The Science of Growing Apart

38- Coffee

I woke up the next day to the sound of birds chirping out the window with my face pressed against Casey's naked chest. As I listened to his deep breaths, feeling his chest cave and expand on rhythm, I couldn't help but feel like this was my own cultivated paradise. I felt so good that it didn't feel like it could be real.

I wouldn't even move from my spot in fear that if I stirred even just a little, everything could disappear from in front of me. I hardly even took a breath until I felt Casey stir below me, his finger tips starting to gently run up and down along my spine.

"Good morning," he muttered in a husky, tired voice that made me melt.

"Morning," I breathed out. "Sleep okay?"

"Amazing."

His stomach rumbled against my ear. "I didn't pack anything for breakfast," I realized out loud. I packed the pajamas as a precautionary step, but I didn't actually think we'd spend the night. There were some granola bars packed in the small pocket of my book bag, but I didn't have the strength to leave Casey's arms.

Now that I finally had him, I was sure that I'd never be able to pull myself away again. I wanted to curl into his embrace, and mold myself to him forever. His skin was so warm and I could hear the beat of his heart on a rhythm that was quickly becoming my very favorite song.

He shifted underneath of me until his lips were situated by my ear and muttered, "I'm sure I can find something to eat."

My entire body scorched so hot it was almost painful, starting low in my belly and creeping up my chest to my face. "Where did you learn to talk like that?" I admonished him as if the sexual innuendo was unwelcome, when it was precisely the opposite. Still, it felt so strange to hear Casey say things like that when I still kind of saw him as such an innocent, clueless guy.

He started to laugh against my cheek, continuing to run his fingers up and down along my spine, tracing every freckle with his thumb. "You really thought I was such an angel back then, huh?"

"Yes, I did," I agreed with him. "Because you were. A sweet, naive little angel"

"No, I wasn't." He laughed again. "I just never said anything in front of you. If you would have known all the things that ran through my head when you wore those white shorts, you wouldn't think I was so innocent."

Too curious not to ask, I scooted myself up so that we were facing each other. "What's running through your head now?"

I watched as his eyes went darker and my mouth went wet just before he leaned forward to kiss me. It was cut way too short almost immediately when my phone started to ring on the nightstand beside us. I groaned into his mouth, not wanting to pull away but also worried that it might be the rental company. I hadn't looked at a clock yet, so we might have slept over our checkout time.

"Why is Jay calling you?" Casey noticed the name on my phone before I did.

I ignored the call and sat it back down on the table. I could call him back later. "It's nothing," I assured him, not wanting to fill him in on everything just yet. We were still in our perfect bubble in the trees and I wasn't ready for it to pop yet.

But the stubbornly curious look on Casey's face made it clear that it was already popped and this wasn't something he'd be letting go of.

I fell onto my back on the mattress beside him and blurted it out. "He's trying to buy out the story."

"What?" His entire body jerked.

"He's worried that if it got out, it would affect his re-election," I added. "Which, he's probably right about. I told him it's Shiloh's decision to move forward or not."