My love

My love
          DYLAN’S POINT OF VIEW

I was already awake long before the light fully settled into the room.Not because I couldn’t sleep… but because I didn’t want to,because she was right there.....right beside me still asleep.

Curled slightly into herself like the night had wrapped around her and refused to let go, her hair falling softly across her face, her breathing slow and even in a way that made everything else feel… quiet......too quiet.

My arm was still around her, and I hadn’t moved it for a long time, not even when it started to go numb, because shifting even a little felt like it might wake her up and I wasn’t ready for that yet.I just… wanted to look at her and I did.

For longer than I could even keep track of.
My eyes moved slowly over her face, taking in everything like I hadn’t seen her before, like somehow something had changed overnight and I needed to understand what it was, why she looked the same but felt… different,Softer,closer and most importantly mine.

A quiet breath left me as I reached up carefully, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, tucking it gently behind her ear so I could see her properly.

God......she looked so peaceful,So unaware and that alone did something to my chest that I wasn’t prepared for.My lips curved slightly, not into a full smile, just something softer, something quieter as my eyes lingered on her again and my mind… my mind… went back to last night.

The way she had looked at me,the way she had said she was sure,The way her voice had trembled just a little but didn’t break and then everything after that.

I let out a low breath, shaking my head slightly as a quiet chuckle escaped me, barely louder than the sound of her breathing.

“I can’t believe…” I whispered, my voice rough from sleep and something else I didn’t want to name yet.
I paused, my eyes dropping back to her face.

“…that was your first time.”The words didn’t feel real even as I said them because how?
How was it possible that someone like her… someone so soft, so careful, so......my jaw tightened slightly as another thought hit me.
She trusted me,That was the word.She trusted me enough to give me something like that and I.......I exhaled slowly, my gaze shifting away from her for a second before coming back again like I couldn’t stay away for long.

“I should’ve…” I started quietly, then stopped, my hand tightening slightly where it rested against her.

No,Not like that......I dragged a hand through my hair slowly, leaning back just a little against the headboard as my eyes stayed on her, softer now but heavier too.Because the truth didn’t go away just because this… this felt real.It was still there,Sitting in the back of my mind like something waiting,Something ugly.

Something that didn’t belong in a moment like this,The thought of the bet.....My jaw clenched slightly and I swallowed.I told myself I was going to tell her,I told myself and the guys I'll do yesterday......I remembered myself last night but still yet...... I didn’t.

Because the moment kept getting… better because she kept looking at me like I was someone I wasn’t sure I deserved to be.
Because every time I thought about saying it… I saw her face instead and I stopped.

My gaze dropped again, this time lingering on the way she had unconsciously moved closer in her sleep, her hand lightly resting against my chest like she had found her place there without even thinking about it.
Something in me softened again......Damn.

“I’m going to tell you,” I muttered quietly, more to myself than to her, my voice low and steady but not as confident as I wanted it to be.

“Today… I’ll tell you today.”Because I had to.
Because if I didn’t… this would only get worse,Because she deserved to know even if it ruined everything,Even if the way she looked at me right now… disappeared.

My chest tightened at that thought but I didn’t look away,I couldn’t because right now… she was still here.Still mine,still looking like she hadn’t given me something I wasn’t sure I deserved.

A small movement beside me pulled me out of my thoughts,Her brows shifted slightly, her lips parting just a little as she stirred in her sleep, her fingers curling faintly against my shirt like she was trying to hold onto something.......Me.

I smiled without thinking this time, softer, warmer, leaning down just slightly as my voice dropped.

“Hey…” I murmured gently, my hand brushing lightly along her arm.
Her eyes fluttered slowly, lazily, like she wasn’t fully awake yet, and when they finally opened, they landed on me in the most unguarded way possible.

“…you’re awake,” I said quietly, my lips curving just a little more and She blinked once… twice… then a small, sleepy smile touched her lips.

“…mmm,” she hummed softly, her voice still thick with sleep as she shifted slightly, her face pressing more into the pillow before she looked back at me again.That simple sound......God,It did something to me.

“How are you feeling?” I asked gently, my voice softer now, careful.She frowned slightly, not seriously, just enough to show she was thinking about it, then her lips parted again as she spoke, her voice coming out low… small… almost like a complaint she didn’t have the energy to fully make.

“…it hurts,” she murmured.The way she said it.....Soft,Almost like a child made my chest tightened instantly, but a quiet chuckle slipped out of me before I could stop it, my hand coming up to brush her hair back again.

“That bad?” I teased lightly, my voice warm, trying to soften it for her.She pouted faintly, her eyes narrowing just a little as she looked at me.

“…yes,” she muttered, even softer this time.
I shook my head slightly, my thumb brushing gently along her cheek.

“ I'm sorry baby,” I said under my breath, the words slipping out before I could filter them.And the moment they did.....Something shifted in me again because I meant it.....More than I expected to.

Her eyes softened slightly at that, even through the sleep still clouding them, and I felt my chest tighten again, heavier this time.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, my tone changing, more serious now as my gaze held hers.

“About last night… I.......” I exhaled slowly, my hand resting lightly against her arm. 

“I didn’t want to hurt you.”She watched me for a second, then shook her head just slightly.

“It’s okay,” she whispered and somehow…that didn’t make me feel better....It made me feel worse because she said it so easily.Like I couldn’t do anything wrong in her eyes and that......That was the problem.I swallowed, pushing that thought down for now as I shifted slightly, sitting up a bit more.

“It’s Sunday,” I said after a moment, my voice softer again. 

“Morning.”Her eyes widened just a little at that.

“…what?” she murmured, more awake now.I nodded, glancing toward the window where the light had fully settled in now.

“Our phones are dead,” I added. 

“So… I’m pretty sure people are already looking for us.”She pushed herself up slightly at that, then winced immediately, her hand going to her side.

“Hey.....easy,” I said quickly, my hand moving to steady her.She let out a small breath, then looked at me again.

“…my mom,” she muttered.

“I know,” I said gently.

“We’ll head back soon.”I paused, then added lightly, trying to ease the moment again.......

“My charger’s in the car anyway… we’ll plug your phone there.”She nodded slowly and then before she could move again.....I stood and before she could even question it.....I leaned down and picked her up carefully,Like she weighed nothing.......Like she was something I wasn’t willing to risk dropping, Like a baby.......my baby.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, her hands instinctively coming up to rest against my shoulders.

“Dylan.......” she started.

“Relax,” I murmured, a small smile pulling at my lips. 

“I’ve got you.”and I did.

“I already ran a warm bath,” I added as I started toward the bathroom, my voice softer now, almost absent-minded and he blinked at me.

“…you did?”I nodded slightly.

“Yeah,” I said simply. 

“You’re not walking around like that.”Her lips parted slightly, but she didn’t argue.She just looked at me and for a second.....I had to look away because the way she was looking at me right now…It made it even harder to remember that I still had something to confess.

VIOLET'S POINT OF VIEW

The warmth of the water still lingered on my skin even after I was out of it, like my body had finally remembered how to breathe properly again after holding its breath for too long. Dylan had wrapped the towel around me so carefully, like I was something fragile, something he didn’t want to handle too roughly, and I didn’t even know why that made my chest feel so tight.

I stood there for a moment just watching him as he moved around the room.He wasn’t rushing,He wasn’t distracted,He was just… there......Fully and that alone felt different from everything I was used to.

He walked toward the bed after a while and picked up something from the chair, and only then did I notice it properly.A dress,Soft pink that had Light floral patterns scattered across it like someone had tried to make something simple feel beautiful without trying too hard.

My brows pulled together slightly as I took it from him slowly, my fingers brushing over the fabric.

“…where did you get this?” I asked quietly, still trying to understand it, I hadn't noticed it.He shrugged like it was nothing, but his eyes didn’t meet mine immediately.

“I went downstairs earlier,” he said.

“She had some spare things. I just asked.”I blinked at him.....Just asked???

Like he hadn’t just gone out of his way for me when I wasn’t even fully awake to notice.
My throat tightened a little before I could stop it.

“…you did all that for me?” I murmured without thinking.He finally looked at me then, just for a second, like the question made him slightly uncomfortable.

“It’s not a big deal,” he said but it was.I could feel it in the way he was standing, in the way he kept doing small things like this without making it feel like he expected anything in return.

I held the dress closer to my chest for a second before nodding slowly.

“Okay…”There was a pause.
Just… full of things neither of us was saying again.Then he stepped closer.

“Come here,” he said gently and I did Without thinking too much.

He helped me into the dress carefully, his fingers brushing lightly against my skin only when necessary, always slow, always mindful, like he was scared I might break if he moved too fast and the strange thing was…...I didn’t feel scared or shy,Not even a little.

I just felt aware of him,Of the silence between us.....Of the way my heart kept reacting to things I couldn’t fully explain yet.
When he stepped back, I adjusted the dress slightly, smoothing it down with my hands, but I could feel his eyes on me.
Not in a way that made me uncomfortable.
In a way that made me… shy.
Like I suddenly didn’t know what to do with myself.

“You look…” he started, then stopped.
I looked up at him immediately.

“What?”He shook his head slightly, like he was choosing not to finish that sentence out loud.

“Never mind.”That only made my face heat up more.

“Dylan…” I muttered, narrowing my eyes a little, though there was no real anger in it.
He laughed softly at that, just a breath of it, like he knew exactly what he was doing to me and then he stepped closer again.

“I can’t believe you’re still calling me that,” he said quietly and I blinked.

“What do you mean?”He tilted his head slightly, studying me like he was waiting for me to understand something I hadn’t fully caught yet.

“I thought we agreed you’d give me something better,” he said and my heart skipped a little at that.

“Oh…” I whispered, looking down briefly.
I wasn’t even sure why I felt shy suddenly.It was just a name right?but it didn’t feel like just a name.It felt like something more and 
I hesitated.My fingers tightened slightly around the fabric of the dress.Then slowly…....

“I.... I was thinking on calling you…my love” I said quietly and the moment it left my lips, I felt my chest tighten for reasons I couldn’t explain and he stopped like he hadn’t expected it.Like it had landed somewhere deeper than either of us was prepared for.
And then he repeated it under his breath.

“My love..…”My heart did something strange at the way he said it.Not teasing,Not joking,Just… warm,Like he iked it more than he was trying to show.

“I like it,” he said finally, quieter now.
And somehow… that made my lips curl into a small smile without me even realizing.
Before I could overthink it, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my lips again.Slower than before,Gentler.

Like nothing was rushing anymore,Like for this moment, everything could just… exist.
When he pulled back, he didn’t move farJust enough to look at me again.

“Come on,” he murmured.

“Let’s get you home.”And that’s when reality slowly started creeping back in.Home,Mom.
Everything waiting outside this room.I nodded slowly, even though something in me didn’t want to leave this space yet.

“…okay,” I whispered and I followed him.