off the table

fifteen

two weeks later...

Ariana's pov

I tossed and turned as I tried to fall asleep. It's midnight, but I felt like I still had a lot of energy. I finally moved to my new house last week, and it really was a fresh start for me. I decided to pick up my phone to see if I had any text messages. I saw that Dalton was still online, so I decided to text him.

I put my phone away and changed into an oversized sweatshirt. Toulouse let out a little whine and I gently pet his head.

"Mommy's going out with Dalton," I said to him and he looked at me with puppy eyes. Toulouse loves Dalton so much. He would get really goofy when he's around. The other dogs love him too, although Coco is a little shy.

I went downstairs and Toulouse followed me. I sat down on the couch and he sat down next to me. The other dogs were asleep upstairs, he's the only one awake. I played with his ears and he soon fell asleep. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. I headed over to the door and opened it.

"Hey babe," I smiled, greeting Dalton. I embraced him into a hug and kissed his cheek.

"Hey," he smiled, "ready to go?"

I nodded and he wrapped his arm around me as we walked to his car. He opened the door for me and I went inside. He then closed the door and entered the car from the other side. He started the car and began driving to Northridge.

"I checked the GPS and it said that we're gonna be there in around 40 minutes," he said and I nodded.

"This is our first time going out together in the middle of the night," I smiled.

"I know right?" he smiled. He had one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding mine, making me smile.

"You're so beautiful," he smiled and I blushed.

"It's dark but I can tell that you're blushing," he smiled. I blushed even more. Damn, he's such a tease.

"You're the best," I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"No, you are," he smiled. I bit my lip as I felt butterflies in my stomach.

"You're such a cutie," I smiled. "And so are you."

"You're so corny, I love that," I giggled.

"You're the first person to love my corny side," he smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah, everyone thinks I'm cringey," he pouted.

"Well then you're lucky that you're mine and only mine," I smiled.

"I'm the luckiest man alive," he beamed and kissed my cheek. We talked the whole ride and soon, we arrived at the bar. We entered the bar and thankfully there weren't many people around. We chose to sit in the corner of the room so that we wouldn't draw too much attention.

"Hi, what would you like to have?" the bartender asked.

"A margarita please," Dalton answered.

"I'll just have water," I replied.

"Alright, your drinks will be ready in a few minutes," he smiled before leaving to process our orders.

"One of us gotta stay sober to drive home, you know?" I chuckled. "I agree."

"Wanna stay at my place tonight?" I asked him, "I'm lonely, I wanna cuddle with you."

"Sure, baby," he smiled and wrapped his arms around me, planting a kiss on my head. I looked at him in the eyes and attached my lips onto his, feeling butterflies in my stomach. That kiss turned into a quick make out session. We pulled away and I blushed. He caressed my cheek, making me smile. I buried my head on his chest and he gave me another quick peck on the lips.

"You're my tiny baby," he beamed, making me smile.

"Here are your drinks, enjoy," the bartender said, giving us our drinks.

"Thank you," I smiled. He gave me a little nod and gave us some time alone. We then had our drinks and decided to chill in the bar for a couple more minutes.

"Wanna leave now?" I asked Dalton and he nodded.

"I'll pay for the drinks," Dalton said.

"No, it's on me, I'm the one inviting you to come here."

"Baby, you only had water, I'll pay for it," he insisted. "Fine."

He paid for the drinks and we headed to the car. This time, I was the one driving since I was the one not drinking. When we arrived, we went inside the house and headed upstairs to the bedroom.

"Baby, would you mind if I, uh, go to the bathroom and change into my nightgown for a little while?" I asked him, feeling my cheeks burn up.

"Not at all," he smiled.

"You can also dig into my closet and change into something comfortable if you want to, I've got a bunch of oversized unisex shirts," I told him and he nodded. I went to the bathroom and changed back into my nightgown then had a little toilet business. When I was done, I washed my hands and went back to my room.

"Oh my gosh, you look cute in that shirt," I smiled, seeing Dalton in my oversized shirt and he blushed.

"Let's get some sleep, shouldn't we?" he asked, "It's getting late."

I nodded and we both slipped into the bed. He covered our bodies with the blanket and wrapped his muscular arm around my body protectively.

"Goodnight baby," he planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Night," I mumbled onto his chest. With that, I slowly drifted off to sleep in his arms.