Twenty-One

Heyyyy chapter 21 is here! This is the first one of the key chapters of this story that will follow afterwards, so I hope you enjoy it💚💚💚😄 Chapter 22 is turning out to be even longer than chapter 19😂 I think I'll have to split it up in two, but well, keep tuned for new updates!

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I ended up deciding that Sam and I only kept the TV in our apartment to have background noise when guests were over. We never really turned it on when we were alone, as we would rather play some music than watch a show. Well, we would also use it when Matt played and it was showed on TV. But it was mostly when Brooke and Danny came over, like in this moment, that we turned it on, keeping the volume down with none of us really paying attention to the screen.

- What are we doing for Spring Break? – Brooke asked from the pile of cushions on the floor, which had become our extra seat in the living room ever since Sam moved in.

- The real question is, are we doing something for Spring Break? – Sam countered next to me, tilting his face to look at my friend.

I was curled up against him on the couch, his arm around my shoulders and my head tucked under his chin, letting me rest my cheek on his warm chest. Nothing else had happened after the previous day's events, but even in the span of those few hours that had passed, I felt closer to him, both physically and emotionally.

- Of course we are – Brooke exclaimed, sitting up a little bit on her spot – I won't survive until Summer Break without leaving this hell hole at least once these months.

- Well, we are not going to Mexico or anything like that – Danny stated from the other end of the couch – We are too late for some shit like that.

- You are no fun – Brooke pouted after Sam and I agreed with him, but we all knew she was just kidding.

- We could go somewhere closer, maybe drive up to one of the lakes? – I suggested. One of my hands had sneaked under the hem of Sam's sweater, with my thumb rubbing circles over his hipbone. His skin was warm and soft under my fingers, and I could tell he was enjoying my touch as he started running his own fingertips down my arm.

- That would be cool – Sam agreed.

- I've got the car and we have tons of tents back at the Kiszka household – Danny added with a nod, already liking the idea.

- Oh, no, I'm not camping – Brooke said right away, making me roll my eyes playfully as she shook her head. I loved her, but she could be really picky sometimes – My parents own a cabin up in Munising, we can stay there.

I smiled, remembering said place. Most of my childhood years I had ended up spending the holidays there. As my parents almost never took Carter and I on vacations, too focused on their own business trips, the Davis family always invited us to their little escapades to Lake Superior with them. We had made tons of memories there, and most of my happiest childhood moments had taken place in that beautiful cabin in the woods.

- We'll take you camping one day, whether you like it or not – Sam replied to her with a chuckle, moving his hand to play with a strand of my hair too – But alright, we can go to the cabin.

- You could invite Mackenzie – I suggested Danny, knowing we would have extra space there.

- This will turn into a little honeymoon for all of you, right? – Brooke pouted jokingly, making me blush at the reference – I won't be able to deal with all of you banging. I so need to get someone.

- Relax, B, Mac is going on a trip of her own with her cousins – Danny reassured her with a soft laugh, nudging her knee with his foot to comfort her. Sam had taken notice of my blushed state, chuckling to himself and placing a kiss on the top of my head.

- Awesome, then we'll endure these two lovebirds together – she said to him, faking relief in a dramatic way. Sam extended his own foot and kicked her feet playfully, making Brooke poke her tongue out at him. Their love-hate relationship never ceased to amuse me – We could have invited Sam's brothers if not, I'm sure they would have been nice company – she added to push his buttons further. He groaned instantly.

- You are so not fucking my brothers – Sam sighed, as if the mere idea was painful. Danny and I chuckled; Brooke had been playing Sam with this kind of comments all week.

- We'll see, we'll see... - she smiled to herself, knowing she had achieved her goal of getting into his nerves.

- Remind me, why are we friends with her? – Sam asked looking down at me with tired eyes but a tiny smile.

- Because I'm awesome – Brooke replied for me, trying to make herself more comfortable on the pile of cushions – You could buy a bean bag for me instead of this shit to thank me for my awesomeness – she added, struggling to find a comfortable position.

I laughed to myself and placed a kiss to Sam's jawline, nuzzling back into the warmth of his sweater afterwards.

- Dude, don't you have to leave in like, ten minutes? – Danny asked after checking his phone, looking up from the screen to Sam.

- Shit, yes – he said, checking the time himself on his phone. He shook me a little to let me know he had to stand up; my body was pretty much weighing him down. I groaned as I was really cosy and warm cuddled up against him, but gave in, lifting my torso from his'. I shifted to place my head on the armrest once he was up,sprawling my limbs along the couch – Don't want to be late on my first day.

The previous night, when Mrs. Winters had come to pick Mike, Todd and Mia up, she had ended up hiring Sam to give piano lessons to the three of them. The kids had ended up staying quite a while; we even had to make dinner for them. But they had been so obsessed with Sam and so entertained playing with his keyboard that once their mom had showed up, they had begged her to hire him as their music teacher. Todd had even pouted, full puppy eyes on display, until Mrs. Winters had agreed, seeing it as another opportunity to brag about her kids being intellectuals.

Sam had acted as polite as ever meeting her, and she had ended up swooning over him just like her children. She had told him that, if he wanted to, he could start with the lessons right away and offered him a great amount of money for them. Sam hadn't hesitated to take the deal; he had been planning to get a job and this was perfect for him. He had to work just once a week, doing something he loved and getting a great payment for it. And the kids loved him. It was a win-win situation.

- Do you have to take your keyboard? – Brooke asked as Sam stretched his body, looking around for a hair tie to tame his mane.

- Nope, they have two grand pianos and a keyboard themselves – he shrugged, finally putting his hair up in a bun. He tucked his phone in his pocket and left the room to look for some shoes.

- Oh, so they really are rich – Danny said impressed.

- Yep – I replied, resting my feet on his lap as I made myself comfortable.

- Did you tell them I'm up for being their nanny if they need one? – Brooke commented while texting on her phone.

- They've already got one, yesterday was an exception – I chuckled. Without me even asking, Danny grabbed my left foot and started massaging it, making me hum and close my eyes. He was literally the sweetest human being on Earth – Danny, I swear, if you break up with Mackenzie, I'm marrying you.

- Hey, you've got Sam to give you foot massages, I've got no one. That puts me first in the waiting list – Brooke stated.

- You could have both of the Kiszka twins massaging a foot each; every girl's fantasy – Danny joked back, wiggling his eyebrows.

- Why are we talking about Brooke's feet and my brothers? – Sam asked as he walked back in, now with shoes on and a disgusted face.

- My new fetish – Brooke told him with a wink, making him roll his eyes even though a small smile formed on his face. Deep, very deep down, he adored her.

- Well, I better go – he sighed, grabbing his keys and walking over to me – Jake is picking me up afterwards and we'll be grabbing some drinks with Josh and some old friends. But I'll be back for dinner, so count me in – he said, leaning down to peck my lips – See you later – he smiled tenderly, running his eyes over my face one last time before pulling away.

He grabbed his coat and waved goodbye hurriedly, walking out of the apartment in mere seconds.

- Goodbye to you too, Sam – Brooke joked at the same time the door closed; he hadn't said an actual goodbye to Danny or herself.

- He's so whipped – Danny chuckled, looking at me with a smirk as he rested my feet back on his lap.

- Oh, shut up – I whined with a blush, throwing a cushion at his face to get rid of his teasing stare – I actually need your help guys.

- What is it? – Brooke replied, shooting up from her lying position and resting her elbows on the coffee table.

- Okay, this will sound super cheesy and whatever, but I want to do something nice for Sam – I started, feeling my blush deepen a little bit – I mean, he has been so nice and attentive these past weeks and I've been... I don't know, I've been having a lot in my head and I feel like I should do something nice for him too.

- Aww, you are adorable – Brooke cooed, making me shoot daggers with my eyes at her.

- I'm being serious. I've been quite out of it with classes and projects and work, but I want to somehow show him that I care. Does it make any sense? – I questioned, propping up on my elbows to look at both Danny and Brooke's faces.

- Do you want to do it tonight? – the long-haired boy asked.

- Yeah, I was thinking about surprising him with something, but I don't know what.

- Lingerie – Brooke replied right away, making me glare at her again – What? I still don't understand why you two haven't fucked already, and you keep devouring each other with your eyes, so lingerie would be a great way to start.

- It's not all about sex with him, okay? – I replied, biting down on my lip as memories from the previous afternoon flooded my mind. I still hadn't told Brooke about our steamy massage session, but it wasn't the moment to tell her either – I mean, yes, I know the sexual tension between us is unbearable but...

- Too much information – Danny interrupted me.

- But it's not what this is about – I finished, looking at him with a serious face.

- Alright, were you planning to go out somewhere? – he asked, letting his head fall on the back of the couch sideways to look at me.

- I wanted it to be here, I don't know, feels more intimate. I thought about ordering Chinese food and watching a movie, but it wouldn't have anything special to it.

- You could cook the Chinese food yourself – Brooke suggested. It wasn't a bad idea; Sam loved it and I could try to recreate our favourite dish myself.

- Do you have any white blankets? – Danny suddenly asked.

- Yeah, why?

- You could cover this whole wall with it – he said, pointing to our wall full of paintings and pictures hanging around the TV – Brooke, you've still got your projector, right? – she nodded right away, still not following his idea – Great, we could place it on that shelf and create some sort of cinema here – he finished, pointing to the shelves on the wall behind us and looking back at me with a triumphant smile.

- Danny, you are a genius – I smiled at him, truly excited by his simple yet creative idea.

- You could go full-on romantic with candles or those fairy lights all over the place – Brooke added – It would look nice.

- I don't know about the candles but I could look for his favourite incense to burn, he loves it – I nodded, liking how things were slowly getting shape – Okay, it's a plan. I need to buy the ingredients for the food, pick up the projector at your apartment, and look for goddamn twinkling lights in these drawers – I listed, already standing up from the couch.

- I'll hang the blanket, you both go and get that stuff – Danny said, standing up too as he turned the TV off. He was even taller than Sam so he could easily give me a hand with that.

- Have I ever told you I love you, guys? – I asked, jumping on Danny's back in a hug.

- Yeah, yeah, now leave – he laughed, putting me down on the floor.

After giving him a white blanket and tape, Brooke and I left the apartment to go grocery shopping. We bought everything I would need for the Chinese food, and some fairy lights in case I couldn't find more back at home. When we got back to our building, we first went up to her apartment, taking her projector down to mine so we could set the whole "movie theatre" up.

Danny had already hanged the white blanket when we walked in, making sure it was tense enough so that there were no creases. Both him and Brooke helped me connecting the projector to my laptop, something I didn't know how to do on my own. They eventually left, not without me thanking them first, and left me to do the resto on my own. There was still an hour till Sam finished his lesson and I didn't know how long he would stay out afterwards. So, I took my time looking for the decorating lights and placing them around the living room, tiding it up in the way.

I started chopping the vegetables sometime later, with a Muddy Waters record playing in the background, swaying my hips to the music. Veggie Chow Mein wasn't difficult to cook, and it was smelling surprisingly good as I prepared it. I had got us a bottle of wine too, and some strawberries as dessert; they were Sam's favourite fruit. I didn't prepare the noodles yet as I still had time, so I decided to take a relaxing shower, loving how Sam's apple scented shampoo smelled on me.

It had been an hour since his lesson with the kids had finished when I stepped out of the bathroom, so I threw my pyjama on and decided to set the table. I sneaked into his room to find his favourite incense, taking it back to the living room and leaving it ready to burn on the coffee table. As I really didn't know when he would show up, I sent him a text to try to see how much time I had got left. After twenty minutes, he still hadn't replied, so I decided to cook the noodles and mix them with the vegetables anyways in fear he showed up before I was done.

Once it was almost ready, I rushed to my room. Even though I wouldn't dress up for him, Brooke's comment from earlier kept on ringing in my head. So, I grabbed my favourite lacy set from my drawer and put it on, throwing some comfy pants and a sweater on top of it.

Just in case.

I blow-dried my hair and checked my appearance one last time in the mirror, leaving to the living room to wait. I checked my phone, but there were still no texts from him. I frowned; even though he wasn't a fan of texting, we always let the other know where we were and what time we would be back when we were out.

I brushed it off, deciding to put another record on while I prepared the movie in my laptop. We would watch A Clockwork Orange; I knew he hadn't seen it yet but was dying to. I turned the living room lights off, leaving the twinkling ones on to illuminate the whole room. They created a beautiful effect, dancing on each of our walls. Sitting down on the couch, I checked my phone again, but there was still no word from him.

After half an hour of staring at the lights surrounding me, I sighed, getting up to bring the bottle of wine and glasses to the table. I wouldn't open it yet, but it was the last thing that was left to be done. I didn't know what else to do to kill the time. I considered calling him, but I didn't want to be so clingy. It was probably just my anxiety due to the surprise that was making me nervous, so I decided to sit back down and just wait. He would show up.

Another thirty minutes later the food was already cold, and I was really frustrated. Of course he didn't know I would be waiting for him with all of this planned, but he did actually say he would be back for dinner. He should have been here an hour and a half ago. Reluctantly, I got up from the couch and helped myself some cold noodles, reheating them in the microwave and eating them silently in the kitchen. I didn't even bother with the wine, drinking a glass of water with it as disappointment took over my previous excited mood. I kept on playing with the necklace he had made for me that hanged over my chest, looking up at every minuscule sound in the room hoping it would come from the door opening. Though it never opened.

When I had finished doing the dishes, I checked the clock one last time, biting my lip. Sighing, I decided I would call him. It had been hours since he had left, without replying to any of my texts, and should have been already back. I was slightly pissed off, but also worried something could have happened.

Just as I was about to press down the "call" button on my phone, I heard a knock on the door. I frowned, as Sam had keys and I wasn't expecting anyone else to come. I walked to the door and opened it, sighing as soon as I saw who stood on the other side.

Jake was smiling apologetically at me, a hint of guilt in his eyes, as he supported a drunk Sam hanging from his shoulders. Even from my spot, I could smell the alcohol reeking off him. As he was taller than his brother, he was practically leaning onto his frame, having a hard time standing completely straight on his own.

- I'm sorry – Jake said timidly, shooting one of his charming smiles in an attempt to smooth the situation.

- Come in – I sighed, moving aside to let them walk in.

- Hey there, hot stuff – Sam blurted once he noticed my presence, letting go of his sibling and taking a step closer to me when I closed the door. Before I could even react, he grabbed my face, planting a full sloppy kiss on my mouth. I could taste the sweet flavour of rum on his lips, making me pull away instantly. Jake rushed to hold him back right away, supporting him so that he didn't trip over.

- I'm sorry, again, we never meant him to get this wasted – he apologised, leading his younger brother to the couch and sitting him there. He looked around, becoming aware of the fairy lights, the wine and the movie ready to play on the blanket-covered wall surrounding us – Oh, fuck, we didn't know you were having a date night. Shit, I'm so sorry Gwen – he added as realisation hit him, guilt now fully taking over his face.

- It's alright, Sam didn't know either, it was a surprise – I shrugged, turning the proper lights on so we could see better. I walked over to said boy to see how we was doing. He had never showed up so wasted before; the last time I had seen him drunk had been in Danny's infamous party. I sat down next to him, brushing some strands of his now loose hair off his forehead and looked at him. He was really drunk, but he didn't seem to be about to puke or anything.

- I'm still sorry. I would have taken him back to our parent's but I didn't know if he had classes tomorrow – Jake said – He got a little bit too excited with the amount of money he got today and ended up buying almost the whole bar in alcohol.

- I'm really stupid, right? – Sam chuckled tipsily, leaning into the touch of my palm.

- Yes, you are – I sighed again, not being able to stay mad at him. It wasn't his fault he ruined my plans, there was no way he could had known I had schemed this whole thing for him – C'mon, we'll take you to your room.

With Jake's help, I dragged Sam into his bedroom. We sat him down on his bed, where he removed his sweater and t-shirt instantly. While he was busy doing that, I left for the kitchen, taking two bottles of water with me before I walked back into his room. I handed one to Jake, giving the other one to Sam and forcing him to drink it up.

- He needs a shower – Jake commented.

- I know, but he won't be able to take it now. He'll shower tomorrow morning – I replied, taking the empty bottle from Sam's hand when he finished it and placing it on his nightstand – C'mon, go brush your teeth and change your pants. Do you think you can do that on your own?

- I may need some help with the pants part – Sam said, wiggling his eyebrows with a stupid drunken laugh. Jake chuckled behind me, leaving the room to give us some privacy.

- Sam, I'm serious, do you really need help? – I sighed again, the tiredness of the whole day starting to weigh down on me.

- No, I think I'm fine – he replied as he attempted to stand up, stumbling in the process. I hurried to steady him, but he shot me a reassuring smile afterwards telling me he was fine.

Hesitantly, I left the room, walking into the living room where Jake was standing, simply looking around.

- Nice apartment – he complimented, taking one last sip of water from his bottle – I really do like your paintings. You never said you were this good.

- Thanks – I smiled with a hint of blush, disconnecting the fairy lights so that they didn't waste more energy. I would deal with the blanket hanging from the wall the following morning.

- I'm sorry again, Gwen, if I had known you had this planned out, I wouldn't have let him drink that much.

- It's alright, Jake, it's not your fault – I smiled sympathetically – It wasn't such a big deal, anyways – I lied, putting the wine and the glasses away under the kitchen counter. In reality, I felt a little bit hurt I had put effort into all of this only for Sam to show up drunk for the first time in all the months we had lived together for.

- He would have loved it – he commented, leaning against the back of the couch as he played with one of his necklaces.

- Where's Josh? – I asked, looking up once I had put everything away. I wanted to change topics as I was feeling kind of sad with how the night had turned out.

- He left with umm... some lady friend – he chuckled, making me smirk lightly.

- I don't doubt that – I replied - I guess you were the designated driver, you look way too sober – I laughed, to which he nodded.

- Yeah, just had one beer hours ago. Such a shame, I could have taken advantage of Sam's generosity with money tonight – he added, making us both chuckle – But it's alright. I have to drive back to Frankenmuth now – he shrugged, taking a step away from the couch and throwing the bottle in our recyclable bin.

- You are not driving all the way back there this late – I replied with worry, leaning against the couch – You can crash here, it's no problem.

- It's alright, Gwen, I'll be okay – he smiled at me gently as he walked back into the living room.

- I'm serious, I'm sure you went out of your way to bring Sam here. It's late and you must be tired – I insisted. There was a 40-minute drive back to their hometown, and it was pretty late. The least I could do is offer him to stay after he had dealt with drunk Sam and brought him back here.

Some seconds of deliberation went by in silence, as he weighed all his options, before he sighed.

- Are you sure I'm not interrupting? – he hesitated, reluctantly following me down out of the kitchen – I don't want to impose or anything.

- A hundred percent sure – I smiled at him, opening the door to his brother's room. He was surprisingly awake; I had figured out he would have already passed out on his bed.

- There you are – Sam smiled when we walked in, standing in the middle of his room in just his underwear. As soon as I was within his reach, he hugged me, pressing me close to his body as he buried his face in my neck and sneaked his hands down to grab my ass – I missed you while I was out.

- Okay, you need to lay down now – I instructed, ignoring his words as I removed his hands from my body, pushing him down to his bed. I turned around and opened one of his drawers, taking a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt from it – Here, take these clothes – I handed them to Jake so that he had something more comfy to sleep in – The bathroom is just next door, you can change there and there should be an extra toothbrush somewhere in the second drawer. If you are hungry, I cooked some Chinese earlier, there's a bowl full of it in the fridge. There's water there too and some fresh strawberries. Just-just call me if you need anything, make yourself at home.

- Thanks – he smiled, his eyes showing a little bit of amusement but appreciation all the same. He took the clothes in my hands, thanking me one last time before he turned around to leave. Before he stepped out, though, I stopped him.

- You don't need to take the couch – I blurted, as he had probably assumed he would end up there – Um, I'll-I'll sleep here, so you can take my room. The sheets are clean – I added with a tint of blush on my cheeks.

- Sure – Jake chuckled with a smirk, looking from his brother back to me – I'll make sure to keep the door shut– he winked before finally leaving, making me go redder than I had already been before.

Sighing for the millionth time, I turned around to see Sam laying under his covers, looking at me with big eyes.

- Hey, Gwenny – he slurred, smiling up at me goofily.

- Hey, Sam – I sighed, walking closer to his bed and sitting down on the edge next to him. I started brushing his hair away from his face, making him close his eyes every time I touched him.

- I love it when you touch my hair – he mumbled, without moving his eyes from me.

- I know – I mumbled back, before I stood up.

- Wait, where are you going? – he sat up quickly, looking at me worriedly.

- I'm just changing my clothes, Sam, relax – I chuckled, going for one of his drawers to grab a t-shirt.

He leaned back down on his bed with a smug look on his face, folding his arms behind his head as he watched me change. I took my sweater and pants off, folding them neatly and placing them over his keyboard, his nightstand was full of stuff.

- Fuck – he mumbled, making me look back at him. He was eyeing me up and down unashamedly, lust taking over his pupils.

That's when I remembered about the lingerie, looking down at my own body and seeing the black lace covering my most intimate parts. I chuckled to myself and threw one of his t-shirts on, which reached my mid-thigh, before crawling into the bed with him. His hands didn't waste a second to touch me, grabbing my waist and laying me fully on top of his body.

- You are so hot – he mumbled, letting his hands roam over my back and ass under his t-shirt – All mine – he added against my lips, squeezing my butt gently.

- You are drunk – I chuckled, rolling off his body to lie beside him.

- And you are still beautiful – he replied, reaching out for my body again. Drunk Sam was definitely touchy – I had never been turned on by a girl so easily before I met you – he commented, resting his cheek on my chest as his legs tangled with mine.

- Alright – I laughed, running my hands through his soft hair as he tucked his head under my chin, just like I had done with him that afternoon.

- It's true. I can't tell you how many cold showers I had to take because of you – he went on, making me burst out laughing.

- Sam, you'll regret this tomorrow – I told him, running my fingers down his back with my hand.

- I had to take the first one on my first days here. You were such a tease – he frowned to himself, ignoring what I had said.

- Hey, I wasn't a tease! I never lead you on those first months – I chuckled, finding the conversation amusing.

- You didn't need to – Sam shrugged, nuzzling further into my chest. His hand went under my shirt again, wrapping around my bare waist to bring us closer. His other hand reached for my butt, playing with the thin lace of my panties with his fingers in an absentminded way – Why are you wearing this? – he asked, tugging lightly from the fabric.

- Do I need a reason? – I asked back with a soft laugh.

- No, but I always try to take a peek to what underwear you are wearing without you noticing, and  I know you rarely wear lace – he shrugged, making me smack his arm lightly. He laughed when he realised how perverted that had sounded out loud.

- Creep – I chuckled.

- Did you wear this for me? – he asked again with a curious tone.

- I had planned a special movie night for us. And I thought you would like it – I admitted with a sigh, feeling his fingers skim over my skin. If he hand't been so drunk, I would have probably been turned on.

- I do – he nodded – I ruined everything, right? – he asked with a slight pout.

- Don't worry, we can do it any other night – I replied, no wanting him to feel guilty. I should had told him I had planned something, so that he could come back on time and sober.

- I'm sorry – he mumbled back, and I could tell he was slowly drifting off as his voice was lower and his fingers slowed down their playing with my underwear.

- It's alright – I said back, extending one arm to turn the lights off, wrapping it around him right away afterwards – Now sleep, you need it.

He nodded against my neck, kissing its soft skin delicately before he shifted even closer to my body, his ear right over my heartbeat.

- Gwen? – he said after some seconds of silence, while I kept on playing with his hair in the dark.

- Yes? – I replied softly, closing my own eyes in an attempt to fall asleep.

- I love you.

The movements of my hand stilled. My eyes opened slowly, taking in what he had just said. I could feel my heartbeat getting faster, and if he hadn't been so wasted, he would have noticed it too.

- What? – was all I was able to articulate, caught completely off guard.

- I love you – he repeated, as if it were the most common thing in the world.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I hadn't known how much I had needed those three words until I heard them. He loved me. And I didn't even need to think it twice, I loved him back. I had been sure I liked him, and I had guessed I had fallen in love with him with the course of time, but it was the first time I admitted to myself that I loved him, plain, simple and raw.

I could tell Brooke or even Danny that I loved them, and I did repeatedly, because it had a different meaning to it. But I had never told Sam I loved him, not even in a friendly way. Because I always knew there was no way I could say those three words to him and keep them simple. With him everything was stronger, deeper, because I needed him. I wanted him, I was in love with him. I loved him.

But he was drunk.

He was drunk, half of his almost naked body lying on top of me after his brother and I carried him to his room. He was saying he loved me after drinking his weight in alcohol, slurring half of the sentences he formed and not being able to stand for two seconds without losing his balance. He had said he loved me not being completely conscious, not really knowing what he was saying. He had probably said he loved me without really meaning it.

- Just sleep – I whispered with a trembling voice. I had dreamt about this moment for so long, only to have him drunk out of his mind when it happened. He probably wouldn't even remember about it the following day. I gulped deeply, resuming my task of smoothening his hair in hopes he would fall back asleep.

- Okay – he mumbled back, kissing my neck one more time and running his nose over it before finally falling asleep.

I kissed the top of his head, fighting against all the thoughts spiralling in my head in an attempt to fall asleep too and forget about those three words I had waited so long to hear. But I simply couldn't.