365 Days

224

224

The air is cool and crisp when I wake up thanks to the air conditioner I had put on last night. Alex's arms are still around my waist as he sleeps; I can feel the inflation of his lungs inside his chest with each breath, and his heartbeat's steady rhythm.

My eyes flutter open to see his bare chest, but they travel upwards to his peaceful face. His eyes are closed and he has a cute smile toying with his lips, making me think he's dreaming. His dark hair is disheveled and sticking up in all angles and I find myself smiling.

"Quit staring," he grumbles, and I jump back with a small squeal. I almost fall off the bed but he secures one hand around my waist and the other around my wrist, pulling me back towards him.

"You scared the shit out of me!" I whisper angrily, punching him on the arm. That was not funny. "Don't do that!"

His sleepy brown eyes look down at me as he grins. "Don't blame me. You were the only staring and you were making me uncomfortable," he teases, drawling out the words. "I had to say something."

"I hate you," I grumble, turning away from him and pushing his arms off me.

He chuckles in a whisper and pulls me back to him, his hand resting on my stomach. "If you did you wouldn't have let me kiss you."

"Still thinking about that?" I tease.

He rests his chin on my shoulder and I can feel him nod.

"You're crazy," I tell him, letting my eyes fall shut. The low hum of the air conditioner starts up again as more cool air is blown into the room.

"For you," he whispers into my ear.

I ignore my body's reaction and shake my head. "That's tacky, Alex. I think you can do better."

"Hmm," he pauses. "Give me a minute."

I can almost hear his brain ticking over as he structures something to say. I focus on his breathing by my ear to try to steady my heart.

"Okay," he finally whispers, pressing his lips to the base of my neck. "On a scale of one to ten, you're a nine and I'm the one you need."

I bite my lip to keep from saying something I shouldn't, not about the line but about what he's doing to my neck.

"Nice try," I whisper. "But not nice enough."

I slide out from under his arms and find one of Alex's hoodies to take downstairs. I shrug it on and pad to the door, gently opening it.

"Where are you going?" He asks, sitting up with his weight on his elbow. I want so badly to crawl back into bed with him but I just close my eyes, take a breath and ignore the feeling.

"Out."

I close the door behind me and tiptoe down the stairs. It's quiet apart from the snoring coming from all ends of the sleeping house. I walk around in the dim light as the sun is starting to rise outside, making my way to the kitchen where Levi is drinking coffee. He has clearly had very little sleep, with bags under his eyes and his almost-black hair completely disheveled.

Upon hearing my arrival he looks up, smiling. "Good morning, cuz."

"Morning," I say. He pulls himself to sit on the kitchen bench while I make myself coffee, working around him. "No sleep?"

His long legs swing back and forth. "A little."

"Why not a lot?"

I pour my coffee and add my milk, then lean against the bench to look at him. His smile is tainted by sleep, making him look like a dork.