I wake up with a heavy arm draped across my waist.

It takes me all of two seconds to remember all the details of last night. It's a rush of worry and fright followed quickly by absolute, blinding happiness.

Ghost kissed me. Not only that, he had reassured me that we were... something. Something more than friends.

I roll over in bed to face him and am met with his angelic, sleeping form. He looks so soft and peaceful lying there. I can't help but reach up and run my palm down his cheek, his slight stubble scratching me like sandpaper.

Last night was the best sleep I've had in a long time. Despite the nerves and shock of everything that happened, it didn't take long to drift out of consciousness, especially with Ghost's arms wrapped securely around me.

But now I can feel the flurries in my stomach at the conversation that looms over my head. He'd said we'd talk about it in the morning. Well, it's morning now.

I try not to let my thoughts spiral, but they just can't help themselves. I can feel myself already overthinking everything. Maybe he didn't mean anything by 'more than friends'. Maybe his mind changed at some point during the night. Maybe I am way more into him than he is into me.

Maybe it was just pity that made him say and do all those sweet things.

I chew fervently on the inside of my cheek and pull my hand away from him. In the back of his throat he makes a sound of protest, and with his eyes still firmly closed he blindly reaches out and flops around for my hand. When he finds it he pulls it back towards him, snuggling it between his cheek and his pillow as he lets out a soft sigh of content.

My heart melts.

A smile takes over my face as I softly reach forward with my other hand and poke him lightly on the shoulder. "C'mon, I know you're awake now." I laugh softly.

"Five more minutes." He groans into his pillow, screwing his eyes shut tighter.

I let out another laugh and remark, "You don't have to get up, but at least talk to me. I'm bored."

He slowly peeks one eye open at me and as it adjusts to the soft light streaming in through the blinds his mouth tilts up into a lopsided smile. With a sleepy voice and his face still half smashed into his pillow he mumbles, "Did you know... that... you're beautiful?"

My heart flutters and I have to bite down on my lip to contain a grin. If this is what waking up to him every morning is like, sign me up.

He smirks at my blushing face before sitting up slightly, with my hand still tangled up in his, "How're you feeling?" He questions, rubbing the sleep out of his tired eyes as he stretches his back.

My eyes trail down his bare chest and abdomen, stopping where his tan body disappears beneath the covers. I want to caress every inch of him, but I'm not sure if I've earned that right yet.

My gaze returns quickly to his face, and his wild bed head that is admittedly super adorable. I attempt to keep my thoughts from wandering once again as I answer, "Good. I slept great. What about you?"

A secretive smile graces his lips as he remarks coyly, "No complaints here." His expression turns slightly more somber as his eyes dip down to my throat and he mutters, "Those bruises look bad, Rose."

Self-consciously I raise my hand to my neck and softly trace my fingers over the marks. I can feel the slight sting every time I swallow, a constant reminder that what happened last night was not just some terrible nightmare.

But I don't want to think about that right now.

"I'll be fine." I reassure him, forcing a soft smile.

Slowly he moves forward, shifting on the bed as he inches closer. My breath hitches, still not used to him getting so close and personal with me, but that's not to say I don't like it. I wet my lips, thinking he's going in for a kiss, but instead his face dips lower, beneath my chin, and I feel his lips gently press against my throat.

My heart rate spikes at such an intimate act, and I reflexively tilt my head back to give him better access. His touch is delicate, barely even there, but it causes such a reaction in my body. When he pulls back I wonder if he can see how flustered I am as he gazes down at me with a soft expression.

Quietly, he whispers, "I hope you know that I would never do anything like that to you."

I nod my head, "I know."

I trust Ghost. I trust him more than anyone else in my life. I feel completely safe around him. What Brody did to me might always cause me stress and trust issues with other people, but I know Ghost is so completely opposite to him.

"You wanna use the bathroom first?" He offers with a tilted smile.

I nod and smile appreciatively before sliding off the bed and padding out of the room and into the bathroom. I take a moment to wash the sleep off my face and fix my haphazard bun. I use his mouthwash once again before returning to the bedroom. Ghost gets up to use the bathroom next and after a little while he returns, laying back down on the bed across from me.

"So," He starts with a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, "Are you ready to talk now?"

A small part of me is still worried, though I know it's irrational. I don't want to find out that I've blown this all out of proportion in my head, and he isn't actually going to tell me he wants to be with me.

But whatever he has to say, I need to know, so I nod my head and reply, "Yes, I'm ready."

He situates himself better on the bed, getting comfortable as though he knows we're gonna be here for a while. I sit back as well, crossing my legs and fiddling with my hands in my lap while he leans against the headboard with his legs stretched out across the crumpled sheets.

I chew the inside of my cheek and force myself to keep eye contact while I wait for him to start.

He bites on his bottom lip thoughtfully, clenching his jaw tightly as his fingers mindlessly play with the drawstring of his sweats. If I didn't know any better I'd say he looks nervous. Ghost is never nervous.

Breathing in deeply he finally remarks, "I like you, Rose. A lot. Like, I really like you." Already I can feel my heartbeat pounding in my ears and a wide smile taking over my face. I want to squeal excitedly but I contain it as he goes on, "These last few weeks have been hell. I've missed you so much. You have no idea how many times I picked up my phone with the intention of calling you. I just... I missed you."

"I missed you too." I utter softly, my eyes wide with wonderment.

His shoulders relax in the slightest as he smiles back at me and explains, "It was really hard to stop myself from contacting you, but I knew it was the right thing to do. I knew you needed time after your break up. But I want to tell you I'm sorry about that night. I know what I said really hurt you, and honestly I was being selfish. I should have been more understanding."

Immediately I shake my head, "No, you were right to be upset that night. I should have been more open with you. I should have told you what I was feeling. I'm sorry I made you feel like a second choice, because you're not. You've never been that to me."

He tilts his head slightly as he regards me with a sad smile, "I get that now. Being apart from you helped me realize some stuff. I wasn't being fair to you, expecting you to immediately know what you wanted in that situation. I should have been more patient. Brody had a hold on you, and I just didn't like seeing it."

"I know. And I think I didn't even realize how strong it was until I was out of it. I finally saw how controlling and manipulative our relationship was. And..." My voice trails off as I think about every horrible thing Brody put me through. I clear my throat and press on, "And I'm sorry I pushed you away so much when you were just trying to help me. You were right, he was abusive, and had been for a long time. I was just too scared to think I could walk away from that."

Ghost reaches out and pulls me forward into a fierce embrace, like he just can't stop himself from touching me for a moment longer. I fall against his chest and cuddle closer into him as his arms wrap around me securely. It feels right. It feels complete, having him so close to me.

My cheek rests against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat as he remarks, "I'm sorry I kissed you that night. I'd been wanting to do it for so long at that point, and after seeing you and Brody together at The Scrap earlier, I just got so angry. I was acting possessively and that wasn't okay. It wasn't right to make you cheat on him, even though he is an asshole."

I cast my eyes down, even though he can't see my face and I feel almost embarrassed as I utter, "Actually, he deserved it. I found out that he, um, he'd been cheating on me for about a year, since before you and I even met."

"Seriously?" Ghost cries indignantly, his head rearing back. I glance up at his outraged expression as he stares at the empty space in front of him with a tight scowl and grumbles, "Jesus, I can't say I'm surprised, but that must've been really shitty to hear. I'm sorry."

I shrug, "I should've guessed it a long time ago. I even met the girl a few times and I knew something was off. I just refused to see it."

"So he told you when you guys broke up?"

I shake my head and snort half-heartedly, "Yeah right, that's giving him way too much credit. When we broke up he made it out like I was the one who ruined the relationship and broke all trust between us. It was the girl who ended up unintentionally confessing it a few weeks later. She was practically bragging about it."

"Did you punch her in the face?" Ghost asks, sounding almost amused at the thought.

"Nah," I smirk slightly, "I just told her he was abusive and she ended up breaking it off with him. That's why he cornered me last night. He was pissed that I was telling people and claimed that I was ruining his life by spreading 'lies' about him."

"He's such a tool." Ghost grumbles, his fingers curling into fists at my side. I can tell thinking about last night is just charging him up all over again.

I spin around in his arms until we're face to face and I press both of my palms against his cheeks, "I don't want to talk about him anymore."

His eyes settle on mine and his expression softens. He nods his head and agrees, "Me neither. There are far more important things to do right now."

Before I can ask like what, he pushes my shoulders and I fall down on my back onto the mattress with a surprised squeak and a flurry of butterflies in my stomach. Just as quickly he's hovering over me, holding himself up with his elbows on either side of my head, and one of his legs firmly nestled between my thighs.

His tangled curls spill over his forehead as he gazes down at me with a mischievous smile. I gaze back up at him, slightly wondering if this is real life. How can it be? There's an unfathomably attractive guy hovering inches above my lips and he's looking down at me like I'm the most precious thing he's ever laid eyes on.

My hands move on their own accord, reaching up and wrapping around his shoulders, slightly dragging my nails into his smooth skin. It's all the validation I need to know that he is real, and he's all mine.

At least I hope he is.

"You wanna make out or are you just gonna lay there eye-fucking me all day?" He teases gruffly, his voice a few notches lower than normal.

My lips tilt into a smile just half a second before his mouth covers mine. All other thoughts fade away as all I can focus on is our mouths moving in sync. My fingertips graze along his spine and I arch my back up almost instinctively, feeling the need to be as closely pressed together as possible.

A low moan vibrates through his chest and I feel his hand skim down my neck, brushing softly against the side of my breast before his fingers dip into my hip, curling tightly into my exposed skin where my shirt has rolled up. His leg presses more firmly between my thighs, right against my pelvis, erupting a tingling sensation down there and a tightening in my core.

My hands move up his neck before tangling into his curls and pulling him closer to me. My mouth opens up and immediately his tongue is swirling with my own. He fights for dominance and I let him. His hand on my hip slowly inches further down until reaching the edge of my shorts— or rather his shorts— and that's where he pauses.

Almost reluctantly he pulls his lips away from my own with a soft, wet smack. I swallow hard as I stare up at him, wide-eyed and wondering why he stopped when we were on such a roll. He looks like he wants to get right back into it, but his smile is soft and comforting as he gazes down at me.

"I don't wanna go too fast if that's not what you want." He utters, his voice a low rumble, thick with arousal, "We can go as slow or as quickly as you're comfortable with, it's up to you."

I want to immediately pull him back down to me and continue to discover every inch of his body with my hands and mouth, but I have to stop myself. I don't want to move too fast either, especially when everything that happened with Brody is so recent. Am I in a clear enough head space to really be okay with this right now? Or am I just trying to drown out the worries of last night?

After a moment of thought I strain my neck up to place a light kiss on his nose, and reply, "I don't wanna move too fast either. I might not be ready to go all the way just yet, but... I like making out."

His lip twitches with a mischievous glint in his eyes and he doesn't look deterred in the slightest. He just nods his head as he whispers, "What a coincidence, so do I."

His mouth covers mine once again and we resume the passionate moment that was previously interrupted. His leg pressing down on my pelvis is still causing a throbbing ache to my core, but I try not to let it overrule my thoughts.

I continue to run my hands through his hair, quickly finding out that it's one of my favorite things to do. His curls are so soft and thick, sliding through my fingertips with ease as I occasionally tug and scratch his scalp. The small sounds of pleasure that escapes his lips tells me he's enjoying it as well.

His hand squeezes my side again while his other is gently pressed to the side of my neck, his thumb over my throat. Despite the bruises and phantom feeling of being choked last night, I feel absolutely calm having his hands on me.
Ghost would never intentionally hurt me, and the only choking he'd inflict would be if I told him I liked that kind of thing, you know, in bed.

Who knows, maybe with him I'd give it a try.

We lay in bed for who knows how long, kissing, touching, caressing. Making up for all the lost time over the last month of not seeing each other. While every sensory and nerve in my body is in overdrive, it's the best feeling I've ever had. It feels right.

I know we still have more to talk about, more issues to discuss. We haven't outright said what we want to be to each other, whether this is as serious for him as it is for me. Whether we're officially together or just having fun at the moment.

But right now I don't care about the labels. I don't care about what my mom is going to think, or whether I should still be on the lookout for Brody and whatever he's gonna do next. I don't care about anything but this moment, with Ghost.

He's gentle, but rough. Sweet, but domineering. Careful, but controlled.

In a word, he's perfect.

Part of me is worried to even think that word, that the moment I get too comfortable with this, he'll be ripped from my grasp. But I don't see him going anywhere anytime soon.

And as long as I've got his arms around me every morning that I wake up, telling me I'm beautiful in that tired, sleepy voice, I've got nowhere else to be

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AN;

Another update, sorry it's been a while. I'm running low on already finished chapters and I've been trying to find the time to write more, but sometimes that writer's block just gets yah.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter.  Please vote and comment if you did!

- Sarah xo