The Gun and the Rose

19 | Ache

Me, Marco, and Ales hung out the apartment for the rest of the day. We sipped on tea while talking about life and sharing stories with each other. Despite Ales' glares, Marco gladly told me embarrassing stories of his childhood and I howled with laughter, wiping tears of joy away from my eyes. We ordered some takeaway pizza and Marco ate most of it. Halfway through an old action movie, Marco shot to his feet.

"It's late, I should get home," he said, wiping crumbs off his shirt.

"I should too," I said, sitting up. Ales touched my hand.

"Stay the night. I'll take you home tomorrow morning," he said quietly to me. My eyes flicked up to Marco who was gathering his things. I bit my lip.

"Okay."

Marco took his time leaving, sending us suggestive winks in intervals. I gave him a big hug before he left. Ales linked his hand with mine, leading me back to his room. "Is there any way I can take a shower?" I asked.

"Yeah, go ahead. There are spare towels and toothbrushes in the cabinets and I have something you can borrow. " I entered the bathroom, closing the door before me. In the mirror, I saw happiness in me that I hadn't seen in a very long time. I stripped out my clothes, jumping into the standing shower. Once I figured out how to turn the shower on, I let out a sigh of relief, hot water cascading down my body. The glass walls left me feeling oddly exposed and I shivered at the thought of Ales walking in. I washed my hair and body, reluctantly leaving the steaming prism. I grabbed a towel, patting the water off my body before wrapping it around me. I smelled exactly like Ales as I smeared his lotion over me and then brushed my teeth. I cracked the door open, peeking out.

"Ales?"

He walked into my field of view, handing me a shirt and boxers. I took them gratefully and closed the door before slipping them on. I left my undergarments off as I didn't have any fresh pairs to change into. I left the bathroom and set my clothes on the nightstand. I sat on his king sized bed and scrolled through my phone as he used the bathroom. A few minutes later he came out only wearing pajama pants.

"You're fast," I commented, setting my phone down. He smiled.

"I couldn't wait to come back out to you," he said, brushing away a damp strand of hair from my face. I rolled my eyes, holding back a smile. "I'm smooth, don't give me that face." I stuck my tongue out, laying onto the pillow.

"I'm so sore," I groaned, stretching my arms.

"Come here," Ales said, gesturing for me to near him. I scooted in his direction and he moved to fit himself behind me. Then his warm hands touched my shoulders, applying pressure in the most perfect places. His shirt slid off of one shoulder and his fingers brushed by the exposed skin before pressing his lips against it. A breathy moan escaped me as shivers ran down my spine. "Do you like that?"

"Yes," I breathed. He pressed another kiss against the side of my throat then on my jaw, nibbling on the sensitive skin. I reached around, threading my fingers between his soft hair, pulling him away from my neck. I brought his lips down on mine, pulling back when he gripped my hips, fingers digging into the soft flesh. "Ales."

"Rosa."

"I can't," I said, turning my head away from him. Ales lifted my chin, kissing my cheek ever so gently. Then he slid under the covers, lifting the sheets up for me.

"Let's go to bed, I think we've already had quite an eventful day, don't you think?" I stared at him, my mouth open with awe. He stopped at the first sign of protest without even asking why. "Cat got your tongue?"

"You're not mad?" I asked. Ales gestured for me to come closer. I crawled under the covers before Ales reached over and turned the light off. He held me to his chest, my arms wrapped around his torso.