My boyfriend. Chadwas my boyfriend.
“Yeah,you can stare at him a little. Can’t say I really blame you.” I laughed,rolling my eyes gently.
“Iswear I won’t make it obvious.” With her finger, Morgan drew a cross over herheart. “I wouldn’t want Benny to get jealous, anyway. He gets reallyself-conscious sometimes.”
Iknow the feeling, I thought as I heard the toilet flush. Ilooked over my shoulder to watch the bathroom door open and Chad caught my eye.He smiled before walking the few steps to my room, where he closed the doorbehind him. I found I couldn’t wait to join him, to finally know what it waslike to fall asleep in his arms.
“Anyway,” Morgan continued coyly, “Iguess I’ll go head back to bed. And girl, you should, too. It’s five o’clock inthe morning and you look like you haven’t slept yet.”
“BecauseI haven’t,” I admitted, and as though to prove a point, I yawned. “I’ll see youlater, okay?”
“Yep.”She smiled and turned toward her room. But then, she stopped to look over hershoulder. “And hey. Happy birthday, Molly.”
Witha grin, I thanked her and went to use the toilet before heading back to myroom, where I was stopped in my tracks. Chad was lying on his stomach, armswrapped around a pillow. He always was a stomach sleeper as a kid, and Iremembered how he always liked having his back scratched. I smiled as the ideapassed through my mind, and I entered the room, closing the door behind me. Iclimbed into bed, got under the covers and reached my hand out to gently dragmy nails over his illustrated skin.
Hisresponse was to groan and turn his head to peer at me. “God, that feels sofuckin’ good, Molls. You’regonnamake me pass out inabout two seconds, justwarnin’yanow.”
“That’sfine,” I spoke softly. “I won’t be far behind you.”
Ibroke out in a grin as my fingernails ran down the length of his spine and upagain. His eyelids drooped and drifted shut, but he still asked, “What are youthinkin’ about, darlin’?”
“You’remyboyfriend.”
“Yeah,”he nodded, a sleepy smile curling his lips. “It’s about damn time.”
Ilaughed gently. “I know.”
“Somewheredeep down, I think I knew it’d be you …” His words drifted, and he was asleep.Breathing deeply and evenly, snoring just a little, in the way I knew he did.
Iwanted to watch him sleep for a few minutes. To see him transform into the kidI used to know and revisit his innocence for just a few seconds before sleeptook me away with him. But I was exhausted from one of the longest, mostamazing nights of my life, and my lids were so heavy. They fluttered shut, andagainst my will, I was asleep.
***
Chadwas already awake when I woke up. He smoothed the hair away from my face andstarted to trace the outline of my jaw and neck, as the sleepy haze left me. Ismiled and stretched my arms out over my head, twisting my neck toward oneshoulder and squeezing my eyes shut.
“Youstill do that,” he mentioned in a rasped voice.
“What?”
“Thestretching thing. You’ve done that for as long as I can remember.”
Ilaughed lightly. “I guess it’s just what I do.”
Henodded, chuckling. “When we were kids, it drove me nuts. I don’t even know whyit bugged me so much. I just always wanted to punch your face and make youstop.”
Iscoffed and shook my head. “Oh, well, this is certainly the most romanticconversation I’ve ever woken up to …”
Laughingharder, he reached out to hold my chin in his hand. “Does it help that I thinkit’s reallyfreakin’ cute now?”
“Thathelps a little,” I conceded with a smile.
“Good.”He leaned into me and pressed his lips to mine. Once, twice, three times, andthen, he pulled away to climb out of bed. “Now, get up.”
“Wait,what? No birthday morning sex?” I asked, only half-joking, as I spread my armswide against the bed.
“Nope.We got an itinerary.”
“Oh,that’s right. Your preciousitinerary,” I mocked with a grin and noddedtoward the ceiling. “What comes first?”
