Lia James
He was here. Andrew was here.
He hadn't changed one bit. Except for minor details like a five o'clock shadow and bags under his eyes, but he was the same broody bad boy that I've come to love.
His hair was extra curly tonight, and he didn't even bother to put up his curls so they hung in a clump on the side of his head. It made my mouth water with intensity.
I couldn't quite see his face because the light cascading through my room from outside didn't hit him quite exactly. He stood hidden in the corner, unable to configure sentences or even words.
"Andrew." I said, almost breathless.
He began walking toward the strip of light in my room, and when I finally saw his handsome face, I nearly melted into my bed. He still was the most beautiful person in existence.
"Are you even real?" I whispered to him. He still couldn't find the right words to say.
Just say something, Andrew.
"Well, it wouldn't be a shocker if you were dreaming about me." Was all he said before I thrusted myself out of my bed and launched myself into his arms.
I hugged him with every ounce inside me, throwing my legs around his waist, as he held me up high. He put his face into my neck, breathing in deeply, like he finally knew my scent after being apart for so long.
"H-How are you h-here?" I said, my smiling taking away from me talking to him.
"My Audi?" He teased, and I wanted to smack him so bad. But I resisted because I just got him back and I didn't want to hit him after all this.
"This is no time to be an asshole, Andy."
"No, I have an asshole. I can't particularly be one." He put me back down on my feet, after I felt like I was flying.
"You're so funny, Andrew." I rolled my eyes jokingly. "God, I missed you so much."
"You have no idea how much I missed you, Lee-Lee. I dreamed about this moment. Being able to hold you in my arms again. It's exactly how I pictured it."
"So, you're dreaming about me too?" I wiggled my eyebrows, and he bit his lip enticingly.
"Ever since the day I left." He confessed, and I gasped.
"Really?"
"Of course. Well, at first it was the thought that you hated my guts, but then it changed to how much I missed you and it took everything in me to walk away from everything I had."
"What did you have, Andrew?" I asked him.
"Nothing. Just...let's not talk about that right now. Let's talk about that fact that I'm here and I'm never leaving again."
"You better not, Price. Or I'll kick your ass." I punched him playfully.
"Oh, will you now?" He grabs my arms, pushing me to the wall, and putting them above my head.
He leans his forehead against mine, as my breathing heightened and I could feel myself drowning in him. Everything about him was consuming. The wicked look in his eyes, the smolder that could make any girl weak in the knees, and the way he bites his lips.
I wanted to kiss those lips so badly. Ever since I was dared to kiss him by Eli, I couldn't help but think about how amazing it would be if our lips connected.
Would their be butterflies? Would it feel like fireworks were exploding above our heads? Would the stars and the moon dance in the sky?
"What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?" He scans my face. I look at him through my eyelashes.
"Nothing. Just thinking." I smiled.
"You always think." He paused. "So, let's not think this time."
His lips get closer and closer with each breath we take in. I couldn't help but look at him, in all his glory towering over me like I was nothing. He's so mesmerizing and out of this world.
He's alien to me. And that's what I like about him.
"Wait." He stops, biting his lip once again. "What about Ian?"
"What about him?"
"God, that look that you give me." His face is inches away from mine. "The look that makes you seem so innocent and pure. But it makes me want to do the exact opposite to you."
I almost gulp, nervous about what's about to happen next. But I try to take it minute by minute, savoring this passionate moment between two people who care for each other.
"I can't get you out of my fucking head. No matter how hard I try." He bows his head. "I knew leaving would make this feeling worse. I fucking knew it and yet I still left. Now, I can't stop missing you."
"I like you...a lot Lia." He adds on. "And I can't deny these feelings that I have because then it will only consume me. It will only be worse in the end."
"I feel the exact same way, Andrew. I couldn't bear not seeing you in the hallways like I used to or going over your house almost everyday. I missed you so much." I speak, breathless.
"You know, I thought about coming back." He started, and I back away a bit. "I thought about what it would be like to finally be noticed again. Mostly by you, but by my friends or my family. But then, I saw you with Ian, and I thought of the worst."
"We broke up. Yesterday actually. It was mutual, we both wanted other people." I confessed, and he smirked at me.
"Did you guys...kiss?" He asks hesitantly, and I smile at his awkwardness.
"Nope. We just went on dates."
I could almost catch that he sighed in relief but made sure to cover it up like it never happened.
"Well, that's a goddamn relief." He sighed, grabbing my face and looking straight into my eyes.
"Kiss me." I told him, and he looked at me like he was grateful that I told him first, almost like he was going to do it anyway regardless of my permission.
"God, I was waiting for you to say that." He said before pressing me against that same wall and smashing his lips against mine.
Our lips connected with rhythm and passion, fireworks danced above us, and the whole universe seemed to drown out as if we were the only ones alive.
My sight, my hearing, my smell, everything was heightened. I drowned myself in anything Andrew, and I wouldn't take it back for the world.
Our tongues glided against one another as our open mouth kisses became hotter and hotter. I felt so warm inside, that I needed to take something off. Clothes, maybe. I don't know.
I fiddled with the hem of his black shirt, and he got the hint. He shrugged off his leather jacket, and pulled the shirt over his head, with my help. Then, he grabbed me by the waist and picked me up, settling me down on the bed softly.
Our lips pulled away, and his connected with the nape of my neck, pressing open mouth kisses every square inch of that entire area. The knuckles of my fingers played with the prominent slopes and planes of his stomach and chest.
I didn't want this moment to end, I wanted it to last forever. But I felt it get a little too personal when I felt his fingers ride up my shirt, and press against my warm stomach.
"Wait, wait." I stopped, breathless and he pulled away. "Not yet, okay? I just want to take things slow."
His lips were swollen and red, glistening from the only source of light that was coming from outside and shining into my room.
His sighed in response, hugging me and crushing me into my mattress.
"Andrew," I grabbed his head and brought it close with mine. "Stay with me tonight? Please."
He pressed a quick kiss to my lips. "I wouldn't want anything more."
I was mentally ready to cross my first kiss off my bucket list.
***
I woke up to the feeling of a warm, masculine hand resting on my stomach on top of my shirt. It only took me a second to realize what happened last night, and how I ended up in someone's arms.
Remembering it all again gave me that same exact feeling that I had in the moment. Those butterflies that fill your insides, making it harder to think or even breathe.
But ones things for sure: I won't stop thinking about it. It's one of those memories, you know, the ones that you'll remember forever. The exact moment it happened and how you felt.
I wanted to see if Andrew was awake, so I tried moving swiftly to my other side, but his arm was locked around me tight and secure. I felt protected in his arms, and it's pretty ironic considering he's in a street gang in San Diego.
Somehow, I managed to switch to my other side despite his strong embrace on my midriff, and I laid closely next to him. He was sleeping soundly, the curls of his hair matted down in front of his eyes.
He was shirtless, and the other half of his body was tangled in the white bedsheets. His left arm was curled up on the pillow, and his head was laying down on it. I tried very hard to avoid looking at his curled, and extremely defined bicep.
I inched closer to him, and I almost gasped when I found out he was only wearing boxers. And it was the thinnest piece of clothing ever.
"I can feel you staring, Lia." Andrew said half-asleep.
"Sorry." I whispered to him, and then brushed the curls away from his eyes to the side of his head. He slowly opened up his eyelids and I saw his amazing chocolate brown eyes.
The ones I have longed to look into since he's been missing for more than two months.
"Don't be sorry. I like when you look at me." He smiled into the pillow. "Did anyone tell you that you're eyes look like the ocean?"
"No, just you." I grinned and he continued.
"Well, they should. Your eyes remind of the ocean in Hawaii. Insanely blue and clear. I'm jealous, mine look like literal shit."
I snorted into the pillow, and he grabbed my waist, pulling me into his arms. He flipped over onto his back, and placed me on top of him with absolutely no effort.
"Yours do not look like shit, Andrew." I laughed. "They remind me of chocolate. Maybe even hot chocolate. And that reminds me of winter which is my favorite season of them all."
"Summer's mine."
"Well, obviously because you've lived in California your whole life. You haven't seen the amazing fall colors on the trees, or the white blankets of snow. Or the phone calls from public schools saying that school is canceled from the amount of snow on the streets. It's the most amazing feeling in the world."
"What about frostbite? Isn't that a pain in the ass?" He asked, and I scoffed.
"Way to look at the negative side of things. Anyways, frostbite only happens if your outside in below freezing weather for more than two hours. Trust me, you wouldn't last and you would want to go inside."
"You know, maybe one day I could go back to your hometown around winter time and you could show me around. Maybe teach me how to build a snow fort or something." He offered, and I hugged him tightly.
"I would love that. You know, I would've taken you this year, if you didn't leave like that."
"Yeah, sorry about that." He frowns, and I put my hand on his cheek. I do not want this moment to be sad. This moment is intimate and happy and that's how it should stay.
"Don't be sorry." I paused. "Actually it wouldn't have worked out anyway because my flight to Maine got canceled as soon as I got to the airport for Christmas break. Apparently there was a huge snowstorm coming in and I couldn't get a flight until next week."
"Oh. I'm sorry about that."
"Don't be. I'll see my Dad and my siblings another time." I snuggled up into his chest, and he threw his arms around me.
"You know, I hate to be that person, but you should probably leave." I started, and he groaned softly against my head.
"Why?" He whined.
"Because, as much as I want you not to leave, your parents have been worried sick about you these past couple of months. You should go talk to them." I tell him, and I can sort of see that he agrees with me.
"You're right." He sighs. " I just don't want to leave."
"I don't want you to leave either. But if you're back in town, your parents would want to know." He nodded in agreement.
"I know. I know. I should probably get changed, right?"
"Yes. You shouldn't have unchanged in the first place." I gave him a look, and he just smirked.
"I know you liked me in your bed with just boxers on." He teased, and I picked up his clothes and threw them at him.
"I really didn't. Cooties, remember?"
"You really believe in that?" He gets up, shrugging his shirt on.
"I believe that when your naked ass is all over my bed."
"My ass wasn't even out, Lia. But if you wanted me to take my boxers off, you could've just asked." He began taking off the only fabric of clothing that kept him from being decent.
I ran over to him from across the room and slapped his hands to make him stop. He grabbed mine before I could and he lifted them, putting them around his neck softly.
He was about to kiss me but I had to stop him.
"No time to kiss, mister." I put my hand on his chest and pushed him away. "Besides, morning breath? Not cute."
"I don't care about that." He rolls his eyes.
"You will care when you kiss me." I go into my closet to pick out some presentable clothes in case Andrew asked me to come inside his house.
We managed to escape Aunt Alex, and Lina and Mason before they had a chance to ask questions. They were all completely oblivious to the fact that Andrew stayed with me last night. And I wanted it to stay that way until I told them myself. It's my life, they don't need to know.
I had decided to wear a simple pair of spandex leggings and a white flowed t-shirt. It was simple enough, and I even topped it off with white slip-on shoes.
It took us about ten minutes to get to Andrew's house. We both decided to take one car, Andrew's Audi, and then he will drop me back off home. But don't worry, I left a note for Aunt Alex explaining where I was in the simplest of terms without giving away any information of my whereabouts.
We pulled up into his brick driveway, and he parked his car in the garage right along side his motorcycle, which I have yet to see him ride.
I insisted that Andrew use the front door since he hasn't been home for quite a while and it would surprise his parents greatly, but he wanted to take a more subtle approach. He went straight through the garage door and walked through the long hallway to the living room.
It didn't seem like anyone was in this room, so I tapped Andrew's arm to check out the kitchen, but he signaled for me to hold off.
He pulled my waist to his body, and leaned down swiftly to kiss my lips. I was worried about one of his family members walking in and seeing his son making out with one of his friends but I put that thought aside when his fingers carelessly tangled in my hair. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he lifted me off the ground. It's so surprising to see how effortless it is for him to lift a girl like me off the ground with only one arm.
I get lost in the moment once again, but I knew we had to stop. I didn't want it to go any further because that's not the purpose of this trip. We needed to find Andrew's parents. Andrew needs to be reunited with his family once and for all.
We pull away softly, and he presses his forehead to mine. We were both breathless, and we tried to keep it under control so that we could make our presence a surprise to the household.
"That never gets old." He bites his lip, obviously wanting more, but I pull away before he has a chance to entice me more.
I scan the room one more time, and there still isn't anyone here.
"Let's go find them." I was about to grab his hand when I heard a feminine voice.
I turn around and see his mother approach the living room from the foyer.
"Andrew? Is that you?"
~*~
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YAYYYY!!! Andrew and Lia FINALLY kissed!!!
How do you feel? I'm excited personally!
I can't wait for you to see them more in action, this story is almost about to reach its climax. Unfortunately, everyone knows the climax will be the biggest part of the entire novel, and then there will the falling action and resolution which won't be that long. If you ever learned that in English class LOL.
So, I'm thinking maybe around 85-87 chapters of Andrew and Lia! What do you think? Too long or too short?
This also means that we are practically halfway there. :( That makes me sad.
Anyway, enough with the sappy stuff.
See you in the next one!
Much love.
XOXO