Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Pictures Worth a Thousand Words
The sun is up and shining through the windows, but it’s a struggle to open my eyes. However, I’m immediately conscious of Luke sleeping in my arms, his back pressed against my chest.
His scent fills my nose, the sweet, subtle florals of his leftover cologne and his natural musk mixing to create perfection. I can’t help but draw him closer, inhaling deeply. God, I didn’t think a person could smell so good. It doesn’t seem fair.
If I were to lay here for the rest of my life, just listening to the sound of his slow and steady breathing, I would be content. Having him so thoroughly relaxed in my arms is a godsend, his body fitting perfectly in my grasp, almost like we were made together—two halves of a whole.
This feeling is surreal to me, almost like I’m going to wake up one morning and find that it’s never been anything more than a fever dream, entirely in my head.
But as I trace my hand along Luke’s side, his warm, soft skin beneath my fingers tells me this is real.
At my touch, Luke shifts in my arms to get more comfortable, but he doesn’t wake.
I laugh at how oblivious I was to so many things only a few short weeks ago.
Who knew I’d find myself in this position after Luke burst into my life, awakening the part of me that I’d denied for so long?
I might have expected more confusion or awkwardness with the transition of dating a man after solely dating women, but it’s been surprisingly easy.
But then, Luke makes everything seem easy when I’m with him.
I’ve missed waking up with him in my arms these past few weeks. I can’t help but imagine how nice it would be to experience this every morning, and that thought startles me. It’s the first time I’ve envisioned my life with someone beyond a single month, and I don’t know how to handle it.
There’s a growing sensation in my chest, and I know what it means, but I’m terrified to acknowledge it—afraid of how quickly it came on.
I’ve been searching for a missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle my whole life, and no matter how many times I thought I’d come close to finding the perfect match, no one was ever the right fit.
I was beginning to think it was hopeless.
Then Luke slid into place like it was where he’d always belonged. Like my soul finally found its mate.
I can’t deny the intensity of our connection, but we’ve only been together for about a month.
I’ve already almost brought everything to ruin between us twice without the added complication of bringing the L-word into the mix, so there’s no way in hell I’m going to entertain something like that at this point in the game.
But I’ll take whatever I can get and never ask for anything else if it means more mornings like this. I need more mornings like this.
Eventually, the call to nature is too strong to ignore, and I carefully peel myself out of bed to go to the bathroom, scouring the floor for my discarded boxers.
I don’t typically sleep naked, but we were too tired to worry about finding our clothes when all we wanted to do was hold each other.
However, the evidence of our nighttime escapades litters the entire room like a tornado blew through overnight.
Seeing how far everything landed away from where we were is comical, but then my thoughts turn back to what we were doing, and I can’t keep the smile off my face.
As I collect the articles of clothing from their respective corners, I notice how gorgeous this hotel room is for the first time.
I was so blissed out and preoccupied with what we were doing last night that I never even gave the space a second glance to see what all the fuss was about.
Now, I appreciate Luke’s insistence. His dedication to the bougier side of things really paid off.
It’s a typical hotel room full of all the amenities you’d expect to find—a TV, a minibar full of liquor, a writing desk—but it’s much more unique.
The décor is vintage but stately, with industrial-style accent lighting and exceedingly modern furniture and artwork, offering a feeling of luxury with its unassuming opulence.
Even the hardware and amenities in the bathroom add to its overall charm.
It’s young and hip but not overbearing or uninviting.
Definitely not the sort of thing you’d find at your standard Marriott or Best Western, and probably more expensive, but well worth it.
It’s an experience as well as a place to rest your head.
It makes me smile to think that Luke goes out of his way to find places like this just because he can. In his own words, “If you’re already going to do something, why not do it spectacularly?”
He made a believer out of me, anyway.
The problem with being a morning bird dating a night owl is that I have nothing to do now that I’m awake, and Luke obviously isn’t ready to get up yet. Sitting around watching him sleep is only entertaining for so long.
My phone is running low on battery since neither of us brought a charger on this unexpected overnight stay, and I don’t want to overuse it in case I need it later.
In the meantime, I take a shower and clean myself up, fold all of Luke’s clothes neatly in a pile, and then promptly run out of things to do.
I’m desperately craving coffee, but this room has no coffee maker, which might be its only downfall.
I’m sure I can get something at the bar downstairs, although a quick Google search shows me there’s also a Starbucks right around the corner, which sounds more appealing.
My need for coffee significantly outweighs my anxiety about going there alone.
Moving to the bed, I sit beside Luke, gently brushing my hand through his hair.
I lean down to kiss him, and he sighs softly, rubbing his face as he peers up at me through squinted eyes like he can’t see me clearly.
Honestly, he might not be able to without his glasses.
I wonder how bad his prescription is. He looks me up and down and sees that I’m fully dressed, then looks around for the clock on the nightstand, but can’t seem to read the analog face properly.
“What time is it?” he asks groggily, still half-asleep.
“It’s only about eight-thirty.” I rub my hand over his arm to try and help banish his tiredness, but he groans and rolls away from me, burying his face in the pillow. I chuckle. “You can sleep in some more, but I’m going to Starbucks. Would you like anything?”
His response is muffled and unintelligible through the pillow.
“One more time, please.” I laugh.
“Venti iced coffee with two pumps of hazelnut, oat milk, and a shot of espresso.”
“Holy shit. That’s a drink?”
“It’s a collection of items that make up a drink.” Luke smirks. “A fucking delicious drink.”
I can’t help but grin. “I’ll take your word for it. I’m gonna have to write all that down so I don’t mess it up.”
Luke suddenly pushes himself up on the bed and grabs me by the neck, pulling me closer. He kisses me lazily, but it’s still enough to send my brain into a tizzy, and when we pull away, he smiles. “You’re adorable,” he hums, then flops back down and closes his eyes, like he never moved.
Shaking my head with a smile, I pull out my phone and make a note, trying to remember the ingredients Luke spouted off. “Venti iced coffee with hazelnut and oat milk….”
“Two pumps of hazelnut and espresso. Don’t forget the espresso,” he mumbles without opening his eyes.
“Okay. Espresso. Got it. I’ll be back in a bit.” I lean down to kiss the top of his head. Then I stand up and head toward the door, grabbing one of the key cards on the way out.
Despite the map on my phone literally telling me where I need to go, I still can’t help but ask the guy at the front desk for directions just to make sure I don’t get lost. Not that it would be hard following the edge of a square, since it’s apparently right on the other side of this building, but with my luck, anything’s possible.
Traffic isn’t nearly as slow as I expected, with cars still zooming through the streets in this part of town like it’s not a Sunday morning.
The air around me is strangely energized, and I have the uncanny feeling of being ten years old again, out on a field trip in the middle of a school day while everyone else is going about their routines.
The way it prickles my skin isn’t wholly unpleasant, but I can’t trust it.
I’m waiting for the panic attack that’ll surely ruin the moment as soon as it kicks in my brain that I’m alone in downtown Detroit.
Thankfully, it’s a very short walk, and I make it to Starbucks in one piece. But I’m shocked to see how crowded it is as I get in line. It takes about fifteen minutes to get our drinks (Luke’s drink, really) before I can finally make my way back toward the hotel.
I study the milky brown liquid swirling around the clear plastic cup of Luke’s drink and wonder how something like this would taste. It looks like a sugary milk concoction that can’t possibly pass as coffee. Even if it does have a shot of espresso in it.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I can’t help but take a sip. Instantly, I frown and shake my head as my taste buds are assaulted. Nope. Way too much for me. It’s not that it tastes bad, per se. It’s just…not good. I’ll stick with my plain coffee and cream, thank you very much.
Unsurprisingly, Luke is back to sleeping when I get upstairs. However, I’m instantly stopped in my tracks, breathless at the sight of him on the bed.
Luke is lying on his back with one arm draped above his head on the pillow, his face turned to the window, and the covers are in disarray, pulled down and barely covering his naked body—just enough to be modest. His torso is exposed, those delicious little sparrows on full display.
And the way the sun is beating through the window right now is throwing a bar of beautiful golden light across him on the bed. It’s like looking at a painting.