Take My Breath Away

Chapter 16

Seth POV:

I slowly drift awake at midnight, turning my head as my eyes blink open, falling to rest on Dean's sleeping body lying next to me. "Dean! What?" I move away from him and stare at him for a long second before slipping off the bed. I really don't know what to say. I've never.. woken up with someone before. But now...

He's lying on my side; one cheek crowded into his pillow so I can see his face. It's all the love that he has in me or a joke. What if it's love? As I think about it, a soft, content smile ghosts over my lips, the way it does every time whenever I feel good.

I move my hand to brush his messy blond away from his face, but something halts me from doing it. And I knew what it would be. I'm not sure this is a lifelong commitment or just for fun, so I don't want to take advantage of him, even if it's simple things.

I groan and rub my stomach when it grumbles and forces me to move toward the kitchen. I look around and grab a kettle, flicking it on to boil the water. I don't know what I'm doing now in the middle of the night. But for the past two weeks, I felt my belly was starving every few hours without caring whether the time was day or night.

I groan and scrub a hand across my face before rolling my neck slightly and getting comfortable. I open up the cupboard above my head and pull out both the coffee mug and bowl.

I shut the door and stroll to the pantry, pulling out the box of cornflakes and pouring myself a bowl's worth before placing it back where it has belonged. I hear the kettle whistle to warn it has finished as I open the refrigerator to get out the milk.

The door closes with a soft snap, and I almost jump out of my skin when the light goes off instantly. "Oh, shit!" I mumble and try to keep my panic level at a minimum as I regulate my breathing.

I feel relieved when the light goes on and makes me continue my work as usual. I move back to the kettle and make myself the simple, two-shot coffee with the smallest amount of milk. I put the milk back into the refrigerator before heading to the living room.

I switch on the television and reduce its volume, making clear it won't wake up anyone. I sit on the couch and eat the food slowly until I feel enough for now. Suddenly I feel sleepy again, so I put the remaining in the sink and go back to the bedroom.

I move to slip beside Dean on the bed but stop when something is bothering me. I cross my arms over my chest and glance at him before grabbing the pillow and blanket to throw across the bed.

I lay on the bed opposite him and lean slightly to watch his face. Then I realize that out of all the people, Dean has chosen me for a reason. Now neither of us know at the time, but that reason is for each other to find our soulmate.

The realization will come later on, but now? Now we stay in a single room and let the darkness fade into dawn. Even though I try to drift into sleep, my mind is bothering me and seeking too many questions that I have no answer to. Is this the man that I'm going to make history with? Is this the man that I'm going to war with? Is this the man I'll go to marry and have those desired small talks with?

Dean POV:

I wake up the following morning before dawn because someone's foot is in my ribs. I push at the foot instinctively and crack my eyes open to see that Seth is on the far another side of the bed from me, curling almost in a ball except for the foot that he has planted in my ribs.

What the hell! Did he think I was going to crawl across in the middle of the night and grab hold of him or something? I shove his foot away. Whimpering in his sleep, he wiggles even further away from me.

Knowing there is no way I'm going back to sleep, I get up and glare at him before leaving the room and going on a run. The cool air and the steady rhythm of the run help my rampaging thoughts get in order.

His foot in my ribs rankled me, not so much because of the physical discomfort, but because of the assumption, even if it was unintentional, I would do something to him. I'd been body slammed through barbwire before, but that would not bother me. But this almost made me crazy.

By the time I return from my run, I get in his house as quietly as I might, trying to calm my nerves. I can hear some kind of kid movie playing in the living room, so I tiptoe in there. With the couch in the middle, it gives me to sneak in to see how things are doing, and my heart nearly explodes from the cute that's in front of me.

Seth has sprawled across the couch, his head on the arm of the couch, closest to the doorway, tilting back on it. On his chest is the neighbor's child, who is dozing away with the thumb in his mouth, completely out of it, looking peaceful.

I don't realize what I'm doing until I lean against the doorframe and cross my arms over my chest. Maybe the view is cute, but something is bothering me. I glare at Seth while remembering the earlier events. So he didn't even care about whether I was left or not.

When I knock at the door to get his attention, his eyes flutter open, blurry and unfocused, before he's looking up at me and giving a small, tired smile. He brings a finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet before he's supporting the kid against his chest and sitting up, managing not to wake him.

"I thought you were left." He's waving his hand before he's rubbing at his eyes and trying to brush the sleep away.

It's at the moment that my self-control shatters. I want to make Seth think about me, always, not some neighbor's kids or others. I walk over to him and cup his cheek, trying to talk myself out of it. "You have to hand this kid to his parents because.."

Before completing the sentence, I lean forward and press our lips sliding together perfectly, causing him to make a soft noise. "..Because I want to take you out now." I wrap my arms around him and press our lips even harder, making the movements get more frantic before he pulls away quickly.