Always With You - A Best Friends To Lovers Novel

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

River

Time past and it was already Christmas. Bowie and I decided to pack some of our things and head home to spend two full weeks at her parent's house. We had just arrived after dropping Whitley off at her home. She would be leaving back to Durango with us after those two weeks, and we already made plans to go out to celebrate the new year together.

As I parked next to Darryl's car in front of the garage, I let out a sigh. I was happy we were home. Six hours of driving in the snow were incredibly stressful.

"I'm tired," Bowie said, yawning and then opening the car door. "I think I'll head straight to bed. Good thing we stopped at a gas station and got something to eat."

I got out of the car and grabbed both our bags out of the back. "Here, let me help you," Bowie said, taking her own bag out of my hand.

We walked up to the front door, and Bowie rang the doorbell. It was already past ten, but her parents were awake and waiting for us. Marilyn opened the door, and with a huge smile on her face, she pulled Bowie into her arm. "I'm so happy to see you," she said, kissing Bowie's head and then giving me the same attention.

"Missed you," I told her, hugging her back.

"How was the drive?" Darryl asked as he appeared behind Marilyn, and Bowie immediately hugging him tightly.

I looked at him and shrugged. "It was okay. The snow was a little annoying, but the streets were mostly cleared," I told him. After Bowie let go of him, it was my turn to hug him. That has always been a special thing for me. Knowing my Dad would never hug me again, I took every opportunity I received to get a big, tight hug from Darryl.

"Good, good," he said, patting my back and looking at Bowie again. "You look like you're in need of a bed," he chuckled, and Bowie nodded.

"If you don't mind, I'm gonna head upstairs," she replied.

"Of course, sweetie. We'll have breakfast ready in the morning. Get some rest," Marilyn told us both, and we nodded, taking out duffle bags upstairs to Bowie's room.

"Nothing's changed, huh?" The last time I was here was in April to celebrate Easter. But even then, nothing much had changed since I moved away for college. Bowie had two bookshelves stacked with every single book she owned. She squeezed them all in, not caring if they were standing up horizontally or laying down, stacked on each other. On the floor, and leaning against the bookshelf, there were vinyl records all the way to her dresser, which had a record player on it. Some of them were also stacked, which filled that gap perfectly. We once created lists for all of her books and records, and both lists went up to around five hundred items each.

Her bed was tugged underneath the big double windows in the middle of her room. Her bed was some kind of safe place for me. I didn't sleep well at night before meeting her, but when I fell asleep in her bed for the first time ever, I knew I couldn't switch her bed out with mine again.

The built-in closet was always open. Bowie told me that she was scared of a monster living in there when she was little, so Darryl took the door off. I knew she wasn't afraid of it anymore, but I still liked to mock her about it.

Bowie was already taking off her clothes, and I unpacked my bag while she occupied the bathroom. I changed into my shorts, then walked into the bathroom after she opened the door to tell me it was okay for me to get in. She was already brushing her teeth, and I started doing the same while leaning against the counter.

She was facing the mirror but turned her head to look up at me. Her eyes were narrowed, and she was trying to keep her eyes open. I couldn't help but grin, and she rolled her eyes after realizing I was amused by her.

We finished brushing our teeth and walked back into the bedroom to get into bed. I pulled the covers back and waited for her to get under them, and then I did the same. Covering us both, I tugged her close to my side and kissed her head before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I missed being here," I whispered. Bowie's hand reached for mine, and I interlocked my fingers loosely with hers.

"Me too. A lot."

We were silent for a while, and I brushed through her hair and rubbed her back. Although we were both tired, we couldn't fall asleep immediately.

"Remember the first night you slept in my bed?" she asked, and I could hear the smile in her voice. I nodded, remembering the day like it was yesterday.

"I wasn't sure if Mom and Dad would allow me to sleep in the same bed with you, so I slept on the floor," she said, and I chuckled.

"I remember," I told her, looking down into her eyes. "Was it too uncomfortable?"

"Can't remember. But I remember waking up and seeing your hand hang off the side of the bed. I stared at it for a while, even touched it before you woke up."

I smiled. "You never told me."

Bowie shrugged, pressing her lips together, then smiling back at me. "I didn't think it was necessary to tell you. I was happy to see you smile first thing in the morning. Usually, you were sad when we met in the mornings."

I didn't feel like thinking about those mornings. Dad often sent me off with a slap in the face or a kick to my knees.

I leaned in, kissing the tip of her nose and then her forehead. "You're my happiness, Bowie. Always."

She cuddled up against my chest, and I held her tight in my arms. And at that moment, nothing was ever the same. I felt it deep inside my chest, that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you know you're in love.

Not that type of love I knew Bowie and I had since we were kids. No...something bigger was growing inside of me, and this time, I knew I was not going to stop it.