at me with a small smile, "Can I see your new tattoo?"

I nod as she sits crisscrossed beside me. I lift up the side of my shirt enough for her to be able to see that tattoo. "My dad finished the last of it the other day."

She shakes her head, grinning, "It looks even better in person!" Her eyes are wide when she looks up at me and asks, "Can I touch it?"

I nod again and she reaches out, dainty fingers beginning to trace the lines. I take in a sharp breath at the contact, tensing. Her touch feels so dámn good, it should be illegal.

"It doesn't hurt anymore?" She asks quietly, tracing the wing of the bird.

"No, it's fine now," I murmur, the both of us just watching her hand trace the lines on my skin. I marvel at how she touches me. Her touch is gentle and careful, but she seems sure of herself. She always is when it comes to my tattoos. She seems to enjoy tracing them. I just don't think she realizes how dámn affected I am by her touch.

"Do you have a favorite?" She asks, moving her hand to trace the other tattoos on my torso.

When her question finally registers in my mind, I pause. I do have a favorite tattoo, but I can't show her just yet. "I don't think I have just one favorite. I love all of them," I lie.

She nods, tracing over a flower I have tattooed on my stomach. "I like this one a lot. It's beautiful," She pauses, glancing up at me with a small smile, "But I don't think I have a favorite either."