ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴘᴏᴠ

𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

♛♛♛

Delicate caresses on her cheek were what had her eyelids flutter open.

Light shone through the room, needing her to adapt to the strong light before she was aquatinted with the cream, coloured ceiling.

For a brief while, the motions came to a halt, allowing her to realise that the movements were being made in the first place.

Her eyes jerked to the side, catching sight of a bubble of darkness that engulfed one portion of her vision.

Fisting her eyes with her hands, once she reopened them she discovered a certain man by her side.

His dark hair was strewn across his forehead and piled carelessly on top of his head. Her caramel eyes collided with his grey mists of sparkling silver.

"Juls?" She mumbled groggily, the feeling of sleep still fresh in her throat.

He didn't show any emotion, but his movements on her cheek continued.

"Just got back, found you passed out on the floor." He muttered grimly but quietly, as normal.

Hazel didn't really care what he had said because hearing his voice confirmed that she wasn't dreaming and that he was really with her.

Slowly, a warm smile encircled her bewildered look, and her arms wrapped themselves around his neck.

Hazel nestled her head in his neck as she hugged him closely, feeling a familiar sensation of protection. She felt truly safe now, so safe.

But what was worse, she felt at home.

His arms outstretched around her lithe frame, only his two black-clothed arms covering her entire body.

"I've missed you so much," She whispered, not even caring that she sounded so vulnerable.

He let out a breath of amusement, his arms tightening around her waist and he pulled her inconceivably closer.

"I've missed you too."

Her heart fluttered and her eyes blinked with happiness.

He was here.

After four weeks of not seeing him or hearing him or feeling him, she could finally do all of those things.

"You aren't hurt?" He murmured into her hair, easing his arms once his question was released.

"No, they didn't see me," She released one of her arms and drew it down to her waist, pressing his arms back against her.

He chuckled against her neck as he softly kissed her there, his arms returning to the tighter grip she relished.

"Are you okay? How was your flight back? I hope it wasn't me that pushed you to come back..."

Hazel was confident that it was most likely due to a break-in at his home, but she wanted to be certain.

"You could never push me, I willingly did, Hazel."

She smiled. His words always found a secret little way to torment her heart.

"How dangerous is that man? I heard him say he was looking for some file?"

Julius hummed his hands around her waist and back again in that way circular motion. Hazel was acting like a clingy monkey, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck, her thighs pressed against the side of his waist—she refused to let go.

"Mhm, a contract." He replied with a rumbling in his voice that vibrated right through her chest.

"Like a business deal sort of thing?" She murmured, trying to figure out why he needed to break into this wonderful home and scare her into losing consciousness.

He hummed once more, one of his hands now curling around her neck, attempting to free her from her grasp.

She sighed and turned to face him, slowly drawing away. As she realised how close they were, her breath became stuck in her throat.

Their foreheads are inches apart, and their lips are remarkably similar.

Oh, those plushy, smooth lips that feel like heaven with her own. It was almost as if she had a sweet craving to feel and taste them once more.

Hazel's never been like this before, never. That is unless you count her chocolate.

She wasn't sure what was happening to her, the tingly sensation in her belly that only increased and grew until she was wet.

It was a strange sensation. It was squirmy and unsettling, but it throbbed.

"I hope you don't think I sound dumb," She spoke nearly breathlessly, her lips practically brushing his as she spoke, and it tormented him just as much as it tormented her.

"I don't, and you aren't." He asserted, his voice forceful but barely audible. The breathtaking patterns of grey streams heated her entire body as his silver eyes captured hers when they sprang up from her lips.

The pad of his thumb came to rest on her lower lip all of a sudden. His thumb brushed against the aching flesh once, twice.

"Do you want to kiss me again, Hazel?"

Those few words had such a strong influence on her body and mind. As they were only said subtly and with anything but emotion, she was still unwillingly writhing in delight.

Yes. She wanted to scream.

Instead, her lips spoke for her.

Hazel leant in slowly and brushed her lips against his, parting them as she did so.

Against her lips, those soft, velvety lips felt like clouds. Through her nose, she inhaled the delicious mint scent of his light body wash, which was pungent and woody.

He kissed her back easily, his lips gliding softly against hers as he ran one of his hands through her hair, tugging and pulling on the roots.

An unforgivable sound left her mouth instantaneously, her eyes fluttering as she shifted her head and kissed him deeper.

Hazel felt like she was on cloud 9. All of her worries faded away, leaving only the idea of his luscious lips to occupy her mind.

She was aware of every part of him that was in touch with her. Her body was pressed up against his, and she could feel the muscle strain beneath her, as well as the smoothness of his jaw beneath her fingertips.

He caressed her hip, running it around the curve repeatedly while attempting to sneak his tongue into her mouth.

When she felt the tip of his tongue brush across her bottom lip, she nearly gasped, but her lips parted either way and his tongue slid into her mouth.

His warm, wet tongue swept against hers, blending their tastes and sensations into one, and all they could feel were each other's warm bodies.

Julius lowered them down to the bed gently. While her legs remained snugly wrapped around his body, Hazel's hands had made their way to his hair as she now remained beneath him.

They continued to kiss passionately, and Hazel was surprised she hadn't passed out from the quantity of air sucked from her.

One of his hands cupped her cheek, while the other roamed freely around her waist.

Hazel was sure she was going to pass out from the kiss since she had no determination to pull away.

With a last breathtaking kiss to his plump lips, Hazel drew away completely out of breath.

Her head rolled back in sheer delight as her chest heaved upward. She smiled up at the ceiling with her eyes closed.

His lingering lips brushed across each portion of her neck and jaw, her mouth was apart and her eyes were softly shut with every sweet kiss.

It was such a lovely feeling. His caress and touch drove her mad. The ache between her thighs had only become worse, and Hazel hadn't noticed she'd been aroused until after the kiss.

"You're so beautiful, Hazel." He whispered, fanning his breath against her ear, this made her smile even wider.

Her eyes slowly reopened, and the scene in front of her was breathtaking.

His normally unkempt hair had become a tangle of dark strands that hung down in front of his brow or stuck up attractively.

Those plump lips, which had been on her just seconds before, now swollen and been painted red. They appeared to be even more kissable.

Then there were his eyes. Wow, his eyes were completely silver. They had so little black in them that it was difficult to discern where it was beneath the silver ripples.

They were cold but light. As though he had developed a new gleam that was only being shown to her.

She had no idea that the crack in his walls had become much larger.

"I like you." Hazel had blurted out, shamefully but truthfully. She kept her gaze down to Adam's apple that bobbed up and down slowly after he heard her.

"You didn't like me before?" He teased, his tone dark but amused.

She blushed further, her hands coming to the collar of his shirt as she started to play with the hems.

"Of course I did. I mean, I like you differently now,"

Her response was still vague, leaving out things like, "I like you a lot more than a best friend," and "I probably want you to be my boyfriend instead of my best friend."

It was scary. This was scary.

But the answer was clear in front of her, or maybe it wasn't. Maybe the kiss didn't mean as much as it did her as it did to him.

"Elaborate for me,"

She took a deep breath and heaved it out. When his powerful chest rubbed against her skin, she got more nervous as he inched closer.

"Tell me, Hazel," He muttered darkly into her ear, the sound seductively appealing as if it were a measure to compel her to talk.

"I want you more than a best friend. I like you."

As the words tumbled out, her heart froze. Those were the words that may have ruined her friendship with him positively or negatively.

Those lips came around to her own, she could feel his eyes blazing into her own, then so softly, he pecked her lips once.

With the simplest words, he forced her gaze up at him by tilting her chin. "Look," He demands.

When their eyes met, a familiar warmth surged around her body, and her eyes fled away from his neck, which ached for her lips to brush there.

"Guess what Hazel?" A slow, devilish smirk crossed his lips and he lazily circulated his hand to her jaw, running his fingers around the base lovingly.

"What?" She gulped, preparing for the worst. She couldn't see what was behind those emotionless eyes. That scared her.

Gradually, Julius hovered over her, his silver chain hitting the warmth of her chest doing so.

With one look into his eyes, he darted them from her lips to her gaze as he spoke.

"I want you more than a best friend, too."

Now, that was not what she was expecting. She was so taken aback that her brain froze and so did her body.

"Y-You like me as well?" Her stuttering demonstrated how deeply this had affected her, and how seriously her heart was taking it.

"I do." He replied strongly. Every word he said was delivered with no trace of remorse or regret in his defining look.

Her arms encircled his neck tightly before tears welled up in her eyes, and she kissed an area on his neck too.

"That makes me so happy," She whispered.

It was then his turn to freeze.

His muscles stiffened tightly and his jaw swelled into a pop as if her words had impacted him more than anything else.

"Fuck, what are you doing to me, Angel?" He flipped her over in a fast sweep, his arms around her waist, but she was now straddling him.

Hazel's legs curled around him, still clinging to him like a monkey, his back against the headboard.

"I could say the same thing, Juls."

Now that made him almost smile.

Hazel felt a sense of warmth build around her as if only virtue was enveloping her, protecting and sheltering her frame.

But that warmth seemed to be not a presence but him.

He was her warmth.

"That was the important thing I needed to tell you," She mentioned, smiling into his neck again. "It was?" He replied, circling her waist again with those large, tatted hands of his.

She hummed in response, embracing his warmth and the fact that he liked her back.

"I know you're busy with work and all, but please tell me you're staying a little longer this time?"

The hope in her eyes sparkled so brightly it punctured his heart. Every fibre of her being clung to the hope that he would return to be with her, if only for a little longer. She wasn't ready to say goodbye, especially when she had only just said hello.

Julius didn't seem to have the strength in his body to tell her that he had to leave in three days. It was his job, and he had to travel for it. But he was also the leader, so if she wanted him to stay, then he would.

"How long?" As his soft lips brushed the area below, he questioned her, his voice just audible above her ear.

Her pulse pounded hard, and she knew he could feel it.

Even though those eyes were always so terrifying, Hazel drew back from his neck and peered intently into his gaze, holding his gaze as if they were her hands clutching her soul.

"Fourteen days."

She wanted two full weeks with him. While she was at college, he could work, then when she had work, she'd manage a way to see him. Even if it was for a short time each day, she still felt comfort in knowing he was still here.

"One condition," He pulled her hands away from the back of his neck, grasping both in his palm and laying them on his chest.

"Yes?" She found herself answering, curious as to what he was to say.

His other free hand went to her collarbone, his finger running along her skin like flame evaporation. His index finger wrapped around the chain as he came to a halt at the necklace around her neck, and his gaze fell to the pendant.

"Stay here, with me."

She froze again. The heart in her chest felt like it was expanding with each word he spoke, soon she was bound to have a heart attack.

"I won't allow you to go back to that house of yours, Hazel. It's obviously affecting you more than you lead on," His thumb now ran its pad under her eye, referring to the dark circles.

She shook her head, removing his hand and holding it in hers. "This is your home, Juls. I wouldn't want to impose or live here without paying you or—

"You want me to stay longer, yes?" He gripped her chin firmly, his voice came out dominating, intimidating.

"Yes," She said breathlessly, her eyes being forced to look into his.

His jaw ticked and clenched, then unclenched. "Then you move in."

"No payment. You being safe is all that matters to me." He said seriously, every ounce of dominance that ticked off of him at this moment had her instantly obeying.

"Okay," She nodded her head slowly, taking in all that had happened in mere minutes.

You being safe is all that matters to me.

All that matters to .

Oh, goodness.

When she wrapped her head around everything, with the help of his comforting movements that soothed her heart and mind down, Hazel had suddenly understood that she would be moving out of her home.

No more restless nights, no more impulsive words, maybe even no more nightmares.

That house was full of memories from her childhood, memories she treasured. However, it was now also filled with pain, so much of it.

Hazel was more than ready to leave; all she needed was a few days to pack and inform her parents, and she'd be on her way. For good.

"Give me a few days?"

While studying her, he licked his lips and tilted his head to one side slightly. "I want you here Tuesday evening."

He left no room for debate, regardless of the fact that she did not react to provoke one. Her reply was a short, simple nod.

It became silent again, and Hazel inhaled deeply and grinned before exhaling.

She squealed and hugged him to her neck once again, her excitement overwhelming her. Julius amusedly chuckled and took her in his arms. "Thank you so much, Juls. I don't think you realise just how much you've done for me."

"Welcome, Hazel." He whispered into her hair, placing a small kiss on the top of her head. "But you need to stop thanking me, I do it because I want to."

She giggled, hugging him closer impossibly. "I know you do,"

"Good. So stop thanking me." He pulled her neck back, making her look at him again. She sighed but didn't respond, she wouldn't ever stop thanking him, no matter what.

Instead, she leaned forward, placing a small kiss onto his cheek and grinned right after.

"I have a favour to ask you." She said to him, placing both hands on his chest again, running her fingers in circles against the fabric of his shirt.

"Mm?" He glanced toward the door behind her before lazily returning his eyes to her. She didn't know why she got those butterflies again, it seemed with anything he did made them erupt.

"Teach me how to cook." She smiled with embarrassment, knowing how much she wants to learn and that she couldn't cook to save her life.

An amused, lazy smirk crossed his lips—one that made her heart pitter-patter louder.

"Okay." He responded.

When he raised himself up and brought her with him, Hazel's triumphant smile faded totally.

She let out a little squeal as she clutched his shoulder and clung to his sides with her thighs.

He nonchalantly began strolling down the silhouette staircase, then peered down at her, a trace of mischief in his eyes.

"Up for pizza?"