Warning: sexual content.
This is a long one and probably one of my favourite chapters I've written so far. Also, it was really close between Blake and Reece when I asked for you guys for suggestions for which member of NHC you wanted to flirt with Ella in an earlier chapter but I ended up going with Blake.
Also, this story have 35k+ reads now, which is so cool. Thank you guys so much for reading and sticking with the story, even if I don't update as much as you and I would probably like
much love :)
I'm hungover.
I know, big shock right? It's not like I got through a third of a bottle of vodka last night or anything...
The worst thing is that today is a busy day. The Vamps have a cluster of gigs across the country over the next four days and I'm tagging along, presumably to help Dean if needed. Be ready for 9am, I was told.
Kill. Me. Now.
Truth be told, if left to my own devices, I would have stayed in bed until the early afternoon and let them leave without me. However, my brother had other plans and barged into my room at half seven, jumped on top of me and then physically dragged me out of bed. It was very traumatic, I can assure you, especially since I had to pretend like I wasn't close to vomiting everywhere. I really didn't fancy explaining why I was hungover when as far as he was aware, I'd had a quiet night in hanging out in my room.
Effort is not even in the question today, I decide, as I throw on a pair of leggings and a comfy hoodie. I complete today's look with a pair of Adidas trainers and zero make-up, just to ensure that how I looked on the outside really matched how I felt on the inside. Absolute shit.
Luckily, I packed my bag yesterday so I spend the rest of the time I spend just lied on my bed trying to hold back vomit and pray away the pounding in my head. I assume that the boys are having breakfast but I can't stomach food right now.
"El, we're going!" I hear my brother call from somewhere in the flat and I muster up the strength to pull myself off my bed. I grab my two bags and throw the larger one over my shoulder, before leaving my room and making my way to the front door. Brad and Tris are already waiting with their bags, Brad with a guitar case slung over his shoulder. I avoid eye contact with Brad because I'm a little embarrassed about last night. Not just the whole 'me being pathetically drunk' thing but also everything I said. I don't normally open myself up to people that much because it makes me feel vulnerable. I just don't want Brad thinking of me any differently; I'm still the smart-mouthed sassy bitch he's known me as since we met.
"You ready?" Tris asks, quirking an eyebrow at me. I nod and we lug our bags to the lift. Once we're inside, I sigh and lean my throbbing head against the cold metal wall.
"You alright, Ella?" I hear Brad ask and I can detect the hint of amusement in his voice, "you look a bit ill"
I glance up at him with a guarded expression, making the corners of his mouth curl up ever so slightly, "I'm fine"
"He's right, you don't look great" my brothers adds in a concerned tone.
"I'm fine" I repeat.
"You almost look hungover" Brad adds and I grit my teeth. He may have been effing adorable with drunk me last night but he's still an arsehole. If I didn't feel so shit, I would honestly kick his arse right now.
"How could I be hungover, Bradley, if I haven't been drinking?" I retort in a sarcastic tone. Brad just shrugs but I can see he's hiding the knowing grin from his face.
The boys' van is parked up outside and Joe jumps out, helping us put our bags in the large boot before we start to address the seating arrangements.
"Right, so one of you can sit near the front with me-" Joe doesn't even have time to finish his sentence before I climb into the van and sit myself down behind the driver.
I love the boys, I really do, but I'm not in the mood to be dealing with their annoying antics for four hours.
".... And looks like you two are in the back" I hear Joe finish. The three of them climb into the van and get settled before we set off.
I put my headphones on and sleep for the first hour or so, and when I wake up, I feel a little better. My head isn't hurting as much and the urge to vomit is minimal. I sit up and slip the headphones off, leaving them hanging around my neck whilst I grab a bottle of water from my bag. I can hear the boys laughing about something from the seats behind me but I don't really take much notice until I hear my name mentioned.
"What?" I ask, shifting in my seat so I can see them.
"Were you asleep then?" Connor smiles and I nod.
"She's been asleep for the past hour" Joe adds, making the boys chuckle.
"We can hear your headphones blasting Bring Me The Horizon and Nirvana" Connor laughs, "how did you sleep through that?"
I laugh, whilst hearing my brother mutter, "she'll sleep through a bloody apocalypse, that one"
"Metal and grunge are my go-to sleep aids" I joke.
Now I'm awake, I take my sketchbook and a pen from my bag and I turn to the next clean page. I spend a while just filling the page with random doodles that don't really hold much meaning before I get bored and shut my sketchbook.
"Can I have a look at that, Ella?" Joe asks. I look up to see him pointing at my sketchbook.
"Um, sure" I shrug, handing it to him. He starts to peruse through the pad idly whilst I stare out of the window at the endless stretch of motorway ahead of us.
"You're really talented" Joe tells me as he admires a drawing of a lion's head that I'd done a while back, "have you ever thought about studying art?"
"Um, I've applied to the University of the Arts in London" I explain and suddenly the queasy feeling in my stomach returns as I'm reminded of the reason I got drunk last night, "they haven't got back to me yet"
"I'm sure you'll get in" he assures me, giving me the generic response that I receive when I tell people that, before he turns his attention back to the sketchbook and turns the page, "wow..."
I glance at my book to see he's on the page with my drawing of Brad and my cheeks heat up. Brad's the only person who's seen that so far and even though it's one of my best pieces, it's not something that I'm ready to show people yet. I pray that Joe doesn't make a big deal out of it because I don't want Tris to see it; that would raise a whole lot of questions that I'm not ready to answer.
"Has he seen this?" Joe asks and I mentally thank him for keeping his voice down.
I nod, "yeah"
"It's amazing"
My cheeks turn redder and I find a sudden interest in the wire on my headphones. I pray that Joe continues looking through my sketchbook instead of throwing me more compliments on my drawing of Brad. I pick up my bottle of water and start to drink that to occupy me. As I'm taking a gulp, I glance over and see Joe's head turned to one side, his expression halfway between confusion and amusement. I realise why when my eyes flit down to see he's on the page with the 'tattoo' I designed for Brad a few weeks ago - you know, the penis ejaculating Marry me, Ella.
Some of my water sprays out of my mouth unintentionally and I nearly choke on the rest, before I start uncontrollably laughing.
"It's, um... nice, Ella... very realistic... " Joe hums, while I continue having a laughing fit. Now I've started, I can't stop.
"What?" I hear James ask and Joe just holds up the sketchpad for all the boys to see.
"What the fuck is that?" I hear Connor snort, clearly getting the attention of the others.
"Oh, Jesus" I hear Brad mutter, "I'd forgotten about that"
"What?"
"She designed me a tattoo"
Apparently, that tickles everyone because for a few moments the car is filled with a chorus of loud laughs.
"Why is the penis so small?" Connor asks through laughs. I turn my head.
"Well, I hadn't seen Brad's penis so I had to estimate"
Connor and James fall into another fit of giggles.
"It's loads bigger than that" I hear Brad say loudly.
"Why is that penis so realistic?" my brother asks me in a stern tone, ignoring Brad, "you shouldn't be able to draw a penis that well"
"Con, you've seen it, right?" Brad continues, "it's bigger than that, isn't it?"
"No, actually, I think Ella's been pretty generous" Connor teases.
"Tris, you've seen it-"
"I hope she didn't draw that from life"
"James, you've definitely seen it..."
Jesus, this journey's gonna be a long one.
* * * * * * *
It's early afternoon when we reach the hotel in Newcastle and the boys have a soundcheck, but we have to sort out the sleeping arrangements first. The driver parks the van around the back of the hotel and Joe goes into the hotel on his own to check us all in without attracting attention. He returns about fifteen minutes later.
"Right" he says, getting all our attention as he climbs in the van and starts handing out the room keys, "Con and Brad, you're together, James and Tris" then he turns to me, "Ella, there's your key"
"Wait, she gets her own room?" Tris scoffs.
"Must be traumatising enough for her to live with you and Brad on the regular, the girl deserves a break" Joe says, whilst my brother receives a few teasing snickers from the boys. I stick my tongue out at him so he sticks his out back. Then Joe leaves to go sort something out, leaving the boys and me in the van still.
"Will you not be bored on your own, Ella?" my brother asks. Bored? Having my own hotel room sounds like bloody paradise.
"I'll probably just invite one of my boyfriends round to keep me company," I say with a shrug.
"Why? How many have you got?" Connor asks jokingly.
"One in every city" I tell them casually, keeping a straight face, "Christian is my Newcastle guy but he's more of a manfriend. Buys me jewellery. Calls me 'Peaches'"
"I'd like a word with Christian" Tris mutters.
"He's a busy guy, Tris, you know how businessmen are" I sigh, "and he'll probably pick me up in his Porsche after the show and take me out for drinks, you won't have time to meet him"
"Christian sounds like a knob" I hear Brad say, making my brother snort. Honestly, anyone would think Bradley was jealous. Jealous of a fictional man.
"You don't have to be jealous of every guy that has a bigger penis than you, Brad" I shoot back in a patronising tone.
"Guys with fancy cars always have small dicks" he retorts.
"Oh, so you and Tris then"
James and Connor laugh, teasing the other two.
"You handed her that on a plate, Brad" Tris sighs, putting his head in his hands.
* * * * * * *
I decide to skip the boys' soundcheck.
I mean, I wasn't exactly missing anything. I would see the show later anyway and Dean didn't need me for anything. Not that he needs me to do his job anyway.
So I decide to explore Newcastle for a while and do a little shopping. I go to all the standard high street clothes shops - Topshop, New Look, H&M, etc. - and buy a new dress from the sales rack in River island. Then I sit down in Subway for a while and buy a sandwich for my lunch. I text Brad to pass the time asking what they were up to and he replies telling me that New Hope Club, the boys' support act, were doing their soundcheck now that the boy's had done theirs. He asks what I've been up to and I tell him about my shopping and the dress I've bought.
Is it short? ;)
I smirk and hold back a laugh. I decide to tease him a little.
Very
When do I get to see you in it?
I would wear it to the show tonight but I wouldn't want all the boys looking at me and making you jealous
I'm not a jealous guy
I can't help but laugh out loud at that one. Who's he trying to kid?
That's funny, you seemed jealous of Christian this morning
How can I be jealous of someone who isn't real?
Who says he's not real? ;) I reply just to see his reaction.
So when will I see you in this dress then? He eventually replies, and I smirk at his obvious subject change.
Maybe you could come to my room tonight and I can show you without you getting jealous
As long as Christian or any of your other boyfriends won't be there
I'm all yours
I lock my phone and take a long sip of my drink. I know I was being flirty and jokey but the thought of actually inviting Brad to my room tonight seemed like an interesting idea. It would allow us some time alone and we wouldn't have to worry about Tris wandering in on something he shouldn't because my room was on a completely different floor to the boys' rooms. How often does an opportunity like this come up?
And time alone means lots of uninterrupted kissing. And probably more. Hopefully more. Ever since Brad had gone down on me in the living room the other day, I'd been eagerly anticipating something else to happen but we just hadn't had the opportunity. Maybe tonight we would.
Maybe tonight would be the night.
I'd obviously thought about being intimate with Brad since before we were even 'together' but since the travesty that was my first time, sex isn't something I jump straight into. It's something that I like to take my time with and it's something that I like to wait for until I'm sure that the guy is not going to use me or leave me or mess me around.
So far, I've never reached that point with a guy, but then along came Bradley and here we are. For the first time in my life, I genuinely feel ready to make that step with someone I care about and who cares about me.
I decide that if Brad and I are going to do anything remotely sexual tonight, I'm going to look good for it. The whole 'him going down on me' thing was completely spontaneous and I didn't have time to prepare, i.e. my knickers, although not my worst pair, were also not my best. They were on sale in Topshop and I'm pretty sure that there used to be a bow on the front that has fallen off after months of wear. Bradley deserves better.
I leave Subway and go to the nearest fancy underwear shop that I can find, which happens to be a Victoria's Secret. I have a mooch around the underwear section for a while, sighing at the price tags, but nothing seems to stand out to me. All the underwear is either too expensive or too revealing or just not in my size.
I give up trying to find underwear and have a look around the rest of the shop. I find myself in the nightwear section and they have some pretty cute pyjamas.
God, Ella, you did not come here for bloody pyjamas...
I'm about to leave the shop altogether when my eyes fall on some pyjamas- well, Victoria's Secret is advertising them as pyjamas but they might as well be underwear. The set consists of a silk burgundy bralette and a matching pair of... well, something that's somewhere between shorts and knickers. They're sexy enough that I think Brad will like them but not so revealing that I'd feel uncomfortable. I pick out a pair in my size and take them to the changing rooms.
When I try them on, I fall in love. The bralette is cute and actually looks flattering on my small chest. The shorts sit nicely around my bum, making it look rounder, and fit my waist snugly, making it look smaller. It's one of the only times in my life that I've actually felt sexy and confident in myself and in my body. I've never liked my small boobs or my slightly chubby thighs, but hell, they look pretty cute in this.
I get changed and buy them before I can change my mind.
By the time I've visited a few more shops, taken my shopping back to my hotel room and then made my way to the venue, New Hope Club have just finished performing and The Vamps boys are warming up backstage.
RIght before they go on, Tris gives me his iPhone so that I can take some videos and pictures for the band's Snapchat from the side of the stage. They get in their places to go on stage and I find a spot at the side where I can get a good view of them.
I manage to a good video of the boys coming out onto the stage and then a few more of them performing their first song. After that, I decide to hold back a little and not bombard their Snapchat story too much. Instead, I try to enjoy the show and the way that Brad is strutting around the stage like he owns it. Smug bastard.
Well, I try to enjoy it but I sense that I'm being watched. Glancing over to my left, my eyes fall on a small group of boys that I recognise as the three boys of New Hope Club. One of them is watching the show, minding his own business, whilst the other two are staring at me and talking.
Subtle.
I stare back and then raise my eyebrows at them, hoping that they'll look away. They don't. Instead, the one with the dark hair smirks a little before saying something to his sandy-haired friend. I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to the stage, but I see movement out of the corner of my eye. I just know that one of them is coming over and I sigh, preparing for the imminent conversation. I'm not stood here to socialise, I'm here to stare at Brad.
At that moment, Brad himself catches my eye as he's walking towards my side of the stage and gives me a sly wink as he sings. I flash him a smile that quickly turns into a smirk when I think about tonight. He doesn't know that I've bought lacy silk pyjamas-that-are-basically-underwear just for his amusement yet and I'm still debating on whether to keep it a surprise until I get him to my room or whether to casually mention it in conversation in order to persuade him to come to my room.
"Um, hi"
I look to my left again to see the dark-haired guy stood beside me, a friendly smile on his face.
"Hi" I say politely.
"I'm Blake" he tells me before he points back to the other two guys, "me and my friends are in New Hope Club, we were supporting The Vamps"
"Yeah, I know"
"Are you part of the guys' crew or something?" He asks, gesturing to Tris's phone in my hands, "it's just that we've never seen you around before"
"Yeah, I'm hired purely to put pictures on their snapchat story" I tell him with a straight face. He laughs nervously and I don't think he can tell if I'm being serious or not.
"What's your name?" He asks, changing the subject completely.
"Ella"
"Ella?" He smiles, "that's a pretty name"
"Well, my mum picked it so maybe you should tell her that"
He chuckles, nervously again, "I guess she's to blame for your good genes too, huh?" He adds smoothly.
"Actually I'm adopted" I say with a completely straight face. His face drops and his eyes widen.
"Oh shit, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean..." He trails off as his eyes scour my face, "no, you're joking, aren't you?... Wait, are you joking?"
Jesus, did no one warn these poor boys about me?
"Please tell me you're joking, I feel bad"
"You're really easy to wind up" I comment, smirking to myself as I turn back to the watch the boys on stage. Blake doesn't say anything else but I can feel his eyes scouring me still, "do you always stare this much?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow at him.
"Sorry" he says, laughing nervously, "it's just, you're really cute"
I'm flattered, I really am, but I already have a man. Even if he's not technically my boyfriend yet.
"I'm not when you get to know me" I laugh dryly, rolling my eyes.
"Will I get to know you?" He asks in a flirty tone. I frown because he obviously hasn't been deterred by my resting bitch face or sassy attitude yet. I open my mouth in order to tell him that I'm not interested when two boys bound over, one of them slinging their arms playfully around Blake's neck. It's the other two members of New Hope Club.
"We hope Blake isn't scaring you" the sandy-haired guy smirks in a distinctly northern accent, ruffling Blake's hair.
"Yeah, he tends to do that with girls" the blonde guy jokes, punching his arm playfully.
"Boys don't scare me, I scare them" I retort, flashing an innocently sweet smile at them, which makes them laugh. They obviously think I'm joking.
They then introduce themselves as Reece and George.
"So you work with the boys?" George questions.
"Yeah, I'm Dean's assistant photo and media consultant" I blag, completely exaggerating my relationship with the boys, which is really just 'Tristan's sister who Dean sometimes let's take pictures'.
"Oh cool" they nod, not noticing any irony in my voice.
"How do you get the job then?" Reece asks.
"Oh, me and Tris go way back" I shrug, completely downplaying my association with Tris. Concocting a parallel universe for myself is pretty fun.
After the show, we all make our way back to the hotel. I want to ask Brad if he wants to stay in my room tonight but there's no opportunity to talk alone. The other boys and the crew are all hanging around and I don't want to risk anyone else overhearing.
Eventually, I end up going to my room alone whilst the lads are planning on staying in the hotel's bar. I haven't given up yet in my quest to lure Bradley to my room so I have a shower, reapply my mascara and put on my new 'pyjamas'.
They still look so pretty on me and even if Brad doesn't end up in my bed tonight, I'm happy with my purchase.
I grab my phone and open up a new message to Brad.
What are you doing? I'm bored
He replies a minute or two later.
Still in the bar with Joe, come down and join us if you want
I laugh. Not in this outfit.
Nah, I'm already in my pjs, come to my room?
I'll try and sneak up in a bit
I'm bored r i g h t n o w I reply, trying to emphasise how bored I am in the hopes he will want to relieve me of my boredom.
I'll come up in half an hour, will you be wearing that dress you bought earlier? ;)
Half an hour? Fuck that, I'll have to resort to dirty tactics. He'll have forgotten all about that friggin' dress when he sees my skimpy silk pyjamas.
I spend several minutes in front of the bathroom mirror trying to take a picture that teases the right amount of silk and skin without showing too much. If he wants the rest, he'll have come up and get it for himself.
I send him the picture along with a message that reads I was actually going to wear my new pyjamas
I get a reply almost straight away.
Give me 5 mins
I smirk to myself. He soon changed his mind, didn't he?
I check that my mascara isn't smudged, spray some perfume on my body and then wait.
I'm not waiting long. Within a few minutes of receiving his last text, I hear a knock and make my way to the door. I have a quick peep through the eye hole in the door to see Brad stood behind it. I watch as he straightens out his t-shirt and tries to tame his hair a little, which makes me smile. I unlock the door and peek around it, biting my lip. He looks up at me and grins.
"Y'alright Peaches?" Brad smirks, leaning his arm against the doorframe, "Christian was busy so he sent me"
"You're a lot shorter than Christian" I sigh, pretending to be disappointed.
"What I lack in height, I make up for in other departments, I can assure you" he replies smoothly, pushing himself off the doorframe as I open the door further to let him in. When he steps inside and shuts the door behind him, he gets a full view of my 'pyjamas' and I watch him raise his eyebrows. I have to hold back my laugh.
"You like?"
His eyes linger on my body for a few moments before flickering up to my face. He blinks and then opens his mouth but no words come out. He seems to be at a loss for words.
Have I made Bradley Simpson speechless?
"Yeah?" I ask, checking whether his reaction is good or bad. He smiles.
"Yeah" he answers, his hands finding my waist and gently pulling me closer him, "you look incredible"
A blush tinges my cheeks and my eyes fall down to his chest because he's staring at me so intensely.
"Seriously" he hums, nuzzling his nose against my cheek.
"Well, good " I mumble, sliding my arms around his neck, "because they were very expensive"
"Guess I better make them worth the money then" he grins, walking me backwards so we're further inside my suite.
"That would be appreciated" I smirk as I slip out of his grasp, grabbing his hand as I pull him further into the room. He never takes his eyes off me as we move through my suite and towards the bedroom. We stop in the doorway and I take his other hand, moving his arms around my torso. His arms snake tightly around my waist as I lean back against the doorframe and cup his face in my hands.
The kisses start off soft and gentle, taking our time and testing the waters in anticipation of what was to come. Eventually, lust takes over and hands start wandering, a hazy blur of lips and tongues and fingertips on skin. My hands push Brad's hoodie over his shoulders, and he shrugs it off his arms and onto the floor before my fingers curl around the hem of his t-shirt. At the same time, I make work of a lovebite at the base of his neck, the shallow breaths and small groans leaving his mouth spurring me on. I pull the material up his torso and over his head with his help, letting my fingers trace over the muscles of his shoulders and chest whilst he tosses the t-shirt out of sight. Then I find the buckle of his belt and unfasten it whilst his hands sink into my hair, his forehead resting against mine. I can feel his eyes watching me as I work. When I'm done, his kicks shoes off and discards of his jeans quickly.
He takes my hands in his and guides me to the side of the bed, sitting down on the edge. I climb on, my knees either side of his thighs so I'm straddling his lap whilst he starts to leave kisses against my collarbone
"So exactly how expensive were these so-called 'pyjamas', Peaches?" he murmurs against my skin, thumbing the silky material of the short-shorts between his fingers.
"They were very expensive pyjamas" I hum, closing my eyes at the sensation of his mouth against me.
"Oh, we're still calling them pyjamas" he chuckles, looking up at me with an amused expression. I lean down and press a brief kiss to his lips.
"They are pyjamas" I inform him, dipping my head to sponge more kisses along his jaw.
"They're the smallest fucking pyjamas I've ever seen" he mutters, causing me to giggle lightly against his skin. He slips a finger under the thin strap of the bralette, "I mean, this is barely even a bra"
"If it offends you so much, why don't you take it off?" I suggest, before our mouths meet again, his tongue moving against mine. His hands wander slowly up my back before his calloused fingertips find the clasp of the bralette, playing with it between his fingers but not actually undoing it.
"Brad, take it off" I all but whine.
"Are you sure?" He asks with some weight to his voice, the playful tone momentarily gone. I know he's asking about more than just taking my clothes off.
"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be telling you to take it off"
That's all the clarification he needs, it seems, as he unclips the bralette and pulls it agonisingly slowly down my arms, discarding it carelessly on the floor next to us. He leaves a trail of hot kisses along my jawbone, down my throat and past my collarbone until he reaches my breasts. My hands fall into his hair as he runs his tongue over my skin, teeth occasionally grazing over the flesh. Wanting more control, he hooks his arms around my middle and flips us over so I lie back on the bed and he's on top of me, before he continues where he left off. HIs touch ignites tingles in my core and I can feel myself start to squirm more and more underneath him, my thighs squeezing around his torso.
He shifts himself from over me to my side, giving him better access to slide his hand into my silk short-shorts. He presses hot, wet kisses over my neck and chest as his fingers moving teasingly slow over me. My hands lace into his hair, tugging at his curls as his fingers gradually pick up their pace, small moans escaping my lips.
He stops and takes his hand out of my shorts before I'm satisfied, making me whine and pout at him. He just chuckles lightly.
"I don't want you to come yet," he tells me, pressing a sweet kiss against my lips.
"Well I do" I mutter, and he smirks.
"Patience, Peaches" he teases, sitting up on the bed. I sit up too, crawling into his lap again as we start to kiss heatedly again. His hands cup either side of my face whilst I let my hands wander over his toned chest and stomach. My fingers start to toy with the waistband of his boxers.
"Babe" he hums between kisses, "I've left the condoms in my jeans"
I pull away and sigh theatrically, "Fine" I huff, pretending to be annoyed, "I'll get it"
"Thanks, Peaches" he smiles, gently slapping my bum as I turn around.
"You're pushing your luck" I mutter, batting his hand away as I make my way to the end of the bed. The jeans are on the floor by the bottom of it, so I make a big show of bending over and sticking my bum in the air as I fumble for the condom. I discover there's actually three stuffed in his back pocket.
"Three?" I snort, "someone was optimistic"
"One for tonight, one for the morning and one if you get horny in between" he tells me without missing a beat, the smirk clear in his voice.
At least he's prepared.
I sit up and look over at him with a pretend look of nervousness on my face, "this is really awkward because I was gonna kick you out afterwards"
"That's your loss, babe" he shrugs nonchalantly. I roll my eyes but crawl back up the bed on my hands and knees until I reach Brad again. He's pushed the covers back so he's sat in the bed. I toss two of the condoms on the small table beside the bed and Brad tries to take the remaining condom from my hands but I hold it out of his reach as I rip the packet open. As I take the condom out, my eyes catch the words on the packet.
"Lemon-flavoured" I read aloud, before I pull an 'aww' face, placing my hand over my chest, "Bradley, you spoil me! Did you know that was my favourite flavour of condom or was it a guess?"
"They were the only ones I could find in my bag in a hurry, okay?" He explains, shaking his head at my sarcasm, "you want a better flavour, you give me more warning"
"Okay" I laugh at his failure to hold back his smile before I wrap my arms around his neck and resume our earlier kiss. He flips the two of us over, laying his body over mine, and pulls the duvet over us as we get lost in each other.
* * * * * * *
Afterwards, we lay together under the covers, limbs tangled as we bask in the warmth of each other's bodies.
"Why didn't we do that sooner?" I wonder aloud, though keeping my voice just above a whisper so as not to ruin the intimacy of the moment.
"I would have done if I'd have known that's what you looked like underneath your clothes" Brad murmurs without even opening his eyes and I scoff, batting his chest playfully. He just smirks to himself.
"You've already bedded me, Brad, you don't need to keep trying to woo me"
"Course I do" He hums, sliding his arms tighter around me, "I've got to keep you interested if I wanna keep you around, don't I?"
I bite my lip and nuzzle my head into his chest. I don't think he understands how much that means to me. No one has ever 'kept me around' before; they soon get bored or tired of me.
"I think I should probably go back to my own room so Con doesn't get suspicious" he mumbles, though makes absolutely zero effort to do so. He hasn't even opened his eyes. I know for a fact he's not going back to his own room.
"I think you should stay here"
"You should be convincing me to go" he counters, opening one eye lazily to look at me with an amused smile playing on his lips.
"Well, you could go back to your room and eliminate suspicion" I begin, before I let my finger start tracing lines on his chest, "or you could stay here and cuddle up to my naked body all night, your choice"
"Oh, what a hard decision" he smiles with no emotion in his voice, "looks like you've persuaded me, you're such a ... manipulative cow"
"Right, because you took so much persuading" I snort as he chuckles to himself, "I probably didn't even have to say anything; I could have just flashed my tits and you'd have said yes"
A series of loud laughs escape his mouth, "yeah, probably"
I rest the side of my head back against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat as he absentmindedly plays with a lock of my hair. I can't help but wish that this had been my first time. Not just with Brad but my first with anyone. I've never felt more content and wanted and cared for in my whole life.
It's just so weird to think that Brad is the one who has the ability to make me feel like this. We're not the same Brad and Ella that met that night in the kitchen, me with a knife and a frying pan in my hands and Brad with a very confused expression on his face. If only we'd met under different circumstances, we might have been able to skip all the arguments and name-calling and go straight to this. Though somehow, I can't even imagine that happening. I don't think Brad and I would ever have been best buds from the start; I was always bound to put my walls up.
Plus, that doesn't sound nearly as entertaining.
"Ella?"
"Mmm?" I hum, practically on the verge of falling asleep.
"You know how we've never put a label on what we are?"
"Mhm?" I hum again. I find myself waking up a little now I have a feeling where this conversation is going.
"Can I put a label on it?"
Of course you can Bradley, but not before I've messed with you a little bit.
"What kind of label?" I ask innocently.
"A relationship label"
"What do you mean by 'relationship label'?"
"So, you'll call me your boyfriend, and I'll call you my girlfriend" he clarifies.
"What do you mean by 'boyfriend and girlfriend'?"
"Ella, you fucking know what I mean" he deadpans, making me snicker to myself, "stop being a dick"
I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing and tilt my head up to look at Brad who is watching me with a mock-annoyed glare.
"You're not being clear enough Brad" I sigh dramatically, keeping a straight face, "I don't know what you're trying to ask me"
"Ella, can I call you my girlfriend?"
I stare at him blankly for a few moments, before I shrug nonchalantly and lay my head back on his chest.
"If you like"
"That was painfully difficult," he says in a mock-annoyed tone,
"You should take that as an omen" I smirk, "as to what its gonna be like being in a relationship with me"
"Well, I've made it this far" he smiles, "I must be doing something right"