Peace in a Storm

25 - Audrey

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

The sound of my phone vibrating on the nightstand woke me from a peaceful sleep. My eyes creaked open, hesitant to take on the rays of sunlight head on. I tried to sit up to grab my phone, but my waist was wrapped in a strong, warm chain. I glanced down to see Max's arm wrapped tightly around my waist. His eyes were still closed, and soft snores were escaping his nose. Carefully, as not to wake him, I reached out as far as I could to grab my phone. Papa's name was lit across the lock screen.

"Hey Papa," I answered quietly.

"Good morning, princesa. Are you next door? Benny went to check your room, and you weren't there."

"Yeah. I was still asleep. I'm sorry." I briefly pulled the phone away from my ear to glance at the time. It was almost 11:00. My brother, when we'd made these plans, promised he'd pick me up around 12. "I'll be right over," I told my father before hanging up the phone.

Gently, I grabbed one of Max's wrists and tried to unwind his arm from around my waist.

His hold tightened from the movement. His brows came together as he stirred in his sleep. "No," he murmured. "Stay."

"I've gotta go," I told him. Although I would've loved nothing more than to stay cuddled up with him for the rest of the morning, I couldn't avoid speaking to my mother any longer. I needed to hear whatever she needed to say, take it with a grain of salt, and move on with my life. Nothing she could say could heal the wounds she'd inflicted, but like Max had said: I couldn't keep nursing them. Not when there were so many opportunities for healing and acceptance and love around me. If anything, this conversation would bring her closure. Not me. And somehow, I was perfectly fine with that.

"Will you come back later?" He asked as his eyes cracked open the slightest bit.

"Yeah. We'll hang out later," I promised.

"Mhm."

I pecked a kiss at his temple. "I'll see you later. Love you."

"Te amo," he mumbled, his eyes closing.

His arms finally released me, and I reluctantly climbed out of the bed.

With his clothes still hanging off of my body, I gathered my discarded outfit and climbed out of his window. I hurried down the fire escape to my own window and stepped into my room.

My fathers were sitting on my bed, waiting expectantly for me.

Papa's eyes raked over Max's clothes on me and his eyebrow rose.

Blushing, I flashed them an innocent smile. "Good morning," she said. "I stayed with Max last night."

"So we see," Benny said.

"I'm sorry I didn't text you guys. I had the message typed, but I just forgot to hit send." Max's strong arms around my waist and his warm lips at my neck being the distraction that deterred my actions. The blush on my cheeks deepened from the memory. "Am I in trouble?"

"Not necessarily," Papa said. "We just need to set a few ground rules since you and your boyfriend have such easy access to each other's rooms."

I raised an eyebrow. "What kind of rules?"

"While we're fine with you sleeping over there and him vice versa, we need to ensure your safety. So, you need to text us when you're staying over there or when he's staying over here. We'll grant you privacy while he's over, but don't take advantage of it. If you and Max are going to be...active, then we need you to be safe."

Daddy tossed me a box of condoms. "We had an extra box of these in the closet."

The box fumbled between my hands and fell on the floor like a hot potato. "Daddy!" I exclaimed. "We're not having sex!"