The Boy Who Didn't Love

37 - home decor

The next two weeks were a blur to both of them.

Ali continued to cope with her grandmother's death by distracting herself with productive tasks, such as settling her grandmother's financial and legal affairs. She even returned to work, although she decided to take on fewer shifts for the time being. Sawyer was the one who picked up her other shifts as a way to keep them safe until she was ready to fully come back.

However, he didn't mind the extra work, especially when he had the privilege of coming home to her most nights. Ever since the funeral, it had become too emotionally draining for her to spend every day at her grandmother's house, and as a result, she began staying at his apartment every now and then.

It was strange at first. He wasn't accustomed to waking up with someone in his bed every morning, or the double amount of groceries he had to buy. It had been a couple of years since he moved out of his father's house, so sharing a space with someone had already become foreign to him. Sooner than later though, he found himself enjoying her constant presence and missing her even more when she went back to her house.

Sawyer slowly opened his eyes as the morning sunlight shined through the curtains of his bedroom. He smiled upon seeing her laying beside him, loosely holding on to his arm that was draped across her waist. He lifted his head to glance at the clock on the table beside her, then shifted closer. He leaned his head against her shoulder and pulled her closer from behind, sighing peacefully. He began to press small kisses across her shoulder, then down her back, before he rested his head against the pillow again.

"Don't stop," Ali suddenly interjected, and he sat up to look at her. After having spent so many mornings together, he knew exactly what her voice sounded like when she first wakes up.

"How long have you been awake?" he questioned accusingly as she turned her body towards him.

She smiled. "Almost two hours, I think. I made breakfast for the both of us, ate some, then came back into bed."

"Why?"

"Because I got to wake up next to you, so I wanted you to experience it too," she explained, then plastered on a sad frown. "Unless you don't like waking up next to me."

"I didn't say—"

"I knew it, you don't actually have feelings for me. It's all been a lie, my heart is shattered forever!" Ali cried dramatically as she pulled the covers over her head and pretended to sob. He dove underneath the covers and wrapped his arms around her, despite her trying to playfully push him away.

"The only thing I love more than waking up next to you is falling asleep with you in my arms, Alice," Sawyer whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her back, and she grinned.

"Wow, you're good," she replied before he turned her chin towards him and kissed her slowly under the covers. Once they finally pulled away from each other, she smiled shyly as she felt her heart pound due to one little kiss. She brought her hands up to snake around his neck and play with his hair on the back of his head as he hovered over her. "So me staying here sometimes hasn't been bothering you?"

Sawyer's eyes roamed across her face before he pecked her nose and watched her make a face. "No."

"You haven't grown any pet peeves about me yet?"

"You make a mess in the bathroom when you shower and get ready to go somewhere. But I don't mind that when we shower together," he remarked casually, while she blushed and sheepishly looked away for a moment. He smiled knowingly and dipped down to plant a trail of kisses down her neck. "Do you like my apartment, Alice?"

Ali met his eyes again to answer. "Yeah, it's nice. It's more spacious than it seems at first. It could use some better interior design though, if you're asking for my advice."

"If it had better decorations, would you live here?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely. All I'd have to do is take a quick trip to the nearest home decor store, and this apartment would be perfect," Ali said before she was suddenly blinded by the sunlight as he pulled off the covers from above them. She tossed him a glare through squinted eyes, while he urgently rummaged through his dresser for some clothes. She sat up and watched him curiously. "You forget about some important appointment or something?"

Sawyer looked her way as he slipped on his pants, then threw an outfit she had previously worn to his place a few days before on the bed in front of her. "No. Get dressed. I washed that for you."

"Okay, where are we going in such a rush?"

"The home decor store."

"Oh," she murmured, then slowly climbed out of bed and put on her clothes. He disappeared into the kitchen to quickly eat breakfast, while she sat in the living room with a deeply pensive look on her face.

He then appeared in front of her, car keys in hand, and nodded his head toward the door. "Ready?"

Ali pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him for a second. "Um, yeah, just a quick question. When you say we're going to the home decor store, what do you mean by that exactly? I just don't want to assume anything here."

"I mean we're going to the home decor store."

"No, yeah, right. I got that."

"Okay."

"Okay," she echoed as they both stared at each other. As always, his expression was undecipherable, and after a moment, she gave up on trying to read him with a huff. She stood from the couch and walked with him towards the door. He held it open for her as she slipped on her shoes, but before she stepped out into the hall, she stopped to give him a questioning look. "So—"

"I want you to move in with me," Sawyer interrupted abruptly, and she gaped at him in surprise.

"Wait. You want to live together?" she asked quietly as she cast down her eyes, thinking. It had almost been a year now since they started dating, and she already spent most of her time here.

"Yeah. You've said you don't want to live in Nina's house because it's too hard, so why not live with me? We have the same job, so it'd be efficient," he reasoned, and she glanced up at him with an amused smile hanging from her lips.

"Okay, but it's not all about efficiency, Sawyer. Us living together is a huge step in our relationship, are you sure you're ready for that?"

Sawyer nodded firmly, having already contemplated this decision for a while. "Yes. Are you?"

"Well..." Ali trailed off. He gazed at her carefully as she mulled it over, absently fidgeting with her fingernails. Her eyes returned to his after another minute, and his heartbeat quickened upon seeing the grin that bloomed across her face. "Since you've given me complete authority over the home decor, how could I say no?"

She stepped forward to cup his cheeks before their lips collided in a slow, passionate frenzy. His hands had begun sliding underneath her shirt while she glanced down to reach for his pants. Then she froze, with him following short after her.

They both blinked like deers caught in headlights as they stared at the little girl in pigtails across from his apartment door, which was still wide open. The three of them exchanged awkward looks, then the couple quickly detached from each other and adjusted their clothing.

After another moment of excruciating silence, Sawyer stepped forward and nonchalantly walked down the hall. Ali chuckled awkwardly, closing the door behind her, and waved to the little girl before she chased after him.

"Remember to close the door next time you want to make out, Alice," Sawyer said, and she gave him a flat look.

"Yeah, keep talking before I blow all of our money on home decor."