without you¹ | derek morgan. ✓

39 | butterflies

charlotte's pov.

I wake up to the sounds of distant clutter and a strong smell of something cooking. My eyes flutter open as I rub them sleepily, sitting up in confusion.

I look around, noticing that I'm lying on the couch. The last thing I remember from last night is lying down and watching A Walk to Remember with Derek. I slowly climb off the couch, yawning a bit as I stumble out of the living room and into the kitchen.

There he stands--shirtless, with nothing but a pair of black jeans on bottom. I smile softly as I cross my arms and lean against the doorframe, admiring him closely.

I slowly walk over to him, careful not to scare him while he's standing by the hot stove.

I snake my arms around his lower abdomen, wrapping them around him tightly. He grins softly as he looks down at me, humming in response to my sudden actions.

"Good Morning." He states in a raspy tone.

I smile softly at the sound of him voice as I look up to him, "Good morning." I reply as I stand up on my tippy toes, kissing the crook of his neck.

He lets out a small grunt at the touch of my lips, "I-I'm sorry if I was being to loud. I didn't mean to wake you, I just wanted to make you some breakfast." He mumbles.

"Don't worry, you didn't." I state, shaking my head as I release my grip from around his body, walking over to the counter beside the stove.

I turn my back to the counter, slowly pushing myself up to sit on it so I can be closer to Derek's height--making me eye level with him so he can stop getting distracted while cooking and looking down at me while doing so--the last thing I need is for him to burn down my kitchen because of me.

My eyes flicker up and down as I examine him closely for a moment, my lips parting slowly as I do.

"Staring isn't nice, y'know." He states with a low chuckle, interrupting the thoughts that rushed to my mind.

I clear my throat, shaking my head, "I-I wasn't. I was just, uh..." I pause as my mind searches for an excuse.

A cocky grin appears on Derek's face as my cheeks flush before turning a dark red color.

I scratch the back of my neck, clearing my throat once more, "I zoned out while thinking about what time we need to go to work." I state in a flustered tone, looking down at an imaginary watch on my wrist.

"Mm, gotcha." Derek states, chuckling under his breath.

I shake my head, "How long have you been awake?" I ask, trying to chance the subject.

Derek pierces his lips together as he shakes his head, "Not long. I woke up and took a quick shower before getting dressed and coming in here to make breakfast." He explains, shrugging his shoulders a bit.

"Dressed?" I ask, my brow furrowed as my eyes flicker up and down, examining him.

"Okay okay, half-dressed." He states with a soft chuckle, correcting himself.

I nod, "That's more like it." I state, squinting my eyes together playfully.

I lean over as Derek leans in, going to kiss me. I quickly swerve him and kiss him softly on the cheek, knowing that it'll drive him insane. I hop off the counter with a smug smile on my face as I begin to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Derek asks.

"To get ready for work." I state, shrugging my shoulders, my back still turned to him.

Derek abruptly grabs my wrists, and spins me around, making me gasp lightly, "Not so fast." He mutters as he leans in, kissing me softly on the lips.