how not to - sequel to baby bellinger // corey seager

part seven

 "How was it?" Cody asks the second we walk through the door.

Corey, who was close behind me, exhales a deep breath and walks past me, my brother, and Joc before heading towards the kitchen.

I look down and shake my head. "That basically explains it," I say, pointing my finger towards Corey.

"Couples therapy was that bad?" Joc asks, him and my brother following me while I walked through the living room and outside. We all took a seat under the gazebo.

"No, it wasn't at all. It actually gave us some helpful ideas. It was the one-on-one therapy that got us both fired up."

The boys looked at me from the couch across the one I was sitting on. "What happened?" Joc asks, propping his feet up on the fire pit in front of him.

I lean my head on the arm of the couch and let out a small sigh. "I told him I wasn't going back and he started freaking out about how I need to be in therapy and-"

"Well Clo," Cody interrupts, leaving me in shock because he hardly ever does that, "you do need to be in therapy."

"Do not cut me off," I snap, rolling my eyes and sitting up. I don't need another lecture about why I have to fix my problems.

Stepping away from the conversation when we had just gotten out there seemed cliche, but I wasn't in the mood to listen to yet another person tell me why I need therapy. Besides, they were the ones who followed me out here; I just wanted to be alone.

Before I leave, I turn back towards my brother, "I don't need therapy, Cody. What I need is for you guys to understand that I'm doing fine right now by helping myself. Out of all people, I would think that'd you'd be able to understand that."

I walk back towards the house, despite only being out for a few minutes. I could hear the boys calling after me, but I continue my trek inside, walking straight into Corey and I's room ( even though I'm the only one who sleeps in there).

I flop onto the bed, rolling over on my side to pick up my computer. I look up when I hear someone walk in the room.

Corey shuts the door behind him and walks over to the bed, sitting on what is usually his side.

He always takes the left side, and I was on the right, but sleeping without him, I'd sprawl out and take up the whole bed.

I'm not going to lie; it was enjoyable getting to sleep all stretched out like that, but I'd trade anything to fall asleep in Corey's tight grip again.

He'd wrap me in his arms, and even with all my demons haunting me, I was safe. I would take comfort in hearing his steady heartbeat when my cheek laid upon his chest; the little tickles I would get on the back of my neck with every breath he took were always so tranquilizing.

I could remember every detail, yet the thought of it was somehow so unfamiliar.

Sleeping without him might be comfortable, but sleeping with him, with my body pressed against his and the only sign of hell was the warmth our bodies shared, that was home.

"We really need to talk Clo," Corey speaks, turning so he's facing me. He swings his legs onto the bed, leaving the cap of his knee nudged against the indent between the bone and muscle on my shin. The touch was small and most likely unintentional, but it made me crave more.

"That's the problem Corey; you keep telling me we need to talk, but you don't take into account what I'm saying." I spill how I feel, but while I spoke, I slowly snuck my hand out from out of my pocket and onto his leg, loving the buzz of adrenaline when my fingertips touch his skin. "You have this idea cultivated in your head about how it should be, and you're being so stubborn about keeping it exactly the way that you're imagining."

Corey rests his hand on top of mine. He bites his bottom lip and looks down, but not before I could notice the guilt infused in his eyes and the slight stutter in his speech. "I- I miss you, Cloe."

I drop my gaze and move my head to the side. His other hand raises to my cheek, gently turning my face, so our eyes meet again. I close my eyes, not wanting to look at him.

We were both being difficult, but this was a whole new level of complicated coming from Corey. He misses me, but he's the one keeping me distanced from him.

Corey and I have never known normal. Our lives have always been crazy, but they were balanced by the fact that we were both crazy about each other.

Now we're trying to find a "normal," and we're left wondering why everything is changing.

There's no median we can reach; it's all new territory that we're trying to trek independently when really, we should be trying to conquer it together.

"I miss you too," I say, my voice barely above a whisper while I forced myself to quit looking at his lips. Those soft, sweet lips that I hadn't tasted in weeks.

He moved his hand off of mine and slowly brought it up higher. He stopped when his hand reached my hip.

Corey leans down slowly, moving my hair away from my face and lacing his other hand around to the small of my back.

My stomach bundles in knots when his lips brush against mine. They don't stay for more than a moment, running past my cheek and lowering down to my ear.

"If you don't want to go back, you don't have to; not if it's making you this upset," he whispers.

I nod, feeling a hitch in my breath when he moves his body and gently pushes mine down. He uses the grip he had on my hip to pull me under him and just like that; I was all his.

The only thing I wanted at that moment was his lips on mine and nothing, no petty arguments or any ridiculous thoughts of mixed feelings, was going to get in the way of me getting what I wanted.

I look up at him, the sparkle in his ocean blue eyes taking me in and making me fall more and more in love with the boy staring down at me.

I grab the collar of his blue practice shirt and pull him down, stopping when his lips were inches away from mine.

Corey smiles and my heart skips a beat. I fell in love with the moment we were enclosed in, relinquishing in the fact that it felt so normal.

His hand moves off of my hip and up to my cheek. His thumb grazes across my lips, staring down at them before finally moving closer.

I drape my arms around my neck, using him to pull myself up and kiss him back.

Corey sits up but only to move my body forward. He lays my head down on top of the pillows, running his hands down my back before creeping them under my shirt.

He takes it off, breaking his lips away from mine and slowly running them down my chest, leaving small kisses down my torso.

I close my eyes, feeling myself fading into a blissful euphoria that only Corey could take me to.

Word Count: 1265

Date Published: 7/5/18