Carters couch is, in fact, as soft as a pillow.

This shit feels better than my bed. I roll around, the fur blankets warming me up entirely. That's when it suddenly hits me.

Last night. The rooftop. The confessions.

The almost kiss.

Oh my god.

I tried to kiss him?

I tried to fucking kiss him.

I groan awake, the bright sun blazing towards my face. My breath tastes horrible and I can tell my hair is a mess.

I hear a door open and some footsteps behind me.

"Good morning," Carter greets. His voice is deep with sleep.

"Morning," I yawn back.

"Want some coffee?" he offers.

"Uh sure."

I pull myself up into a sitting position. My stuff is thrown on the other side of the couch, my shoes on the floor.

I look towards the beautiful kitchen and almost pass out.

Carter is shirtless with messy hair and black and red checkered pants that hang low on his hips.

His very sharp hips.

I suddenly remember how disgusting I am right now and immediately run to the bathroom.

A knock is at the door as I hurriedly brush my fingers through my hair.

"Are you good?" Carter says.

"Yeah!" I yell to him through the door.

"Okay, your coffee is ready," he tells me.

Great.

I gurgle some water in hopes of it covering my bad breath and walk to the kitchen. I slept in my hoodie and leggings which I still wear now.

I grab my warm mug and hold it between my hands in hopes of a distraction away from Carters really defined abs.

"Sleep well?" he asks as he takes a sip of his coffee. He's leaning against the opposite counter where the coffee machine is.

It looks like a very expensive one.

"Yes," I respond sleepily, "your couch is really comfortable."

He chuckles at that, "I know right."

I remember how awkward it must be between us now. I tried to fucking kiss him less than 12 hours ago.

I don't even know why I tried to. Did I really see him like that?

This is so fucking confusing.

"About last night-" I try to say but he cuts me off, "don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

I stay silent. Clearly that's the end of the conversation.

Carter moves forward and leans his elbows on the counter in front of me.

"Are you hungry?" he asks me.

I nod and yawn again. It takes me a while to wake up.

"Are you?" I ask him.

He stays still looking at me. He seems in a daze at my question and my body heats up again.

"Yeah," he muffles as he walks over to the refrigerator.

I sip my coffee slowly, thinking over everything I have to do today.

Wait...

Oh my god.

"Carter," I say as I quickly get up and run towards my purse for my phone.

"Yes?" He asks from the kitchen.

"What time is it?"

I try to grab my phone but I can't feel it anywhere.

"9:30 why?"

Fuck.

"I'm late for school!" I yell from the living room.

"You'll be fine just take the day off," he suggests calmly.

"Day off?" I ask. I didn't even know those were available.

"Yes, Mandy. They aren't going to expel you for being absent one day."

I stop rummaging through my bag. He's not wrong. Absences aren't that bad in college. But it's still a responsibility.

"I don't know," I say. I hear the clanking of kitchen wear and cracking of eggs from the kitchen and when I look up, I see Carters bare back flex as he moves something on the stove.

I think twice about the decisions that brought me here to his apartment, to the rooftop last night, and find myself not really caring.

Which is odd, considering I care a lot about distractions like this. Last night, Carter showed me a side of him that made me trust him. And now, looking at his shirtless body cooking breakfast in his expensive ass kitchen, I think to myself how maybe, this isn't a bad distraction.

Or is it?

My mother would flip out if she found out about something like this. About me with a boyfriend. The only thing she wouldn't mind is Carter himself.

I don't even know where Carter and I stand. Last night changed a lot between us. I felt the shift for sure.

But here he is making me breakfast while I'm late for class.

"Omelet is ready," Carter says. I get up from where I'm sitting on the couch and walk back over to the counter, sitting myself on a bar stool.

"Thank you."

"Orange juice?" he asks. I nod and he twirls around and pulls out a glass from the cabinet behind him.

I take a bite of my omelet...

Holy shit.

It's so... good?

And buttery.

Oh my god.

Eating this felt like eating something so good after a long crying session or a breakup. It's the chocolate cake of breakfasts.

"I-" I begin with a mouthful of eggs, "oh my god."

"I know," he smirks at me, "I'm pretty decent at cooking."

"Decent?" My mouth gapes open.

"Are you complimenting me?" He lays his jaw on his knuckles, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Shut it," I snip back.

He smiles, "you'll be fine if you miss one day of classes. Take a day off. Relax."

I've actually never taken the time off from school to fully recharge. You'd think my mother would be the one encouraging me to do so.

"I've never taken a day off," I confess. His mouth gapes open, his white teeth perfect, "what?!"

I nod and he shakes his head, "wow. Your mother really is controlling isn't she?" he says.

I nod my head and chug down the rest of my orange juice.

"Go easy on yourself, Mandy." He says, "you deserve a break."

I smile at him and walk over to the couch to gather my things.

"Thank you for everything," I say. He opens the door for me, still shirtless... and hot.

It's impossible to find this man unattractive.

"No problem. I'm always here if you need more hospitality," he winks at me.

I roll my eyes and walk off towards the elevator, heading his door close behind me.

Then it hits me.

I smiled at him.

—————————-

I meet Chloe, Abby, and Landon for lunch around noon at a small mexican place.

I warned Abby to let me know next time when she'd be home and she apologized and called me a control freak, to which I flipped her off.

We all snack on mini tacos when Landon speaks up.

"So guys," he says. We all look up at him, Chloe sipping on a fruit margarita.

"I have a friend that actually lives here and we agreed to meet up. She's from L.A."

The girls and I pause and look at each other, before looking back at Landon.

"Her names Audrey and I want you guys to meet her."

Abby coughs on her water and Chloe drops her taco.

"Is this a girlfriend?" I ask. Landon and I have had conversations about girls so maybe he's finally experimenting.

"I don't know yet," Landon says as he bites his taco.

"I'd like to approve of her," Chloe says. I nod in agreement.

"Exactly the reason why I want you guys to meet her," Landon agrees.

"I don't know if I'd be fit for that role," Abby says from where she sits. We all look at her. "What do you mean?" Chloe asks.

"Well," Abby places down her water, "I am Mandy's friend. I've barley known any of you guys for a long while."

I see where Abby's coming from. She doesn't feel like she's that close to Landon where she can give approval. I get it.

"Don't worry," Chloe assures, "we love you and we're all a group now."

I nod and finish my plate.

"So that's a yes?" Landon asks.

We all finish lunch and make our way back to campus while Abby takes a cab to her fundraiser.