•For The First Time By Boyce Avenue•

It felt like I was hugging the softest and warmest pillow ever. My arms tightened around it and a soft raspy sigh breathed into my ear in response. My eyes shot open and I squinted as the morning sun hit my eyes over a curved shoulder.

My eyes widened as I fully took in the position I was in. My head was buried in the crook of her neck and my arms wrapped securely around her waist. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders and crushed me to her chest, every part of us that touched had my skin burning. Her legs tangled with mine, her lips nuzzled my ear.

It was pure, blissful agony.

I stiffened, immediately trying to extract myself from this awkward and completely unintentional position, but before I could her arms tightened around me. "Don't go." The raspy tone of her voice mixed with the chords of her accent sent my stomach into an overdrive of butterflies.

A smile crossed my face at her pleading and I settled back into the comfort of her arms. She sighed happily and kissed the side of my head. We laid there for a while longer, drifting in and out of sleep before the sounds of the hospital eventually woke us up.

"Ugh." I groaned, rolling over in her embrace until I looked up at the ceiling. She chuckled and leaned over to look at me, and my breath caught in chest. Her hair was illuminated by the sun, turning the ends golden. Her grey eyes were soft where they peered at me underneath a hooded gaze.

Her plump lips were curved into a supple smirk. I shivered slightly when she ran her fingers up my arm. "Did you sleep well?" She asked huskily.

I choked down my saliva and nodded as I stared up at her wide-eyed. Her hair tickled my face and I squeaked when she abruptly swung her leg over me to sit on my hips.

A burning heat spread from my chest all the way down to my core and my hands automatically found her waist to keep us steady. She brushed a stray piece of hair out of my eyes and smiled softly before she leaned down.

My heart leapt a mile in my chest and my eyes immediately fluttered closed when her soft lips came in contact with mine. Her hands framed my face as she deepened the kiss slightly. This one wasn't heated. This kiss was soft and sweet, this kiss pulled me back together and made me truly realize that I wasn't alone anymore.

This kiss made all the darkness flee from my heart and illuminated the organ with light instead. We were both panting when she finally pulled away and looked down at me. Her eyes sparkled at me.

"Frumoasa." The soft word lilted off her tongue and a smile formed on my face. "You've said that before, what does it mean?"

She flashed me a smile. "It means you're beautiful." My cheeks burned and suddenly I wanted to know everything she'd ever said and what it all meant.

"Oh." I responded lamely. She laughed lightly and climbed off me, leaving my body feeling buzzed and suddenly lighter. I rolled over and had to hold in my gasp as I was suddenly face to face with a muscled back. My eyes devoured her every curve and her spine as it moved. The black bra she wore complemented her tan skin. She turned to look at me as she pulled on her shirt and flashed me a warning look as my mouth dropped open.

"Careful, iubit, you're testing my ability to be patient." Her tone darkened, turning sensual wth promise. This time I did gasp and mock-glared at her for good measure. My lips curved down into a pout.

"Mean." I grumbled as I sat up in the bed.

She grinned and tossed the scrub shirt aside as she leaned over and pecked me on the nose. "Good morning." A smile spread across my face at the simple and sweet gesture. She was so kind and sweet to me. I adverted my eyes when she dropped her pants, immediately knowing I wouldn't be able to control myself.

She turned for me so I could change. I pulled on my pants and shirt quickly, and attempted to tame my mess of hair. "I'm good." She spun on her heel and smiled, a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Good, now I can do this." I squealed when she suddenly wrapped her arms around my waist and lifted me around, spinning me. I laughed and hung onto her for dear life, not fully understanding where this sudden burst of affection was coming from but certainly not willing to part from it.

"What was that for?" I asked once she'd set me down. She just shrugged. "I don't know, I just felt like it."

A blush stole across her cheeks and I grinned. "Alright then." She scoffed and shoved me playfully.

"What are we?" I blurted out, startling myself. I wanted to take it back, but at the same time I wanted to know. Her eyes immediately narrowed and she stood taller, looming over me.

"Are we....together?" I asked hesitantly.

Her answer came in the form of a scorching kiss that left my toes tingling, my lungs screaming for air, and feeling like my veins were liquid fire.

"Does that answer your question?" She nipped at my lip as her hot breath fanned my face.

"Yep, that'll do it." We stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. I wasn't sure what was specifically funny, but I didn't care. It felt good to laugh. We sobered up after a minute as we remembered where we were.

She must've sensed my sadness because as we walked down the hallway she reached down and laced our fingers together. The contact brought me an enormous amount of comfort and I sighed at the release of tension.

We found Char's doctor outside of her room writing something down on a clip board. "Oh, hello." She said when she noticed us walking towards her. Her sharp gaze immediately followed our arms to our linked fingers and a small smile played on her lips.

"Sleep well?" She asked with a raised brow. I choked on a cough and glanced at her in surprise. She was watching us with an almost recognizable expression, like she'd been in the same situation before.

Evelyn narrowed her gaze at the woman and pulled me closer. "We did, thank you for allowing us to use the room." The doctor tipped her head, "You're very welcome."

I glanced around the two women as they continued their staring contest and gasped when I saw Char sitting up in bed, wide-awake. "Oh my god." I immediately pushed past them and ran into the room.

Her blue eyes lit up immediately when she saw me and she squealed, holding her arms out to me. "Mommy!" Tears streamed down my face and I tentatively wrapped my arms around her. "Oh baby." I crooned and pulled back to frame her face with my hands. She frowned, "Mommy, why are you crying?"

I smiled through my happy tears. "I thought I'd lost you." She of course didn't understand what I meant and blinked at me as she looked around. "I'm right here silly." She giggled at me.

My lips curled into a smile. The doctor cleared her throat. "She woke up about half an hour ago and ate a little bit of applesauce. The swelling in her brain has reduced significantly and I think in a few days you'll be able to take her home."

I sighed in relief and looked up at her, my expression filled with thanks. "Evewyn!" Char's voice screeched happily. Evelyn walked right up to the bed and gave her a gentle hug.

The doctor watched them for a moment with a small smile before she turned and headed out. I followed her and tapped her shoulder. She turned and raised a brow at me. "Sorry, I just....she's really going to be okay?"

Her gaze softened. "I obviously wouldn't recommend swinging on the monkey bars anytime soon, but yes, she's going to be just fine."

My eyes welled up again as I watched Charlotte wind her little fingers around a piece of Evelyn's hair and start braiding it. "Thank you so much.....its been really hard lately."

She reached out and placed a comforting hand on my arm. "I read your medical records, as I am meant to do, and I know of the circumstances concerning Charlotte." My breath caught in my chest and I resisted the urge to fist my hands to stop them from shaking. Her hand tightened on my arm, and her eyes looked steadily into mine. "I can only offer you a little bit of advice. That woman in there," she paused to indicate Evelyn. "Is head over heels for you. She may not realize it now, you may not realize it now, but she loves you. And she loves your daughter. You deserve that kind of love. Do not let yourself feel otherwise, and certainly do not let your past be what ruins your future."

With that, she turned and walked away. My jaw was almost touching the floor. I opened and closed my mouth a few times as I stood there, trying to piece together what exactly she just said. She was completely and utterly right.

It was like she'd taken a flashlight and shined it on all the crap I was feeding myself so that when Evelyn asked me "why?" I had a list. Evelyn wasn't wrong for me, I wasn't wrong for her. So why not just stop trying to get out of it, and just let it be?

"Scout?" I turned at the sound of Evelyn's voice, and met her slightly concerned gaze. "Are you alright?"

My mouth curved into a full smile as I walked over to her and lifted my head to peer into her eyes. "I'm amazing." I whispered, stepping up on my tiptoes to kiss her.

😊