I was surprised to find Larissa lying next to me when I woke up the next day. Although Rob had told me she would be coming, I didn't expect her to be lying in my bed.

"Good morning," she smiled, when I opened my eyes.

"Hey," I grinned, wishing I could wake up like this every day.

"I'm sorry, I came to check on you and I got a little too comfy," she said shyly. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," I lied. My head was killing me, and I had a lot of pain in my neck and shoulders, which I assumed had something to do with head butting a steering wheel yesterday.

"Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm fine thanks," I replied.

"Ivy, you haven't eaten since yesterday. I'm gonna make you something to eat," she said.

"No, really, I don't want anything," I argued.

"You need to take your pills, and you can't take them on an empty stomach, so you're gonna eat, even if I have to force feed you."

I laughed, as she stood up and walked out of my room. I liked when she was bossy. I tried to sit up so I could go into the kitchen to her, but she reappeared in the doorway.

"Stay where you are, I'll bring you breakfast in bed," she said, less aggressively than before.

"Yes, boss," I grinned and lay back down.

I realised it was probably best to stay in bed, as I felt dizzy just from sitting up. I didn't really want Larissa to know I was in pain, but the medication would more than likely make me feel better.

While Larissa was making breakfast, I quickly pulled out my phone and checked my appearance with the front facing camera. I looked like death warmed up.

I groaned, and tried to make my hair look a little less wild, and considered dragging myself out of bed to put some makeup on. However, she had already seen me, and would think I was an idiot if I put makeup on while she was out of the room for a few minutes.

Instead, I got out of bed to go to the bathroom. I quickly brushed my teeth and ran a comb through my hair, before returning to my bed.

A few minutes later, Larissa returned with a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches and two bottles of water. She sat next to me on the bed, and I propped myself up against the bed frame, with a pillow behind my back.

"Thank you," I smiled, taking a grilled cheese sandwich.

She took one too, and we both ate in silence for a few minutes.

"Don't you need to work today?" I asked, after finishing my food.

"I swapped my shift, I wanted to make sure you were alright," she admitted, and I tried to hide the smile that was creeping on my face.

"That's really sweet of you," I said, putting my hand on top of hers.

She smiled at my comment, then handed me a bottle of water, and some tablets. I took the tablets and set the water down on the bedside table, before lying down again.

"I'm gonna let you get some more sleep, I'll be in the living room if you need me," she said, and started to stand up.

I wrapped my fingers around her hand and held her in place.

"Stay with me," I pleaded. "I'm not tired."

"Okay," she said quietly, lying back on the bed next to me.

We didn't speak for a while, it was just nice having her next to me. However, it did feel a little awkward, and I wasn't sure why, so I tried to start a conversation.

"How's it going at the hospital?" I asked. "Do you still hate it?"

"I don't hate it," she laughed. "It's not too bad at the minute, really. I haven't really been getting too stressed up to now. With the exception of yesterday, of course."

"You've been stressing about me?" I asked smugly.

"I thought you had amnesia!" She said, still sounding annoyed about my joke.

"I'm sorry," I laughed. "I realise it was in bad taste."

"You scared me," she frowned.

"I said I was sorry, can you forgive me?" I gave her my best puppy dog eyes, and she laughed slightly.

"I don't know," she joked. "I feel like our friendship is tainted now."

"Fine, get out of my house."

She laughed at me, then leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. I was taken by surprise, and felt my face heat up. I saw her smirk slightly at my reaction, and my mind started to wander again to the possibility of me being with Larissa.

"Ivy, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course," I said, curious about what she would ask.

"When you told me that you love me... did you- I mean, were you being serious?"

I looked into her eyes, and she nervously looked away for a few seconds. I wasn't sure if it was good or bad that we were having this conversation, but I needed to be honest with her either way.

"Well, I wasn't joking or anything and, like I said, it just came out really. But I've never been in love before, so I wouldn't know the feeling if it hit me in the face."

She laughed awkwardly in response.

"But I think that's what it is," I continued, and her eyes met mine again. "I know that every time I see you, my heart races. And every time I'm near you, I get butterflies, and I just want to kiss you."

"Every time?" She asked in a whisper.

I saw her eyes travel down to my lips momentarily, and I watched her cheeks turn pink when she realised I saw.

I don't know what changed in the past few days, but she looked at me differently today. I knew that the way she was feeling probably wouldn't last, and that my heart would be shattered again in a few days, but I was willing to take that risk. This moment was worth it.

"Every time," I whispered back to her.

I heard her breathing get faster as I moved closer to her. She shifted herself toward me slightly, and her eyes closed. She rested her hand gently on my hip, and pulled her body closer to mine.

I allowed my lips to linger in front of hers for a second, before she moved in and took my bottom lip between hers. My heart felt like it could burst at any moment.

It was a slow, soft kiss, unlike the last few times Larissa and I had kissed. I always wanted to kiss her, but this was different. It felt like I needed her. And I would never know for sure, but it seemed like she needed me too.

I eventually allowed my tongue to slide along her bottom lip, and it was met immediately by her tongue. I could feel myself getting aroused, but right now was not about sex. This was deeper than sex.

I continued to kiss her slowly, letting my fingers run up and down her side, only just avoiding her boobs. I felt Larissa squirm occasionally as my touch tickled her.

After a few more minutes of our tongues sliding delicately against each other's, Larissa pulled away slightly. I waited for her to run away or make some excuse about why she kissed me, so I was surprised when she placed a small kiss on my forehead.

I opened my eyes to see that she wasn't running away, she wasn't stuttering any excuses at me. She was just looking into my eyes. Albeit, she looked a little conflicted. I assumed she was still trying to work out what just happened, like I was.

"That was... different," she said bashfully.

"Good different?" I asked.

"Yeah."

I grinned at her response, and she laughed slightly.

"I don't know why, I just- I wanted to kiss you."

"Yeah, it's okay. Any time you feel the urge to kiss me, don't hold back. Honestly, just go ahead and-"

She interrupted my very kind offer with another kiss, which caught me off guard. I smiled against her lips, which were moving faster than before. She was being a little more rough with me now, which usually I didn't mind. However, I decided to use Larissa's new found enjoyment of making out with me for my own gain.

"Let me take you out," I said cautiously, pulling back from her.

She looked shocked at first by my proposition, but her expression softened as she though about it.

"Like... on a date?"

"Yes, on a date," I said hopefully.

She was quiet for a minute and I guessed she was trying to weigh up the pros and cons.

"One date, just me and you, with no distractions. We're both single, and you can't deny that there's something between us. Just give me a chance to show you how much I like you," I said.

"Okay," she replied, and I almost passed out from excitement.

"Finally!" I grinned.