Chapter 15: VII. First (Official) Date-1

"I also believe that parents, if they love you, will hold you up safely, above their swirling waters, and sometimes that means you'll never know what they endured, and you may treat them unkindly, in a way you otherwise wouldn't." Mitch Albom, For One More Day ---- Chapter VII – First (Official) Date I woke up to the sensation of being crushed. I would have been alarmed were it not for the sound of quiet snoring in my ear. Shea was sound asleep, laying on top of me. His arms were strewn across my torso, unconsciously holding onto my waist. His left leg was likewise laying across me. He had somehow made it onto my side of the bed during the night, and we were sharing the same pillow. He really was a hog. He looked younger when he slept, which was crazy to think seeing as he was only eighteen, but he did. I hadn't noticed just how much he carried when he was awake. The stressors of the day left his face when he was sleeping. As I woke up properly, I felt something hard poking me in my stomach. I wondered for a split second before I realised what it was. I had read enough books and seen enough movies to know what happened to guys in the morning. I blushed crimson red and was thankful that he was still asleep. Shea and I had spent the night talking. Just talking. He talked a little more about his family. He told me his mom's name was Karen, and that she had been an elementary school teacher before his father had passed away. He then spent the next few hours practically grilling me about my life in New York. My school, my job, my friends, and any guys I had been interested in. He still found it impossible that no guys had ever asked me out. As the night went on, I felt more and more reluctant to let Shea leave. I wanted him to stay. And I didn't have to repeat myself, or my fears. He knew it what capacity it was, and he didn't say a word to pressure me or make me feel uncomfortable. Shea hid in the closet when my mom came to check on me, and then Shea climbed into my bed beside me and just held me as we both went to sleep. Shoot!I resisted gasping. Whatever concealer I was wearing yesterday would have most certainly rubbed off during the night. I hadn't taken my makeup off so as to look as clear skinned as possible while he was here. Very carefully, I reached my freehand out to my nightstand. I kept a small hand-held mirror on top of it. When I felt the cool metal of the mirror, I brought it back towards me slowly. Shea was still snoring peacefully. I held the mirror up to my face and almost said "Ew" out loud. My concealer had most definitely rubbed off in its entirety. My dark circles stood out like bruises no matter how much sleep it got. Red pock marks in the way of acne scars from my puberty years dotted my oily areas and a new friend was started to pop up on my forehead. I wondered if I could somehow get out of bed without waking Shea up so that I could get to my dresser to clean myself up. No sooner had I started to formulate a manoeuvre that could get me out of my bed, my phone started blaring with my alarm tone. It was six-thirty. Crap. Shea jerked up, raising his head, his eyes still glazed with sleep. His hair was perfectly mussed. He probably wouldn't need to do a thing before school. God, he was handsome. He yawned and then looked at me. Double crap. "You're so pretty," he croaked in a morning, sleep voice. My heart softened, and I felt my insecurities fade. I switched my alarm off and pushed back the covers. Shea groaned and pulled them back over himself. "Five more minutes," he grumbled. "I have to get ready for school," I hissed, though I couldn't hide my smile. "And so do you!" Shea stuck his arm out and grabbed my leg, pulling me back into bed. I tried to muffle my yelp and subsequent giggles. Mom would definitely be awake. Shea cuddled me into his chest and inhaled. I think he was smelling my hair. "Was last night okay?" he asked. His voice was still thick with sleep, but I knew there was no humour in his voice. He almost sounded vulnerable. I nodded. "Yeah, it was okay," I whispered. Be vulnerable, Sara. I kissed Shea's cheek, resulting in him smiling so damned sweetly. I started to blush and lost my nerve. "But you snore, and you hog the bed." Shea laughed. "Well next time I'm going to tie your damn legs together. You're a freaking starfish. You kneed me in the crotch at like three am. I nearly cried. I do actually want to produce a kid one day, you know." Again, I was at ease. And I couldn't help but notice that he mentioned next time. I wondered if he would stay again tonight. I quickly showered and Shea watched me get ready. He seemed to watch me with fascination as I covered my blemishes and brushed my hair. I changed in the closet and was ready to go downstairs for breakfast while he was still lying in my bed. "School starts in thirty minutes," I reminded him. "You can't shower here. Mom will know it's not me and I'll be grounded until I'm thirty." "I'm fast," he assured me. "I won't be late for school." I didn't believe him. I wasn't even sure his car was here. Was he planning on walking? Did Uber pick up in the middle of nowhere North Carolina? Shea freaking beat me to school. He was showered, changed, and looked like a damn Greek god. When he saw me climb out of my car, he just grinned and winked at me. School went relatively quickly. I sat with Cece in the classes that I had with her, and other girls started to talk to me with interest now that I had been spotted with Shea. I sat with Shea and his friends at lunch and listened while the discussed tomorrow's game and the party at Zoey's house afterwards. I got through my afternoon classes, went to Sally's after school for my shift, and then went home and did my homework. In the middle of my English essay, my laptop pinged with a messenger notification. Hey, so I never officially asked you to be my date tomorrow night. I frowned. Was Shea just stating a fact? Is that your backwards way of asking me to be your date? The little dots came up that told me he was typing, but there was a knock on the door. Be right back. Door, I typed.