Asterism

44. hard bargain

Five chapter update! Chapter 40, 41, 42, 43, 44.

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MARLEY woke up to a hand down her shorts.

Sighing, she reached behind her back blindly, grabbed the wrist and removed the hand from her butt, setting it on her lower back.

Grumbles of protest were heard from above her head, the hand sliding lower again before Marley re-grabbed his wrist and put it back in its place.

"Why don't you love me?" He whined.

"Oh my god-Aiden Matthews it is," she paused to lift her head and pry her eyes open reluctantly, peeking over the footboard to where her alarm clock was sat. "Six am. You are not copping feels at six am. Go back to sleep," she hissed.

"But-"

"Cuddle me and shut up," she snapped.

He let out a long disappointed sigh but didn't argue further, squeezing her tighter against him and pressing his lips to her hair.

Marley wasn't aware of how much time had passed after that, but she awoke again to fingertips gently caressing the side of her face. She leaned into the touch with a happy sigh. "When do you have to leave for practice," her words were a half-slur from sleep.

"Coach postponed it to this afternoon. This morning we're both leaving," Aiden murmured. "For self-defence practice."

Marley groaned and rolled onto her stomach, shoving her head into her pillow. "Nooo. Too early."

He chuckled, rubbing her back. "It's eight. You're lucky I let you sleep in as long as I did."

"This is me postponing it to later. Like coach," she grumbled.

"Too bad you're not the coach in this scenario," he gently jabbed into the ticklish spot on her hip, causing her to jolt and smack his arm.

"Please let me sleep. This is the only day I don't have morning classes," she whined, turning to hide in his chest, yanking the covers over her head.

The covers were pulled away from her. "I know. Which is why it's the perfect day for training. It's been a couple weeks since we practiced, spitfire. I need to know you can protect yourself."

"You keep pushing this and see how well I can protect myself," she warned.

That earned a loud laugh from her boyfriend, causing Marley to smack a hand over his mouth. "Ellie," she hissed.

They'd spent the night in her dorm last night, considering Aiden's apartment is still occupied by his best friend. Ellie hadn't been here when they returned.

"She never came back last night," Aiden informed her.

Marley briefly lifted her head over her boyfriends bare shoulder to see that Ellie's side of the room was in fact empty. She sighed in relief and sagged back into the mattress, closing her eyes again.

"Ah, ah. Marley." A poke to her cheek. "No more sleeping."

She took a moment to consider her options.

"You can touch my butt if you let me sleep in," she bargained.

He groaned. "You drive a hard bargain, Hoover. But what I care more about than touching your ass, is that I'm the only one who gets to. Come on. We'll go to Target after. You can pick out decor and shit."

One of Marley's eyes opened. "For your apartment?" She whispered hopefully.

"Yes, baby."

It was her turn to groan. "Now it's you driving the hard bargain."