Xavier
Quietly, I close the front door. The curtains in the living room are open, the afternoon sun beaming through the windows. There's no sound in the apartment. It's almost peaceful. It's clean and smells like cotton. I walk down the hallway to her bedroom which is the second door to the right and push it open without knocking.
My eyes instantly go to her bed and see her under the covers, her hair fanned across on her pillows. My heart settles a little seeing that she's asleep. That she's at least somewhat in comfort. I step around her queen-sized bed to crouch near her.
God, she's beautiful.
Her eyes are closed, her long eyelashes fluttering her cheeks. Her pillowy, pink lips are parted, soft breaths sounding from them. Her nose looks a little red, probably from all the rough tissues.
Tissues litter her nightstand along with some pills and a glass of water. Her curtains are drawn and the lights are off. I stand up and start to tidy her desk up. It looks like she was working. Letting her sleep, I exit her room and go into the kitchen to prepare some food for her.
As a kid, when I got sick, my mom would make me chicken and vegetable soup. I hated it but it worked its magic and made me healthy. But for Lia, I'm making just vegetable soup. She doesn't like chicken in soup.
Cutting the vegetables, I throw them in the pot, then taste the flavor. Lia hates when there's no salt in her food. Once I'm satisfied, I put the lid back on and head back into her bedroom to wake her up.
I'm surprised she hasn't woken up. Lia is a light sleeper, the smallest sound will wake her up. I was a little clumsy in the kitchen with the clanking and fuck not. But that only means, she's exhausted and really fucking sick. I crouch before her again and tenderly caress her cheek. I ignore the shivers that jolt down my spine from just touching her cheek. My stomach tightens when I feel how hot she is. She's burning up.
I feel her forehead and yeah, she's got a fever.
Protectiveness like never before grapples at me. I need to make her better. I don't like this. I don't like her in pain or in discomfort.
Lia's brows dip and a sad expression colors her face.
"Baby, wake up." I whisper.
My eyes roam over her bare face, taking in her demure, gorgeous features. Lia softly moans in slumber, her eyes fluttering open and when those warm brown eyes lock onto mine, all my tension washes away.
"Xavier?" Her voice is heavy with fatigue.
"You need to get up." I encourage her, brushing strands of her hair away from her eyes.
Lia looks confused but exhausted. I wonder how long she's been sleeping. Nolee said she's been in bed all night. That's not healthy.
I stand and grab her hand to help her sit upright. Her long hair splays around her but I tuck it behind her ears, giving her some breathing room so she doesn't feel suffocated.
"What are you doing here?" Her voice is nasally from her blocked nose and I find it fucking adorable.
"Your girls told me you were sick." I say as I help her climb out of her bed.
Her small frame is drowned in her pajama bottoms and an oversized t-shirt.
Lia tilts her head up to look at me.
"And you came?"
For a moment, I'm knocked off my ass at how alarmingly breathtaking she is. Her eyelashes are so long and the way she's looking up at me with so much innocence and gratitude has my protectiveness kicking its fucking feet in joy.
"Always." I quietly answer.
Lia chews on her cheek, looking elsewhere but I catch the pink tinting her cheeks.
"I'm sorry. I meant to text you but I was so tired."
"Don't apologize. As long as you're okay, that's all that matters."
"But I'm not okay. I'm sick." Lia pouts.
I chuckle.
"I can see that. Why don't we get you showered and fed, then maybe you'll feel a little better?"
She nods obediently and steps away from me. I watch her grab some clean clothes and walk into the bathroom. I wait until I hear the water running.
Then I step inside.
She sees me and gasps.
"What are you doing?" Her wide eyes and flushed cheeks are cute.
I keep my eyes on hers because I know the moment I let them trail down her hot, wet body, I'll lose control.
"Making sure you don't faint in there."
"Xavier, when has that ever happened?"
"The day after Blair's birthday. You fainted in the shower. In my arms. So forgive me for looking out for you."
That day, Lia almost gave me a fucking heart attack. We were in the shower together after having sex and as we were messing around under the hot water, Lia got dizzy and fainted. Right there in my arms. I had never felt so scared in my life before. I didn't know what happened to her but when she regained consciousness, she told me so nonchalantly that she faints when she gets overheated. Imagine my fucking surprise at those words. So after that, I made sure that whenever we took showers together or slept in the same bed, she was at least a little cold.
Lia doesn't answer me. She starts to wash her hair and when she goes to wash her body, I avert my gaze. Giving her privacy even though I'm right there leaning against the sink counter. Yet my body hums at the sounds—the water raining down on her, her little sighs. That honey-colored skin of hers is like sweet, sweet honey, and when it's wet...fuck me.
"Towel."
Lia's melodic voice breaks me out of my lustful thoughts. Her head peeks out of the shower whilst trying to hide her naked body with her hands. I don't hesitate to hand her her towel with a small grin on my face.
"You're acting as if I haven't seen every inch of you before." I mutter with amusement.
"Yeah, well, that was before," Lia mumbles with nervousness and a little shyness, "Now we're friends so it's...awkward."
That makes me smile.
"Get dressed. I've made soup. I'm not leaving until you finish that whole bowl."
<3 <3 <3 <3
I'm placing the bowl of soup on the living room table when Lia steps out of her bedroom. And I can't hide my shit-eating grin. She's wearing clean pajamas but she's wearing her huge blue hoodie blanket that has koalas all over it. And it dwarfs her.
She's adorable.
With amusement, I watch her melt onto the sofa and curl her legs under the hoodie, slumping her head against the cushions with a tired sigh. Cocooning herself like a baby.
This girl...
With a light laugh, I sit next to her and tug her upright. She protests a soft groan that goes straight to my heart and does weird things to it. Grabbing the bowl, I hand it to her. I made sure the bowl wasn't hot so she doesn't burn herself. Lia gloomily starts to eat.
I notice her wet hair is drying out so I gesture for her to turn around whilst I go and grab her hairbrush. Lia sits silently, eating as I brush through her wet strands with a detangling comb that she always uses because of her long, thick hair. Once her silky, soft strands are detangled, I braid her hair. My mom taught me how to braid hair and it kind of stuck with me. As a kid, I used to be fascinated whenever she braided her hair. I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Lia's hair is pretty. Long, soft, healthy. It's my third favorite feature of hers.
One is obviously her eyes. The second is her waist.
When I'm finished braiding her hair, she's done with her soup and I check the bowl to make sure she's finished it. She has. A little weight lifts off my shoulder knowing that she's got something inside her stomach and that she's clean and looking less like a dying cat.
Kidding.
A cute dying cat.
After giving her some medicine, I put on the new volume of Stranger Things. It plays in the background as Lia moves around the sofa to get comfortable. She shuffles and snuggles into the corner, wrapping herself in her hoodie, looking very, very cuddly.
"You're looking a little too cuddly. I might end up in there with you." Playfully, I say, reaching over to feel her forehead.
A little better.
Lia flicks her warm eyes at me, their color glittering with bliss.
"Are you flirting with me, Xavier Knight? You're not supposed to flirt with your friend."
I lean back, spread my legs, and tilt my head to gaze deeply into her eyes.
"Why can't I flirt with my friend?"
She tilts her head.
"Because that totally goes against the friend pact."
"But I can't help it when you're looking cuddly as fuck."
"The only cuties who are allowed to cuddle with me are Snuggles and Bloo."
I grin.
"Not me?"
"No."
That makes me scoff in amusement.
"I'm the best cuddler and you know it," I sound arrogant but I don't give a fuck, "You never left my arms when we cuddled."
I love cuddling with her. She's like a teddy bear when she wraps those slender arms around me and buries her face in my chest. It feels like home when she's in my arms.
Lia softly laughs, the melodic sound warming my heart. There's still a faint blush on her cheeks but that's good. The hotter she is, the faster she will get better. Yet I have to keep an eye on her in case she faints.
There are a few moments of silence as we watch the Dear Billy episode. Before that night, we were both excited to watch the new volumes. Lia got me into it and I got addicted. But then after, I couldn't bring myself to watch it without her, so this is the first time I'm watching the new volume.
"I watched your race." Lia, out of the blue, confesses.
My eyes snap to hers.
"What?"
"I live-streamed it," she prettily and bashfully smiles, "You're amazing."
Fuck me.
My heart feels like it's floating.
She watched it. She watched me race. Knowing that she didn't miss my first race scares away the frustration and sadness I was feeling. And knowing she watched it even though she should've been resting, makes me want to hug her, kiss her.
I don't know how much longer I can last without kissing her.
"How do you feel?" Lia with a soft whisper of her sweet voice, asks me.
I rest my head back against the sofa and sigh. Happy and overwhelmed at the same time.
"Like it didn't happen. It still feels like a dream." Wistfully, I answer her question.
It's odd when you've taken the first steps into your dream. It almost makes you want to hide and back out of it. Yet when the euphoric high of happiness hits you, you get addicted.
Lia tenderly smiles at me, gazing at me with endearment sparkling in her eyes.
"I wish you were there." I can't help but say.
I appreciate her for watching me on live stream but it doesn't compare to the real thing. I wanted to see her face in the crowd, I wanted to hug her after the race.
Lia apologetically grimaces.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. There's always a next time."
She bursts into a bright smile.
"I promise not to get sick and be there in the crowd, supporting you, cheering you on because Xavier Knight is the best racer ever."
I'm bewitched by her smile. She looks healthier than she did two hours ago. And her calling me the best racer ever? I can die happily now.
After that, we don't talk much besides commenting on things that happen in the episodes we're watching. And it's within these moments that my stomach tightens with absolute misery of her absence in my life.
I want her back badly.
"What are you doing?" I gruffly ask when I catch her standing up suddenly.
She fidgets with her hood, adjusting it on her head, looking adorable as fuck.
"I've been sick for the past two days. I've been throwing up and eating practically nothing. My skin is begging for some care."
I laugh to myself when she waddles away. She comes back two seconds later with something in her hand.
"What is that?" I take in the green plastic tub.
Lia flops down on the sofa. Her cottony scent giving me goosebumps.
"Face mask." She coughs a little and I'm handing her the bottle of water in the next second. She smiles but takes a sip.
"Let me put it on for you." I'm itching to get my hands on her.
Lia cheerfully nods, giving me the face mask before sliding on a pink fluffy headband to push back her hair. I move closer until the soft material of her hoodie blanket touches my arms. With the brush she brought with the tub, I apply a generous amount of the green goo onto her face. Painting her face like she's my personal canvas. I find myself smiling in serenity as I glide across her cheeks, over her nose, and around her pillowy lips.
She doesn't take her eyes off of me and the way she parts her lips to breathe out an airy sigh has me completely fucking spellbound. I'm drawn to her like a moth to a flame. She's got the most perfect lips. Puffy, round, soft, a mysterious shade of pink and raspberry. My mouth waters upon remembering how they taste. Like sweet almonds and cherries.
"So tempted to kiss you." I'm whispering with my lips a breath away from hers.
Lia's eyes flutter.
"You can't."
"But I want to."
"We're friends."
That gets me grinning.
"Lovers and soulmates."
Her melodic, airy giggle gives me warmth.
"Poetic, are we?"
"Nah," I can't stop staring at her lips, "Just a man in love."
So, so in love.
"No flirting," Lia blushes, lightheartedly pushing me away, making me smile like an idiot, "And no making my heart flutter."
I keep my eyes locked on her as she squirms around, failing to hide her shyness. Even after all this time, after everything we've done and said to each other, she still gets shy and it's the best fucking thing in the world.
We go back to watching the Piggyback episode. Both of us sat comfortably close. It's torture trying not to hold her, to lay her head on my chest. There's a constant energy between us that tugs us towards one another no matter where we are. When she walks into a room, I can feel her before I can lay my eyes on her. My body is tuned to dance to her soul. I'm like a puppet to her strings.
I'm so lost in my thoughts that I don't realize that Lia has washed her mask off. She looks healthier with more glow to her cheeks. Regardless, I check her forehead, and her temperature has come down a little.
She heartwarmingly smiles at me, watching me demure adoration and for a moment I'm thanking her for putting in place this friend pact because her looking at me like that just makes me want to...have her. In every way possible.
"I think this is good." I say and her brows furrow.
"What is?"
"This friend pact."
I watch as a range of emotions morph her beautiful features. Confusion, dejection, irritation. She's probably assuming I said that to mean that we're better off as friends but she's smart. She understands what I meant.
I move closer. Closing our proximity. My hands naturally seek out her waist and it feels damn good to hold her. Again, her eyes stare at me with that unfiltered innocence and unbreakable affection.
I want this girl.
"Because the moment I have you, Lia, I'm never letting you go."
She'll be mine with my ring on her finger, my bed to warm, my kid in her womb.
Our noses brush against each other, our eyes flickering between each other, our lips yearning to kiss each other. Her chest rises and falls and I know that her heart is beating as crazily as mine is. Lia's eyes lock onto mine, searching and falling into them like she's witnessing a wonder.
"Why do you love me?" Her sensuous, sweet voice rattles me but not more so than her loaded question.
But it's a piece of cake to answer. Because I've never been so sure of something in my life before.
"Because my heart beats for nothing but you. I'm in love with your entire being. With your hands and how they feel when they're in mine. Your eyes and the way they sparkle when you smile at me. Your lips and the way they taste when we kiss. Everything about you is every single reason why I love you." My hands cradle her face, my thumbs caressing her cheeks. Her soft skin feels wonderful.
Lia looks starstruck.
"Whoa."
Softly, I chuckle at her adorable reaction.
Understandable because we've never really talked so...freely about why we love one another. The feeling and knowing have always been there between us. It was conveyed by how we talked to each other, looked at each other, held each other. But damn if it doesn't feel good to let it all out and her reaction makes it ten million times worth it.
"Why do you love me?" I ask her and I know I might be crossing a boundary considering we're friends but I don't care.
Lia pouts.
"I can't say it now that you've said all that. My reason will sound dumb."
I grin, tugging her close to me.
"Say it." I whisper against her lips.
Lia's eyes flicker to my lips and then back to my eyes.
"Because you make my reality better than my dreams."
My heart blooms with happiness.
Fuck. I'm so fucking whipped.
Not wasting another second, I crash my lips on hers. Groaning at how good she feels. Flames ignite my stomach at our contact. It's dizzying. So surreal. I don't care that she's sick or that it's contagious. Kissing her in this moment is all that matters. Lia whimpers but doesn't hesitate to kiss me back. Her small, shy strokes get my body twisting into a chaotic mess.
I've always adored the way she kisses. She savors the kiss like a precious memory. There's no urgency in her kisses. Slow, sweet, passionate. Lia kisses with her heart.
Before we can go further, Lia breaks the kiss, looking bewildered.
"Xavier. You're gonna get sick." She urges incredulously.
I smirk and lean back.
"Don't care."
She nibbles on her bottom lip and damn if I don't almost take it between my teeth.
"We shouldn't have kissed. We're friends."
I scoff with no malice.
"Don't kiss me." She endearingly demands but I just smile.
"Stop saying pretty shit that makes me want to kiss you, then maybe I won't."
Lia gawks at me before smacking me across my chest. A laugh bursts out of me.
"Ugh, you're unstoppable."
And so in love.