𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 ¹

|𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓢𝓲𝔁 | 𝓗𝓪𝓵𝓯 𝓗𝔂𝓹𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓲𝔃𝓮𝓭|

Chapter Six - Half Hypnotized

Stuck in a limbo, half hypnotized each time I let you stay the night

Caught in the moment tangled in sheets, we play the moment on repeat

When you're standing there in your underwear And my t-shirt from the night before

With your messed-up hair and your feet still bare would you mind closing the bedroom door?

-DNCE, "Toothbrush"

***

"Are you going to say something?" he asked after a while of silence in which he watched her swirl her hand around the bathtub playing with the bubbles, they sat on opposite sides of the bathtub, their posture explaining how they felt after what they'd just done, he sat back, arms resting against the sides legs stretched out as he watched her carefully, wondering if she'd regretted it as he hadn't, she, on the other hand, sat in a corner, her legs pressed tightly against her chest, her arms wrapped around them, her chin perched up on her knees as she solely focused on the water that traveled between them, she didn't quite regret it, she just felt self-conscious, the last person who'd seen her naked wasn't exactly the nicest as he spoke of her appearance, she wondered if Archie had noticed the disgusting scar he'd left behind, or if he thought it was just a birthmark or something that'd always been there, 

"Ronnie, come on," he pleaded, nudging her slightly with his foot, 

"It was nice," she finally whispered, glancing up to see a small smile painted across his lips, 

"So, um, how does this work?" she asked sitting a bit straighter,

"What do you mean?" he asked, 

"Well um, us? This?" she said gesturing between the two of them, "How do we work? What are we?" question after question being thrown his way,

"Um, I don't know," he sighed, responding honestly,

"Should we set up some rules?" she asked, he shook his head chuckling softly at how truly innocent she was despite the way she usually carried herself, Veronica was like a child on the inside, it was one of the many reasons he felt the need to protect her from everything, 

"You're asking me to set up rules for a casual hookup?" he asks, with narrowed eyes, his head falling to rest in the palm of his right hand, his arm perched up on the side of the tub as he stared her way waiting for an answer,

"Well I just I don't know last time I tried something like this, I thought I was falling in love, I almost lost one of my best friends because of it, and I don't want that to be us," she explained,

"Ok, rule number one, no falling in love," he said, "I understand if it's hard for you," he joked, she rolled her eyes at his comment nodding in agreement to the first rule,

"No sleeping with other people," he added,

"Are you sure about that one?" she asked, he rolled his eyes at her doubt,

"You really don't think I can commit to just one person?" he asked,

"I'm just making sure," she said her voice going up a few octaves,

"Rule two, no sleeping with other people," he stated,

"We have to tell each other if we find someone you know like a real relationship," she said, receiving a nod showing he agreed,

"If one of us wants out, we tell the other," he said,

"You can't throw me out of your room after, casual hookup or not I want my cuddles," she said, he let out a small laugh and nodded, she smiled a bit before getting up on her knees making her way towards him carefully making sure not to spill water over the tub, once she got close enough, she collapsed in between his legs laying on her side, pressing her forehead against the side of his jaw, after having placed a soft kiss on it,