Beverly was woken up by the feel of something tickling her nose. Grimacing, she tried in vain to move away from the nuisance, only to find she was trapped by a heavy arm slung over her waist.

"Griff," she slurred drowsily, "get'r hair outta m'face."

There was a husky chuckle from above her. "How do you know it's mine, Beverly?"

She huffed. "Always goin' t'bed with r'hair down." She typically tied her dirty blonde tresses back in a braid at night, but Griffin always told her he liked the feel of having his own shaggy locks hanging loosely, as opposed to being tied back in any way.

"'Cause you won't braid it for me," he teased, his words ending in a yawn. He cleared his throat, and when he spoke again there was far less sleep in his voice. "We've got to get up and get ready."

"No."

He laughed outright this time, and Beverly cracked a grin, blinking open bleary eyes to find him propped up on a single elbow as he looked down at her adoringly. "I love you." he told her with conviction, his features turning soft.

Beverly's smile widened. "Love you," she replied, puckering her lips comically. "Kiss me, please, you handsome hunk, you."

Griffin shook his head lightly at her antics but bent forward and pressed a kiss against her lips anyway. Pulling back, he traced his fingers lightly across her nose and down to her chin, rubbing his thumb across her lips. "You're gorgeous," he murmured. "I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life."

Cheeks immediately flooding with color, Beverly buried her face in her pillow and mumbled, "Thanks, Griff."

He blew out a sigh, and she peeked up to find his body further away and twisted as he checked the clock on the bedside table. "What time do you want to leave?"

Groaning dramatically, Beverly rolled towards him, stopping only when she slammed into his side. "Depends. What time is it?"

Griffin peered down at her with quirked lips and amused eyes. He'd told her recently that he found her most adorable in the mornings, and Beverly was glad to see that was true, since she found mornings to be a bit tough on occasion—especially during spring break, which had only just started. "Nine."

"Nine?" Beverly repeated, shocked. "Only nine? We don't have to leave till twelve, at the earliest."

Her boyfriend's brows furrowed thoughtfully as he moved his arms to cradle her against his chest, and Beverly's attention quickly shifted to the underside of his jaw and his attractive neck.

"Well," he started to say, but Beverly stopped listening, instead choosing to watch his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. How the heck is it possible for someone to have an attractive neck of all things? Geez.

Mind suddenly lighting with an idea, Beverly took advantage of her position and pushed herself up, just enough to trail a path of gentle kisses from the underside of his jaw down to his clavicle.

Griffin, as she expected, shuddered, his words tripping over before stalling entirely. "Be—" he cut himself off with a gulp when she decided to nip at his skin. "Jesus Christ. Beverly, I told you—" she silenced him again, this time reaching up and connecting their lips. It started out as an innocent peck, but Griffin—having apparently recovered from Beverly's earlier actions—slanted his mouth over hers, taking control and turning the kiss into something far more passionate.

He moved over her, setting her flat on her back while he hovered above, keeping most of his weight off her by resting his elbows on either side of her head. Beverly squeaked when he tugged her lower lip into his mouth, his tongue warring with hers, one of his hands teasing its way down her side.

Her brain shutting up while her body took over, Beverly shifted her own eager hands, winding them through his hair and tugging lightly. Griffin hissed at the sensation, pulling back to send her a look before delving his face into her neck, laving a trail of hot kisses down and over her collarbones.

Gasping, Beverly's back arched, her chest brushing against his and pulling a husky groan from Griffin before he returned his lips to hers hungrily. Gradually, his kisses began to slow, going from frantic to gentle and loving. "Love you, Peach," he murmured, his lips dusting over her cheeks and ear.

Honestly, how could he be so shy and then do that? It wasn't fair, really.

Beverly shivered, goosebumps forming on her skin as she eyed him through her lashes. "I love living together."

He laughed, moving to the side and collapsing next to her but leaving a hand on her stomach and rubbing circles in the sliver of skin peeking out between the rumpled fabric of a shirt she'd stolen from him and her favorite sleep shorts.

"Me too." He replied, sending her a look that would not be appropriate in front of children.

Letting her mouth fall open, Beverly shoved him halfheartedly. "You're a rake!" she scolded through her chuckles, untangling herself from the blanket and swinging her legs over the side of the bed before sitting up.

"And you're lucky I don't mind your mess." She turned to find him eyeing the various textbooks, computer parts, and clothing strewn around their room (the room originally intended for her had become more of a guest/storage room).

She knew he was only teasing, of course; he'd confessed to her within a week of their moving in to the new apartment that he adored having her with him, and even liked seeing her mess. "It reminds me that I'm not alone anymore," he had murmured quietly into her hair, earning himself a kiss and a tight hug.

Pushing off the bed, Beverly straightened, stretching her arms above her head and groaning when her shoulders popped loudly. "That's better," she grumbled, swinging her arms loosely and then striding to the bathroom.

When she came out five minutes later, no longer concerned about her bladder and wearing a minty-fresh smile, she found Griffin missing from the room. She wasn't surprised though—Griffin enjoyed cooking (another perk of living with the man), and she knew he was planning to whip up some snacks for their road trip to her family's house.

Sure enough, Griffin was mixing something up in the kitchen, his hair finally tied back as he focused on whatever was in the mixer.

"What'cha making, Griff?" she asked, sliding onto the counter of the island and letting her dangling feet bob back and forth.

Griffin shot her a smile over his shoulder. "Brownies, Beverly; I know you'll need chocolate."

Beverly was sure she was expressing heart eyes at his back, but who could blame her? Her boyfriend was amazing.

She was interrupted from her fawning when Griffin's phone pinged, and she turned to find it on the opposite side of the counter, charging. "Will you get that, please?" Griffin asked, and Beverly reached across the counter to snatch the device.

Pulling it up, she grinned at the screen. "Cynthia says: 'Don't mess up with Miss Bev's Family; have fun! Love you.'"

Griffin scoffed, and she didn't have to be looking at him to know he was rolling his eyes at his godmother's words. "I'm glad she has such confidence in me."

Beverly's smile softened, and she tilted her head to the side as she traced her eyes over his back thoughtfully. "Hey, Griffin?"

He hummed, twisting sideways so he could eye her curiously. "What's up?"

"Everything will be fine. You know that, right? This will be a fun vacation, and everything will go perfectly well." She truly believed the words; Griffin treated her so well and was too much of a sweetheart for her parents to find anything wrong with him.

Passing her a grateful look, he turned back to the batter. "Thank you, Beverly," his voice was soft.

"Anytime, Griffin," she turned back to the phone and set it down without replying, knowing Griffin would get to it later.

"How's Cynthia?" Beverly had been swamped with midterms for the past week, and she hadn't had the opportunity to visit Cynthia or Francis recently. The couple, as far as she knew, was still doing wonderfully; their 'kinda sorta' relationship turned into a real relationship relatively quickly, and they were absolutely adorable together (to Beverly, anyway; Griffin didn't seem to share her opinion). Beverly's favorite part of witnessing them together was the banter—both Francis and Cynthia had a quick wit, so it was hard to keep up but fun to watch the two converse.

Griffin rolled his head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment. "Fine," was what he decided on, and Beverly quirked an eyebrow.

"I thought you and Francis were . . ." she was going to say getting along, but she quickly amended that to, "civil." From what she'd seen of the two interacting (which, admittedly, didn't occur often), Griffin was aloof but no longer outright insulted the man, while Francis remained stiffly polite.

Her boyfriend shrugged, moving his head back down to focus on the brownie batter as he poured it into a pan. "We are, I guess. I'm just . . ." he blew out a heavy sigh, setting down the bowl and bracing his hands on the counter; Beverly wished she could see his face. "It's hard, you know? I can't help but worry that he'll hurt her again."

Beverly smiled sadly. She knew perfectly well that Francis would hurl himself off the top of a skyscraper before intentionally hurting Cynthia again, but she understood why Griffin was worried. "I think Francis and Cynthia will be just fine," she soothed. "This has been a long time coming, you know? If they're happy, we should be happy for them."

There was silence for several beats, before Griffin's shoulders relaxed and he nodded once. "You're right."

"Of course I am," Beverly scoffed. "I'm always right. Can you put my brownies in, please? I would really like to eat them, like, yesterday."

Laughing heartily, Griffin pushed away from the counter and strode to the oven, sliding the pan inside and wiping off his hands. When he was done, he twisted around and shot Beverly a flat look, though his voice was playful. "You may be right, but you're bossy too. The brownies are for our trip, remember? Maybe you should eat actual food first."

Groaning dramatically, Beverly slid off the counter and slouched over to the fridge, nudging Griffin out of the way as she went. "If I must," she huffed. "Will you put the coffee on?"

He crept up behind her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "For you? Anything—and that includes making you a mocha for the road." A final peck was settled against her skin, and then he was moving to the opposite side of the kitchen, leaving Beverly to stare blankly into the fridge with a dumb grin on her face.

***

"Ready?" Griffin asked two hours later, handing her a travel mug that was emitting her favorite chocolaty aroma before snatching her free hand with his own.

Taking a sip of the drink, Beverly nodded with a happy hum. "With my mocha? You betcha. Are you?"

He quirked a small smile. "I think so." She didn't miss the nervousness shining in his eyes, and she squeezed his hand comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Griffin. Remember: My family will love you." And really, they would. Felicity and Abe were sure to be fascinated by the man, her mom would probably fawn over him, and her dad would at least be civil; for her family, that was as close to love as one could get on the first meeting.

"I can't help but worry," he protested as he led her to his car, dropping her hand so he could open the door for her. "I don't want to mess this up." It was a loaded statement, and Beverly was touched to hear it from him. Meeting her parents was a big step (if one ignored the fact that they'd already moved in together, of course), and she had told Griffin that she appreciated his choice to go with her during spring break, as opposed to waiting until the summer or even later.

"See?" Beverly shook her head with a grin as he got settled in the driver's seat, "With a big heart like yours, I don't see how someone could not fall in love with you." her smile grew mischievous, and she reached over a hand to prod his bicep. "I'm surprised I don't have to fight off other women, honestly."

Griffin rolled his eyes at her teasing, brushing off her touch halfheartedly. "Alright, Beverly. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were buttering me up to ask me for something later."

Chuckling, Beverly replied, "How do you know I'm not doing that? Maybe you're just finally figuring me out."

Blowing out an exaggerated sigh, Griffin started the car. "I knew something was off about you."

"Oh, Griffin," she settled back against the head rest and took her time in admiring his profile, "there's a lot off about me, but I don't think my love for you is one of those things."

He didn't look at her, but she wasn't blind to the red creeping up his neck, and she grinned wickedly. Her boyfriend was absolutely adorable, especially when he got so shy. "I love you too," he grumbled after a long moment, "even though you drink too much coffee and like stupid puns."

Beverly dissolved into laughter, noting in the back of her mind that he seemed much more relaxed in that moment than he had earlier.

Now, let's just hope he stays this way.