Meet me by Lavender Valley

Chapter 7 - Not the same as before

The warmth of the sunlight danced over my face as I woke up, the rays shining through the curtains by the window. Something warm and comforting was pressed against my back. My eyes flew open when I realised what that warmth was. It was Drew. His arm hung over my middle and for some reason that I could not explain, it felt comfortable. I savored the moment and didn't stir as I laid there in his embrace.

I suddenly felt the bed shift behind me and hastily untangled myself from Drew. His eyes widened as he realised in which position we slept. He cleared his throat. "Good morning," Drew said roughly, his voice rough from just waking up. "Hey." I greeted him back as I sat up. "You sleep well at least?" He asked with concern. "Um yes actually," I said shyly as I looked away from him. He hummed in agreement. Drew had a bed head which somehow made him look even more handsome. The white blanket shifted lower down his body as he sat up showcasing his ridiculous perfect abs. I looked away before he could catch me staring.

It was quiet for a moment before the door abruptly flew open. Drew's mother's face came into view as the door hung open. "Drew?" Her brows raised in surprise as she took in our predicament. Me and Drew, in bed, together. I shied even further from Drew as Nora stepped into the room. I attempted to fix my messy bedhead as she looked at us. "It's not what you think." Drew spoke up, his voice still husky from sleep. I liked his husky voice more than I cared to admit. It was the kind I wouldn't mind waking up each morning to.

Drew's mother gave us a sly smile. "Sure honey." Drew gave her a flat look. "Mom." He drawled. His mother took the hint and quickly changed the subject. "Drew haven't I told you before not to come in room 9? You know the door always gets stuck." She said. "I forgot about it last night Mom. My mind must have been somewhere else." Drew said as he sat straighter.

"I'm sure it was." Nora smiled as her eyes shifted to me. I stood up suddenly embarrassed. This was not how I expected my morning to go. "Well, I'm going to get dressed." I said as I grabbed my clothes from yesterday and walked to the bathroom. As I stood in the bathroom I quickly washed my face with some water just to feel a bit fresher. It definitely helped. As I got dressed I still couldn't wrap my head around that Drew and I had shared a bed last night. And a fact that was even more frightening was that I liked it. I don't know if things between us would be the same after last night. I mean Drew must like me if he had me wrapped in his embrace.

I stepped out of the bathroom. It was time to face the music I guess. Luckily I noticed that Nora had disappeared and Drew was already dressed, well mostly since I still had his shirt. When he noticed me he just stood there in his shirtless glory with a smirk. Jerk. "Don't wanna give my shirt back so you can see my abs, Darlin'?" He smirked. "What?! No!" I sputtered. I could feel my cheeks heating up. Damn it. This man was doing things to me. It wasn't fair. He didn't seem bothered at all. Maybe I was wrong, maybe he didn't care for me.
I threw him his blue shirt and he caught it easily. Was there anything he couldn't do?

We went downstairs on our way to leave when I saw our phones sitting exactly where we left them. Thank goodness. I grabbed them off the table and handed Drew his phone. "Thanks." He mumbled distractedly. His mumbling just confirmed my thoughts of earlier. Ugh. Things were weird between us. Just when I thought we were getting along.

We drove back to Drew's house in silence. Great. Things were like they were when we had just met. There had to be a way to fix this.

When we arrived at Drew's house I rushed upstairs to take a much-needed shower and to get ready for work. I finished getting ready in record time. I heard the shower running as I stepped down the stairs. Drew probably chose the perfect time to shower just to avoid me. I huffed in annoyance.

***

A week later he was still ignoring me. Every time I walked into a room and tried to talk to him he would just grunt in return or say that he had to go do something.

I've just about had it when an idea popped into my head and I came up with a plan to win friendly or rather friendlier Drew back. The only downside was that it had to wait till after work. I hoped that this day would go by fast so that I could get home to execute my plan.

As I hoped the day flew by fast. After my shift, I quickly gathered all my things and hopped into my car hoping that Drew wasn't home yet. Luckily as I pulled up in the driveway Drew's car was nowhere to be seen. I rushed into the house and immediately went straight for the kitchen. My mother always said that the quickest way to a man's heart was a delicious meal. Which is exactly why I'm cooking Drew a hearty meal, lasagna. My mother's special lasagna would definitely make the impact I'm hoping for. It just had to.

I gathered all the ingredients and started cooking. Soon a delicious smell filled the air. I breathed in the delicious array of spices I used for the lasagna. It smelled heavenly. Just as I started to take the lasagna out of the oven I heard the front door open. Drew for once had perfect timing. I smiled as I looked at my steaming hot lasagna. My mother would be proud.

Drew stepped into the kitchen and breathed in the smell of the lasagna. "You made dinner?" He asked curiously as he stepped further into the room closer to me. Drew was dressed in a green flannel shirt with a green shirt underneath and jeans. Gosh, why did he have to be so handsome? "Yes, I did." I smiled as I stepped to the side so that he could see the lasagna in front of me.

His eyes flashed with interest and swore I saw his mouth water a little. He gulped. He wasn't making this easy so I took his hands and pulled him closer to the counter where the lasagna was. I put a plate in his hands and dished some lasagna up for him. "Thanks." He uttered. Was it just me or was he a bit flustered? I smiled in return. I dished up for myself and we both took a seat at the wooden table in the kitchen. Drew eagerly dug into his lasagna and his mouth lifted a bit when he tasted how good it was. "I've never had this before." Drew broke the silence. "What? Lasagna?" I asked him baffled. "No, a woman cooking for me, except for my mother of course."

I thought back at the jab Nash made about Drew's reputation with the ladies. "Probably because they don't stick around long enough." I muttered and closed my mouth when I noticed him eyeing me. Darn it! He heard me. "I didn't mean-"
"No, it's okay. You're right." Drew sighed. "The truth is I've always been a bit reckless. I just recently realised that I didn't want to be that type of person anymore so I decided to change." He said as his eyes captured mine.
My mouth opened slightly. It couldn't be because of me, right?

He suddenly stood up from the other side of the table and came to stand next to me.

"Though at this moment I can't stop myself from my reckless streak coming out again and for once I think it's given me the courage to do something that is worth it and that I can't deny anymore."

I stared at him in surprise as I stood up from my chair. "Drew what are you-" He cupped my face and lips captured mine. My body stiffened in surprise but eventually, I melted into the kiss. I kissed him back and I heard him grumble in satisfaction. His lips pressed against mine a bit harder and I felt the urgency and need in him.

He broke our kiss and pulled back slightly. "I've been wanting to do that since last week." He smirked. His eyes softened a bit. "I'm sorry for ignoring you this past week. It's just...I've never felt this way about anyone." Drew said softly, his hands still on my cheeks.

"Well, I suppose I can forgive you." I teased as I smiled at him.

"Can I kiss you again?" He said breathlessly. " I'd be mad if you didn't," I said as I wrapped my hand around his neck. Not even a moment later his mouth pressed against mine. This kiss wasn't like our first one. This one was soft and sweet, like he was savoring it. The thought made my toes want to curl.

He pulled away too soon and left me gasping for air. "That was.." I said breathlessly. "The best kiss you've ever had?" He prompted.

"Mm, I guess we'll have to practice some more to make sure." I teased.

"Is that so?" Drew said with a smile.

"Yes definitely." I pulled Drew closer and gave him a small kiss. I pulled away slightly to wrap my arms around him and he did the same. We stayed that way for who knows how long, just wrapped in each other's embrace.

I never wanted the moment to end. It was at that exact moment that I knew that things wouldn't be the same as before between us.