Coming to Terms ✔️

16: Xavier the Boyfriend

I was elated.

So elated that I couldn't fall back asleep. He dozed off moments after saying that he had plans for us, but I laid there until the sun rose. I couldn't stop thinking about everything. I had so many questions, so many things left unsaid.

It was a shock to hear about his parents. I had no idea he was fighting all these battles. He'd never mentioned that his parents were addicts and that was why he lived with Dayla. His father looked so happy in that home video, overjoyed at the sight of his son walking.

I was so sure he felt like a burden on Dayla. From my perspective, Dayla loved him like the son she never had.

He was hurting so bad and I was too blind to see it. All I saw was selfishness. Now I was starting to feel guilty about everything. Maybe if I had a time machine, I could go back and teach young Xavier that it was okay to be who you were.

"Did you stay up the entire time?"

I had stared at the ceiling for maybe three hours before he scared me, speaking out of the blue when I thought he was still asleep. Jumping out of my skin, I looked over at him. "Yup," I smiled. His face was smooshed against the pillow, sleep still in his pretty eyes. My heart swelled when he lazily smiled back.

He sat up and rubbed his face. "Go home," he said.

My heart sank. Did I hear that properly? I sat up and looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. He was going to do this already? I couldn't say I was surprised, but very disappointed.

Xavier must have seen the look on my face. "Oh my god, no, I didn't mean it like that. I meant go home and get ready," he coddled, turning to me in the bed. "I want you to look nice for our first date."

My body relaxed immediately. He laid back down and pulled me with him, my body crashing down onto his. I fought my smile but failed. "I was about to throw down," I said. I rolled over so I was on top of him, one hand on the bed holding me up.

"You think I'm gonna fuck up that fast?" he scoffed, looking up at me with a sexy smirk. "Give me a little credit. It'll at least take a week."

I wasn't sure if he'd want to kiss me since it was the morning and we both definitely had sleep breath. "I give it three days," I grinned.

"Oh, shut up and come here," he laughed, pulling my head down to meet his lips. Well, what a pleasant surprise. Charlie wouldn't kiss me in the morning until I brushed my teeth. "I'll never get tired of that."

His raspy, sleepy voice sent shivers down my spine. I crawled out of bed and stood up, stretching my arms over my head. When I turned back around to look at him, he was already watching me. I blushed under his gaze.

"What?"

"I'm just really happy," he said, hazel eyes squinting from the massive smile on his face.

Holy fuck. This was a fever dream. I never thought a day like this would happen.

"I'm gonna go before you say the L word again," I said, which made him blush this time, then swung a pillow at me. "I'm kidding. You're cute."

I slid on my shirt and shoes and spared him one more glance before leaving, feeling like I was on top of the world. It didn't dawn on me until I had woken up in the middle of the night that I'd left my phone at home. Of course, it wasn't my intention to stay the night when I had gone over there, but I was dying to tell Georgia everything.

It was still sitting in the same spot that I'd left it. My jaw dropped when my phone was blown up with messages from Georgia and Julian.

"Well, well, well," I heard from behind me. "He returns."