“I knew your stubborn ass would wear pants just to be a brat. Luckily for you, I rode my bike and now you get to go for a ride before we go home.” I don’t bother correcting my wording tomyhome. I’m not taking the chance of her running away. She loves to pretend things don’t happen, and I’m okay doing it as long as she stays close while she does.
“I don’t want to be your problem.” She pouts.
“You’re my prettiest problem.” I grab my keys from the bar top. “And you're tipsy. Let’s go.”
“You think I’m pretty?” She looks up at me through glassy eyes that are definitely honey green tonight.
“Always.” I gently guide her along with my hand on the small of her back.
“I thought you had a fight.” She repeats as I help her carefully make her way to where my bike is parked. Thankfully, the jacket is still laying over the seat. I help her into the jacket sleeves and grab the extra helmet. She tucks her hair behind her ears and lifts her head upwards to try and help me. It’s cute but not helpful at all.
I pull her head back down by lightly pulling her on her chin and push the helmet over her head. After fastening the strap I lift up the visor and take a second to just appreciate every speck of color in her eyes reflecting the starlight above us. I pull her closer, “You have to hold on tight. No letting go. It’s a short drive.” She nods but it throws off her balance with the weight of the helmet. I steady her before swinging my leg over the bike and helping her on. Pulling her hands around my waist I encourage her to grab onto my shirt. I feel her weight cradle into me and the sense of peace settles over me.
OLIVER
Iwake up with an extra layer of warmth wrapped around me. Mia’s head is tucked into my neck, her thigh is resting on my stomach, and her hand is on my chest. I have to try with everything in me to not laugh at the softest snore coming out of her tiny body. I don’t remember her coming to sleep in here. She must have crawled in sometime throughout the night.
I try to reach down and pull the cover up higher but it’s stuck under her. So I pull her closer instead. Pushing her wild hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. Her mascara is faintly smudged under her lashes and her lips are still slightly red from the night before. The tiniest splash of freckles more visible in the pure morning light.
She stayed.
And instead of my shirt being left on the pillow, I think she is in it. I place a soft kiss on the top of her head before carefully unlocking myself from her. I step into my bathroom and close the door quietly. When I turn around, I can’t help but to grin wide. Right on my collarbone, next to the viper head is a perfectly placed red kiss mark. That’s why her lips are still somewhat red. Her vibrant need to always leave her mark is one of my favorite things about her. I was going to take a shower, but I don’t think I want to wash this off just yet.
When I exit my bathroom, my bed is empty. The covers are pulled up and the pillows are all reset to the top of the bed. My cherry bomb isnowhere in sight. I cross the hallway and see the guest bed that she started in was also made back up. Then I hear clanging come from the front of the house. I don’t bother putting on a shirt but I do pull on some sweats laying over a chair in my room. I hear her before I see her.
Her mumbling is drowned out by her music but she is reaching up into the cabinet. Or attempting to. She’s too short to reach whatever she is trying to get.
“Stupid hot tall man.” She grunts out as she hops up and barely knocks down a box of cereal and then nearly spills it from jumping up and down. She spins around and clutches the box so tightly that it bends in the middle. In a split second she goes from surprised to scowling at me through a few stray pieces of hair falling in her face. “You’re a secret cereal whore.” She points at me using the box in her hand.
I’m too astonished by what she just said to have the capability of responding. I just laugh. My whole body shakes with laughter. I have to reach out to the counter to hold myself up because I get light headed from laughing so hard. When I’m able to open my eyes and look at her again, she hasn’t moved. She is standing in front of me, in just an oversized shirt, bare feet, gripping my favorite cereal in her hand.
“This isn’t funny, Oliver. I’ve been over here so many times, and not once have you shown me your collection of cereal.” She screeches, sounding fully offended. She stomps over to the cabinet and opens both doors. She motions dramatically, “you have the whole fucking cereal aisle in here, Ol. And you haven’t even shared. That’s so rude.” She pouts before she grabs her bowl and a spoon before pouring herself some cereal. I grab the milk for her from the fridge and notice the cherries I bought her aren’t where I left them.
“I didn’t know you’re this passionate about cereal.” I grin as I pour the milk for her. I almost feel like I need to apologize but I like watching her throw a fit too much. She slams her spoon into the bowl and walks towards the living room. She stops after a few steps and then reachesback to grip my hand in hers and pulls me along with her. She leads me through my house like I don’t know my own way around.
“That brick is a different color and now the whole wall is wrong. I tried to fix it with blush, but it’s the wrong color.” She drops my hand and points to the wall where exactly one brick is, in fact, a different color than the rest. I didn’t think she would notice it so easily but then again this girl notices everything and I should have known better. She turns around and that’s when I notice something I didn’t notice before.
“That’s not my shirt.” It’s another old shirt that is way too big for her. She’s always wearing a different one when she comes over to work on the house.
She takes a bite of cereal. Taking her time to chew before she lifts a shoulder and chirps, “Nope.”
“Who’s shirt is that, Mia?” I know her well enough now to know when she is acting a certain way just to piss me off. Jokes on her though because it only makes me want her more every time she does it.
“Jae’s…Jared’s…John’s?” She takes another bit of cereal, “Jeremy’s! I knew it started with a J.” She smiles proudly. “I forgot I left one here the last time I was here. Do you not check the guest room?”
“Are all these shirts you wear Jeremy’s?” I think I do a good job controlling the jealousy from seeping out but the wicked look in her eyes lets me know I actually fail.
“They are all like souvenirs. I steal them from old boyfriends, hookups, mistakes.” She takes another bite. “They’re always so soft. I love them.” I hate them.
“So you’ve just been walking around my house, usually without a bra on, in another guy’s shirt? Every time?” She hit her mark and she knows it. I point to the brick wall and narrow my eyes, “Don’t fucking fix the wall. It’s perfect.” I reach out and take the bowl of cereal from her and take a bite, watching as her mouth drops open. “I left towels in the bathroom if you want to take a shower.” I take another bite of cerealand lick the drop of milk that escapes from my lips. I nod down the hall towards the bathroom.
She huffs but I know she is craving the hot water and her music. She starts walking down the hallway but I remind her, “Don’t forget your phone!” She flips me off before pivoting to the kitchen where her phone is still playing music. I should get a speaker for the house for her.
I wait to hear the door close before I move quickly to put the cereal down on the table in the living room, which is where a random bowl of cherries is sitting. I’m glad she found them. I rush to my room and pull one of my shirts out of my closet.
I walk as tenderly down the hallway as I can and open the door the smallest bit, thankful for her taking the hottest showers so the whole room is full of steam and she can’t see me steal fucking Jeremy’s shirt from beside the sink. She’s singing along to whatever song is playing, completely unaware of me replacing the shirt with my own before closing the door without a sound.
When I get back to where I left the bowl of cereal it’s now soggy. I take it to the kitchen with the other guy’s shirt still in my hand when I pass the trash can. Faltering for only a second before tossing it right in the trash. My mood instantly lifts from agitated to elated. I decide to get every box of cereal down and display them on the counter for when she gets out of her shower. Then I make myself another bowl before going and getting the cherries to put them back in the fridge to keep them fresh.
