A LITTLE LESS SIXTEEN CANDLES; A LITTLE MORE TOUCH ME // Karl Jacobs X Reader

28

You had never been to Karl's house before, but he had given you the address some time ago, just in case you had ever wanted to drop in. You had Noah take you there after work - Karl could drive you home if you wanted, or you could stay the night, so she didn't have to worry about coming back to pick you up.

Of course, she teased you mercilessly about this, but you were used to her teasing and you knew it was in good spirit. After all, Noah was the number one supporter of all this.

"This is it." She said, pulling to the side of the road in front of a normal looking house.

You popped open the passenger door and stepped out. "Thanks for the ride Noah."

"Of course." She said. "Have fun. Use protection-!"

You slammed the door, cutting her off. You could see her laughing to herself as she drove off though, and you smiled before turning to face the house in front of you.

Candle in hand, you made your way to the front door, texting Karl that you were outside. You were fairly certain that he was home - he had said he didn't have any plans for the day when you had texted him earlier in the morning.

Sure enough, when the door opened, it was him, looking pleasantly surprised.

"Hey." He said, smiling. "You didn't tell me you were coming."

"It was kind of a last minute thing." You said. "I didn't think you would be busy-"

"No, I was just watching a movie, come in, come in." Karl said, opening the door wider so that you could step into his house.

It was homey - the sort of place that you could imagine a few people your age lived in. Karl brought you back to a set of sofas, where a movie was paused. You recognized the frame.

"High School Musical 2?" You looked to him, amused.

"It's my favorite." Karl said defensively.

"No judgement here." You said.

Karl plopped down on the couch, patting the seat next to him. "Sit down, here, you can put your bag over here."

You had almost forgotten that you were holding it. "Actually, it's for you." You said, handing it to him as you sat down.

"Oh, really?" Karl took it, surprised. "That's really sweet of you."

You smiled as he tore through the wrapping like a kid on Christmas, the shredded tissue paper falling to the floor in front of him. He brought the candle out.

"Summer Dream." He read. "What's it smell like?"

You shrugged, motioning for him to open the lid and see for himself.

He did, breathing deep as the scent washed over him. "Oh wow..." He said. "It smells like Mexico."

"I thought so too." You said. "I know you must have a million candles already, but this one made me think of you."

Karl set the candle on the coffee table in front of the sofas, squeezing your thigh affectionately. "I love it. Let me grab a lighter and we can light it right now."

He bounded into the kitchen and grabbed a lighter, coming back to light the candle. The warm scent of ocean salt emanated from it, washing the room in a beachy smell.

Karl rejoined you on the sofa, laying an arm across your shoulders. You leaned into the touch, resting your head on him.

"I take it you just got off work?" He asked.

You hummed. "How can you tell?"

"You smell like... I don't know. All of it combined."

You laughed, tilting your head back so that you could look at him. Karl just looked at you for a moment, his eyes trailing over your face, mapping out the curve of your nose, the shape of your brow, and finally landing on your lips.

You met him in the middle, pressing your lips to his. The kiss was unhurried and languid, and  you took your time, enjoying the sensation and savoring the pressure of Karl's lips against yours. 

When he pulled away, he was grinning. "I love you."

You smiled. "I love you too."

Karl sighed and leaned down to kiss you again, his free hand coming to cradle the small of your back and tip you backwards so that you fell into the couch, Karl hover over you. This kiss was hurried and urgent, and your hands found their way into Karl's hair, gently tugging at the fluffy locks. His hair was as soft as it looked.

You pulled back for breath only for Karl to attach his lips to the underside of your jaw, working his way to your neck. You sighed headily, shifting into his touch.

Your elbow hit something hard and the TV started up, the middle of a dance number pumping through the speakers.

Karl startled, leaping away and grabbing the remote, rapidly turning down the volume. You burst into laughter.

"Your face!" You giggled. "How loud we're you watching it before?"

Karl grinned sheepishly. "Loud."

You righted yourself on the couch, still laughing. Karl began to giggle as well, hiding his face behind his hands.

"That was so embarrassing." He groaned. "I ruined the moment-"

"Hey." You said, prying his hands apart so that you could press a gentle kiss to his lips. "Don't worry about it - we have all the time in the world."

The movie was still rolling in the background and Karl leaned back into the couch, drawing you to his chest so that he could rest his chin on your head and watch. It was reminiscent of that day in the wardrobe, when he had held you just like this in the dark, heart beating rapidly against his chest. He was calm now, his breathing even.

"We could put something else on if you want." He offered.

"No, this is great." You said. "I haven't watched these movies in forever."

"It feels kind of silly." Karl admitted.

"It's perfect." You said.

And it was.