Perfect

Joey's POV~

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Shane's face. And you don't know how good it feels unless you've lived it yourself.

I carefully untangled myself from him and slipped out of bed. I yawned, stretched, and pulled the blinds open. This was the best sleep I'd had in what seemed like forever.

Shane moaned as the sunlight streamed in onto his face. "Joey..." he mumbled. "What time is it?"

I glanced over at my phone. "Just past 10:30," I filled him in. "Do you want some breakfast?"

He rolled over and pulled the blankets up over his head. "I want to sleep..." he trailed off, burying his face in the pillow.

I laughed and pulled off my shirt. "I'm going to take a shower," I announced.

"Mmm..." He shifted slightly and I chuckled. I took off the bandage on my side and got into the shower. Standing there, I let the hot water pour down on my face. The cuts on my wrists were scabbed over by now, but the large gash still looked fresh. Even thinking about that dark time made me feel like I wanted to cry, but I just reminded myself that Shane was just on the other side of the door in my bed.

After I felt refreshed, I wrapped myself in a towel and returned to the bedroom to retrieve some clothes and a fresh bandage. Shane was still lounging in bed, but he perked up as I walked in. He wolf whistled and rested his head in his hands.

I laughed, flexing my muscles. "Like what you see?" I joked.

He rolled his eyes. "No, I can barely stand to look at the monstrosity that is your body." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

I turned to the chest of drawers and pulled out some clothes. "Can I trust you not to look or do I have to change in the bathroom?" I offered, looking over my shoulder and giving a cheeky smile.

"Oh, I won't look." He winked and I turned away, laughing softly to myself as I undid the towel from around my waist. I could feel his eyes boring into me from behind, but I tried my best not to think too much of it. I mean, it was Shane.

I slipped on some underwear and skinny jeans, then turned back to face him. "Can you help me re-wrap my wound?" I asked, holding the bandages out to him.

His face softened and he smiled. "Of course I can. You don't even need to ask, Joey." He carefully placed the bandage overtop of the line of stitches on my left side. His fingers moved with gentle precision, pressing the slightly adherent gauze right where it was needed.

His hands lingered for a moment, brushing over my hip bone. I looked over at him, turning a bit red. "Th-thanks," I stuttered, smiling like an idiot. I slipped a shirt over my head and changed the subject. "Are you ready to get up now?"

He considered it for a minute. "I dunno... what's in it for me?"

"We're going on our picnic today, remember?" I glanced at myself in the mirror, running a hand through my hair. It was a mess, but I would finish doing it later. "And, I'll make you some breakfast."

"Mmm," Shane closed his eyes and collapsed back into the pillow once more. "That does sound tempting."

"You get in the shower, and I'll get some food," I walked out. "It'll be ready in about ten minutes. Sound good?"

"Deal," he smiled. I headed out, striding happily along. It really was a lovely day outside. How could I not be cheerful?

Sawyer was chilling on the couch with his laptop in the front room. "Good morning!" I sung, beaming. "Want some breakfast? I'm already making some for Shane, so it'd be no trouble."

Sawyer looked up, "Sure, that sounds good."

I hummed to myself as I got things ready to cook. I cracked some eggs into the skillet and plopped a few slices of bread into the toaster. Sawyer turned and looked at me from over the back of the couch. "Wow, someone's in a good mood today," he noted.

"Do I have to have have a reason for being happy?" I asked, laughing a little.

"No," he shrugged. "I was just wondering if it had anything to do with the fact that you slept in the same bed as Shane last night?"

My eyes widened and my face grew red. "Sawyer!" I scolded. "No! I mean, yes, he's part of the reason I'm in such a good mood, but it's not like that!"

Sawyer laughed. "I know, I know. I'm just kidding! Jeez."

I exhaled. Looking down, I let out a sigh of disappointment. "Aw, look, you made me burn the eggs!" I slid the spatula under the blackened mess and lifted it into the garbage. "Well, I guess it's gonna be a bit longer until breakfast is ready."

After we ate, Shane and I started getting some things ready for our picnic. I made some sandwiches and he packed up a blanket. "So, you're still not telling me where we're going?" I asked, playfully batting my eyes at him.

"Nope," he grinned. "It'll be better if its a surprise."

"If you say so," I smiled. "How far away is it?" He gave me a look and I elaborated, "I just want to know when we should head out."

"It's only about half an hour away," he replied. "Why do you ask?"

I looked away. "Well, I... It's not important."

"I'm just curious," Shane turned away and continued packing.

After a moment, I spoke. "I just wanted to be out there with the sun setting and..." I ducked my head, blushing. "I know it's sappy..."

"Hey," he cupped my face in his hands. "I'm all about sappy. And that actually sounds really nice."

I smiled and kissed his cheek. "You're so sweet!"

We spent most of the afternoon watching Netflix, but as the sun began it's descent, we grabbed our stuff and hopped into Satsuki. Shane held his hands out for the keys. "You can't drive us there if you don't know where we're going!" he pointed out.

I begrudgingly hopped in the passenger seat. He held out a blindfold and said, "I really want this to be a surprise."

"Oh my god..." I chuckled to myself as I tied the cover over my eyes. "Should this make me uncomfortable?"

Shane laughed. "I promise I won't do anything too crazy." A second later, I felt his hand on my leg and I swatted him away blithely, scolding him and blushing.

After a while, I felt the car come to a stop. Shane opened the door and helped me out, and walked me a little ways away before uncovering my eyes. "Here we are," he beamed.

My eyes widened at the pure beauty. "Oh, Shane," I gushed. We were at this gorgeous little park with a big tree and sky for as far as the eye could see. The warm wind blew gently at my face, and the golden afternoon light from the sun added the perfect effect.

"Do you like it?" Shane quietly asked, stepping towards me.

I hugged him, burying my face in his shoulder. "I love it."

We laid out the blanket and took out the food. The sandwiches had gotten a little squished, but they still tasted delicious. After eating, Shane leaned up against the tree and put my head in his lap, stroking my hair back as we watched the sun set.

"This was the most wonderful date I've ever been on," I softly remarked, sighing and melting into the soft rise and fall of Shane's chest.

He smiled and softly kissed the top of my head. "Hey, the least I can do is hold the perfect date for the perfect boyfriend."

His grip on my arm tightened slightly as an older couple and their two young children walked by. The kids' eyes bugged out as they saw us, and the mother snarled in our direction, ushering the kids away. I clenched my hands into fists but Shane just rubbed my arm. "Let it go, babe. They're bastards, who cares what they think."

I sighed, trying to move on. I couldn't help but remember the woman's scathing expression... it was terrible to know she felt that way. I focused my eyes back on the horizon and slumped back onto Shane, taking his hands and wrapping them around my waist.

I tilted my head to the side so I could meet his gaze. "Thank you," I softly said. "Today couldn't have been any more perfect. I love you so much."

He guided my mouth onto his. "I love you, too."

~~~

...I'm actually super happy with how this chapter turned out! I wrote it in, like, three days, and it was just the way I wanted it!

The first dance of the year at my school is tonight, so hopefully that goes well! It may very well impact the future of this story, because my writing is very often connected to my life. But that's enough about me! I hope you guys liked this chapter as much as I did! I love you all so much and you have a beautiful soul! Thank you and adieu!