"Liz..." Michael whispers, his hand tracing her nude figure while she's asleep on her side in the middle of their bed. "Elizabeth..." She stirs, her long legs stretching beneath the crisp white sheets. His lips press against the splotches of ink on her back starting at the sparrow on her shoulder blade. Goosebumps appear on her skin.

"Mm- what?" Her sleep saturated voice slurs out, her eyes still closed.

"Wake up."

Liz whines, slowly turning on her back. Michael's lips relocate to the big floral rib piece that goes from her breast to her hip. She laughs under her breath, her eyes fluttering open. "What're you up to?"

He leans up and kisses her neck, moving down her chest. She moans softly when he moves to her breasts. Liz threads her fingers through his soft, silky strands of dark hair, her back arching as he moves further down her body. The way he's pressing his lips and running his hands over her flushed skin is driving her crazy.

"Get up here." She breathes, tugging on his hands. She's met with a filthy smirk matched with cute, innocent dimples on boyishly flushed cheeks. She reaches over to her nightstand for a condom and flicks it to him, her face splitting into a matching smirk.

He lifts her legs over his hips as he starts pounding into her. Her hands go to the back of his neck and shoulders, her jaw going slack. She laughs as he flips them, his hands gripping her curvy hips. "You look amazing." He mutters, gazing up at her. Her head falls back, her dark hair sticking to her now sweaty back. "Fuck, I love you." He grunts, thrusting his hips hard towards her.

Liz gasps and breathes out something about going harder and faster, pleading, and boy does Michael deliver.

He gets her front pinned to the bed, his hips going the way she's begging for and she cries out, her jaw dropping open. He grabs a fistful of her hair and tugs on it, making her moan outright and her back arch in a way it hasn't before. "Shit, that feels so fuckin good."

He mutters filthy words against her neck and her eyes roll back. She wasn't expecting this side of him, this dirty side.

It's always the quiet ones that are the dirtiest.

Liz reaches back and grabs his hand, pulling him down flush against her back. He snags his hand from her grasp and wraps it around her throat as she smirks, biting her lip. She gasps and moans as she comes, her body collapsing against the bed. Michael follows promptly, shuttering as he releases into the condom still buried deep inside his girlfriend.

"That was hot." Liz breathes, pushing her sweaty hair out of her face. "Fuck."

Michael smiles shyly, a blush highlighting his already flushed face. He leans over and kisses her softly- a total contradiction to the way they just fucked. "I love you." He whispers.

"I love you, too."

+++

"Yeah, I been thinkin' a lot 'bout goin' all-in on what we got. I got my eye on a twenty-acre spot with a fence in the dirt, yeah, but first, girl, I wanna call up your dad, spend all of my coffee can cash and ask you, "What's it gon' be?" Puttin' one knee on the floor 'cause I don't wanna be your boyfriend anymore..."

Michael looks through the glass if the recording booth at Morgan who has a knowing smirk on his face.

"You're totally head over heels for this girl." Morgan says when Michael hangs up the headphones. "Next thing you know, you're savin' up for a rock!" He teases with his nose scrunched up.

Michael looks at him then suddenly grabs a nearby napkin to scribble it down with a blue sharpie. He hums a melody then picks up a guitar.

"Sounds like things are gettin' serious with Lizzie, huh?"

"Huh?" He asks, distracted with the chords and lyrics rolling through his brain. "Yeah."

"Y'all worked out your problems?" He asks, sitting on the couch next to him. Michael clears his throat to hide a blush but Morgan catches it. "Awe man." He giggles. "How was it?"

"She's amazing." He smiles. "She's so beautiful."

"Do I hear wedding bells?" Morgan grins, poking him in the side.

"Oh, shut up." He elbows him away. "We just moved in together. It's kinda too soon to even think about that, man."

There's a smile that grows on Morgan's face. "But you're thinkin' 'bout it. Aw, man! My boy's growin' up."

"Stop it, man!" He laughs and nods. "But I mean it feels right, y'know?" Morgan grins at him then giggles childishly, his shoulders slumping in on himself as he curls forward slightly. "Shut up. Just help me finish this song."

+++

"Michael!" Liz shouts from the kitchen, glancing over at his ringing cell. "Michael!" She yells again, looking up the staircase. He's sitting on the couch in his souped up office, his electric plugged into an amp and his computer recording what he's playing. "Michael!"

Liz huffs as she moves the skillet off the burner, wipes her hands off with a dish rag then heads up the steps, his phone in her hand. "Michael!"

She swings the door open making him jump. "Fuck!" He gasps, his guitar nearly slipping from his lap.

"Your phone won't stop ringin'!" She tosses it to him and crosses her arms, leaning against the door frame. "It's probably your other girlfriend, huh?" She teases. He looks at it, sets it on the table in front of him then his guitar in the stand next to the couch. He looks over at her then motions for her to come closer and she does. When she's in arms reach, he grabs her with an arm around the waist and pins her to the couch.

She squeals and laughs when he starts nibbling on her neck, leaving small pink marks on her skin. He pulls back and smirks at her. "You gonna answer your damn phone or not?" She asks when it starts ringing again.

"I guess." He picks it up and answers the incessant calling, putting it on speaker. "Morgan, what's up?"

"What the hell have you been, man!? I've been callin' you all mornin'!"

"Sorry, man. I've been a little busy."

"Shit, sorry to interrupt y'all, then."

"Morgan!" Liz scolds playfully, still pinned against the couch under her boyfriend, laughing from the weight pressing against her chest.

"What's so important, man?"

"Us on tour this summer."

"What!? Get outta here!" He sits back. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Liz sits and listens to him tell him about some meeting later in the week. She's over the moon excited for the two to finally spread their wings like the free birds they are on tour together. The two best friends seeing the country together for the first time like they've always dreamt of.

She's pulled from her thoughts when Michael tosses his phone back onto the coffee table. "Congrats, babe!" She grins, wrapping him in a tight hug, her chin on his shoulder.

"I've always thought about this- dreamt for this and wished for it. Holy shit."

"I'm so excited for you." She beams, kissing his cheek. "When do you find everythin' out?"

"Uh, he said Friday, late Friday afternoon." She can see how excited he is with the way he's trying to bite back a toothy, dimpled grin.

She gets up and pats his shoulder. "C'mon, help me with supper."

+++

Liz is sitting on the steps. She's watching her boyfriend organize and pack things for his tour- his first tour. She's sad to see him leave for a few months but excited nonetheless. She sighs softly, texting Caleigh to let her know what's going on in Music City while she's soaking in that polluted SoCal sun.

"Hardy, where you at?" Morgan shouts as he lets himself into his best friends house. His sudden presence makes Liz jump. "Sorry, Lizzie."

"Liz." She corrects him, standing. "He's upstairs."

"You okay?" He asks, dropping his camo duffel bag on the floor next to the door.

"Yeah." She nods with a weak smile. "Just gonna miss y'all boys."

"We're gonna miss you too, darlin'!" He shouts as his boots stomp up the wood steps.

She sighs again as she heads to the kitchen to make some snacks for her favorite boys that they can freeze over the tour. She knows they're going to miss her cooking out on the road.

"Okay." Michael sighs as he heads down the steps to the living room, dropping a couple bags on the floor next to Morgan's.

"Y'all set?" She asks, forcing herself to sound upbeat. "Ready for your three month long boys night?"

"Hell yeah, we are." Morgan grins, his arm around Michael's shoulder, he looks kind of down. There's a couple honks outside. "I'll, uh, start takin' shit out." Morgan says, leaving the couple alone.

Michael sighs as he looks Liz's face over. He can tell she's a little upset but she'll be damned if she lets him know. "You gonna be okay?"

"Don't worry about me, hon." She smiles back, grasping the sides of his face. "Worry about you havin' fun with your best friend."

"What're you gonna do while I'm gone?"

"Probably go visit my family, maybe Caleigh. Maybe bring 'em out here." She shrugs. "The night is young, Michael Hardy."

He chuckles, leaning down to kiss her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

She pulls away and disappears into the kitchen. "I made y'all some snacks for the road." He smiles, looking down at the cooler in her hand.

"Hardy, let's go!" Morgan shouts from outside.

He sighs again and kisses her deeply, so passionately that it takes her breath away and her head spin. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Me too." She smiles but it falters when she watches him pick up his bag in one hand and the cooler in the other. "Hey! Stay outta trouble." She shouts from the door, a hand on her hip as she narrows her eyes at her boyfriend and his best friend. "I mean it."

"Okay momma!" Morgan shouts back, rolling his eyes playfully. She waves goodbye to them then somberly closes the front door.

Liz looks around the big empty house and sighs. This is really the first time she's been alone since she moved in with Michael. She's sits on the couch and looks around, the silence sinking in.

She's totally fine with being alone but being alone without Michael hits totally different.

These next few months are going to be boring as hell.

+++

Lyn links her arm around Liz's as they walk around downtown Plano. "I know it's sucks but you've got a couple more months, right?"

"Yeah. He's tryin' to call me when he can but it's been a little while." She shrugs. "I'm not worried. I just hope he's havin' fun, y'know? Seein' the Lower Forty-Eight with his best friend."

"Of course." Lyn nods, pulling the door of the local pub open. "Hey Darcy!" She says, waving to the girl behind the register.

"Lyn!" She shouts back, picking up a couple menus. "And Liz."

"Hey Darcy." She responds, following her sister and waitress to a table in the corner of the room. Darcy and Lyn were good friends in high school. Liz never really liked her, she thought she was annoying, a very 'one-upping' type of person. She sits and listens to her sister catch up with her friend from high school.

"Liz?" She glances over her shoulder to see who's calling her name.

"Hank?"