Catherine

That feeling when you're too tired and you just don't feel like going to adult mode. Not now. Not later. Not ever.

"We meet again." I felt the warm surface I was resting on, move.

Stupid bed trying to laugh. Moving closer to it, I felt my blanket wrap itself around me.

We were in the year 3000, not much has changed except we have blankets who know when to keep us warm. It's pretty fine and McBusted was right.

"Five more minutes." I groaned before wrapping my arms around it.

Pillows were supposed to be soft. And this particular pillow isn't soft at all. Bringing my hand up to fluff it,it let out an 'oof'.

It wasn't the only one hurt. My hand felt like I just slapped flesh.

....

Wait.

Slowly opening my eyes, I came face to face with someone's bare chest.

It was not the year 3000. It was Sunday.

I wasn't in my bed.

The blanket around me isn't a blanket.

Covering my mouth, because bad morning breathe exists, I pushed at his chest.

"I did it again, didn't I?"

He chuckled but didn't even budge when I tried wiggling free. Unlike me, he smelled like shampoo and toothpaste, the scent of apples slightly deterred by his deodorant. Nevertheless, it was still there.

"I went jogging, bonbon. Dropped by the garage on my way back, just to check things out." he moved the stray strands of her from my face and smiled. "You discarded all the pillows so I decided to be one for you." he then lowered my hand from my mouth, then lifting it, my skin being hit by the warm sunlight coming from the parted curtains of his room.

"It's almost gone. You're too eager to get my name off you." he frowned before I withdrew my arm, squeezing it in between us, just to create some space between our bodies.

I wasn't going to admit that I just wanted to wear my floral blouses again. Long-sleeved shirts were too hot and people gave me strange looks at work. Anti-perspirant deos just don't cut it.

I gasped when I felt his arms tighten around me. I looked up at him, hoping that the face I was making gave him enough clue that he had to stop.

"It's just a hug, bonbon. I thought women liked this? What's it called again? Cuddling?"

I rolled my eyes and pointed a finger at him, then moved it from side to side.
"No?" he raised an eyebrow. I nodded. "But why?" Widening my eyes, I poked his chest and mine,then showed him two fingers together, shaking my head.

"I know."

I lifted my head to look at him. He was staring at the ceiling, his hands massaging his temple, deep in thought. His other hand was still on my waist and it took me a lot of willpower not to squirm.

After what happened last night, we both went home with me having puffy eyes, and him ending up with a wet shirt. He refused to borrow one of Rose' huge shirts. They were, after all, for women, and no matter how big a woman's shirt is, it would fit wrong on a man like Damon.

He wasn't supposed to witness all that. And he surely didn't have to deal with another grown man trying to kiss him last night. Glen was so out of it, that he thought Damon was me.

That got Damon more pissed and he wrapped him like a burrito just to keep him still.

"Do me a favor, bonbon." He sighed before facing me, his hand creeping up to my back and started rubbing slow circles on my cotton shirt.

"Let me hold you. Just hold you. Nothing more."

It took me a moment to process his request and I swallowed. My throat already felt dry.

Here's the weird Damon again.

"Nothing more. I promise." he smiled. Before I could even think, I slowly lowered my head to his shoulder, feeling the steady heartbeat there.

"Damon?" clearing my throat,I felt his hand on my hair. I was just praying he couldn't smell my breath, I purposely placed my face almost hidden on the side of his neck.

"Hmm?"

We were two logical adults. And adults do this. So it's alright if I just... touch the hand that was now on my ear. It was strangely comforting.

"The kid you were talking about. Where is he now?"

Of course I know who that kid was. I could tell from the way he told the story. Like he knew that kid so well, and he felt what the kid felt. I could tell from the bitterness on his voice. I could tell from how his eyes stared at the dark sky as if remembering a bad memory.

"He turned out good. Got his shit together just in time." He chuckled when thunder boomed from outside.

"Is it just me or the sky gets mad when you curse?"

I felt him tighten his arms around me, the warmth from his body feeling like I was wrapped with the finest blanket for winter. He sighed in content.

"It's just you."

I looked up at him, ready to enumerate all the times the saints decided to go bowling every time he cursed, from the way Glen cowered, I'm pretty sure it wasn't just me.

I was ready to enumerate darn it.

But his eyes were closed. And I can feel the way his chest rose and fell from beneath my hand. Slowly bringing my head back on his shoulder, he pulled me closer to him.

I found myself moving my arms from his chest, and cautiously slid them towards his back. I felt the muscles on his back tense so I quickly placed them back on his chest.

"No no. It's alright." He then took my hand and placed it back on where it was before.

"This is nice." he buried his nose on my hair before sighing. I felt like sighing myself, but settled on moving just a little closer before closing my eyes. I have to agree with him. This was, as he put it, indeed nice.

***
Damon

I'm not supposed to be doing this.

Last night was a mistake.

But admit it. It was a mistake you're willing to do again. And again. And again.

Suppressing a groan while my head scolded me on how I made things complicated. Of course I could always go along with what Catherine said about being adults and just move on.

Coward. You know you can't.

I felt Catherine stir and I gently lifted her head from my shoulder and grabbed a pillow, before settling her head on it.

We both fell back to sleep. Checking the time on my watch, I found out that we slept for another two hours or so.

I wasn't complaining.

I don't mind being with a woman who constantly tries to pull her hair up on a ponytail enough to make her scalp scream. Or a woman who stammers a lot, and ends up saying answers too far from the question. I don't mind a woman who forgets to wear pants during the morning or groans just because of a few drinks from the night before. I certainly don't mind a woman who I would just look at and know that she knows what she wants and isn't afraid to tell what she think.

She's changing. And I think that change in her is good.

She smiles more often now. Even on the silliest shows onTV. She would complain about the shows I would watch but would sit with me during back-to-back episodes on weekends.

Last night was-I don't know what came over me.

A part of me wanted to make her understand who I was. Who I am.

I wasn't able to stop once I opened my mouth to talk.

And she looked at me, the way I would've looked at myself years ago. And I know she would have taken care of that scared little boy.

Because that's how she is. No matter how hard she tries to hide herself.

When she moved her face close to mine,I tried to stop myself from touching her.

I found it difficult not to touch her lately. It was like my hands were always itching to feel her close to me.

She wasn't like how the books described the typical awkward girl. Usually those women would eventually warm up and be with the guy. Happy yodely doo.

I long accepted the fact that she was the kind of awkward that would take a lot of time before opening up.

She was like a clueless child inside a smart woman's body.

Her hand moved to scratch her cheek and carelessly let it fall to rest on her lips.

She tasted like grapes then.

And I just realized that I fcking love grapes.

Shouldn't have done that.

My mind was still fighting with me. I'd go crazy just by arguing with myself.

But she had this sad look in her face that I wanted to get rid of.

Maybe the sadness in her eyes was for me. And I would have done anything to make that sadness go away.

You're turning into a softie.

I groaned, rubbing my palm on my face.

This woman is turning me into a modern Romeo of some sort.

I turned to see her frowning,her eyebrows scrunched, I was tempted to smoothen them out. I grabbed a pillow from the floor and placed it in her arms.

She smiled and gently rubbed her nose on the soft cushion.

Looking up to the cream-colored ceiling, I brought my hands together. Not the way a child was taught to, but on how I found myself doing whenever I was clueless.

"I need help."

I'm pretty sure Catherine would laugh at me when she finds out that I'm the one asking for some kind of divine intervention now.

Because from the way things are going? Her prince charming must have slipped and hit his head or was checking some other girl. He better not.

Either way,he better come soon.

Or he'll regret it.

I took another look at her before getting up.

He'll regret it bigtime.