𐬾 𐬿

The sheets felt warm, and they smelt exactly like him. I smiled into the comforter and pulled them closer to me - I had the best night sleep I had ever had in my life. I spread my arms out, expecting to feel Theo's body next to mine but instead it was empty. Completely empty. My eyes fluttered open and I realised I was just patting the mattress beside me.

Where was he?

As if on cue, the door swung open, closing straight after. I jumped up, searching for the imposter in this early time of the morning. What time was it? My eyes blinked and blinked as I slowly adjusted to the low levelled light in the room, nothing but darkness covering every surface of the room.

I could feel the warm tingling feeling in my stomach and I propped myself up on my elbows, feeling my long blonde hair cascade down my back, the hair tie from the pony tail I had put it in last night being right behind me.

"Theo?" I asked, voice still thick with sleep. But he didn't answer, instead I could hear the faint buzz of music coming from somewhere and I squinted through the silence. I could just about see the muscular black outline of Theo, airpods slotted into his ears.

He hadn't noticed me yet and thank goodness because I was totally checking him out. He was wearing what looked to be a sweaty white shirt and a pair of black shorts. He was busy getting clothes out of his drawer to realise I was wide awake.

I cleared my throat and smiled fondly, watching his head bop in time to the music, completely unaware I was watching him. That sounded creepy. Yeah.

I shook my head away from Theo and searched the bed for my cellphone, not seeing it anywhere in sight. Now where did I put it?

"Mornin'." Theo's voice seared through the room and I jumped upon hearing it, also jolting me out of my repercussion. I turned around to see Theo taking his earphones out and putting them into his case, his hair completely dishevelled.

"Morning," I said, sitting myself up against the bed frame. "W-what were you doing?" I asked, swallowing hard at the massive biceps that were squeezing themselves out from his see-through shirt. I could also see his well-toned stomach and I resisted the urge to scream.

"I was just working out." He said and I nodded, chewing on my bottom lip. His chest was rising up and down in a relaxed pace and even more so as he walked over to the sliding doors, pushing them to the very end. I felt the run of warm heat flow to my cheeks, but maybe it wasn't because of the weather today. From the position Theo was in and the right angle coming from the soon-to-be-sun that still hadn't risen, his whole face lit up, a hand raking through his flattened hair to pull it backwards and away from his face.

The little amount of light coming from the street lamps hit his face in a burst of brilliance, illuminating his features. His skin glowed with a golden radiance, and the shadows that had hidden in the contours of his face were chased away by the dim beams. He squinted, his eyes adjusting to the awakening of Los Angeles. He stretched out; he looked invigorated, renewed by the baby blue sky up above.

He looked beautiful like this.

I cleared my throat and bounced on the edge of the bed, looking down at the soft mattress that felt like a fluffy cloud. "You know, I think that was the best night sleep I have ever had."

I felt a flurry of butterflies in my stomach appear when he turned back to look at me, his sharp jawline highlighted by the angle of the light that hit him perfectly.

"I'm surprised you even slept." He scoffed, and walked over to his phone that was on charge on his side of the bed, "do you usually stay up that late?"

I smiled at his failed act of worry and pulled the cover off of me. I needed to find my phone and get ready for school. "I just go to sleep when I feel like I can. There's no point in laying awake waiting until my brain switches off, right?" I stood up, the sweater slipping down to its usual length and hung off one shoulder.

Theo watched me circle the bed a couple times before his voice stopped me. "You lost something or are you trying to get in your daily exercise?" He joked and stilled, turning around with a lopsided smile on my face.

"I think I've lost my phone. Have you seen it?" Upon my words, Theo nodded and set his phone onto his bed, walking over to the side table right next to me, and I caught sight of my phone. How did I not see it there?

I rolled my eyes at my stupid antics and sat on the bed again to check the time. I was shocked. Shocked that my body could even wake up this early. Sixth thirty.

"I plugged it in, thought you could use the extra battery." He shrugged casually and I looked up at him, instantly forgetting my phone to stand up on my tippy toes to wrap my arms around his neck. His hand immediately flew straight to the small of my back and his smirk appeared on his soft lips - the same lips I had finally kissed.

His breath tickled my skin and I smiled.

I met his eyes, "Can I kiss you?"

I felt my heart jump and my anxiety rise.

But that all went away when he nodded his head and brushed my hair back behind my ears, a hand cupping the side of my face.

"You might as well," He shrugged a shoulder, grinning like a kid. Before he could come out with anything witty and more snarkier, I pressed my lips to his, immediately feeling that spark. That spark was always there when we kissed, and that made me want to kiss him again and again until I no longer could. He was breathtaking.

Theo angled my face to pull me deeper onto his lips, an embarrassing small whimper leaving my mouth which gave enough space for him to slide his tongue inside my mouth. This was new. I was surprising myself, how was I not freaking out like a total maniac now?

I could feel the passion we had, the connection. I could feel electricity that was sparking in every angle.

After a couple of seconds later, I pulled back and rested my forehead against his, breathlessly breathing. Theo leant closer to me one last time and this time only planted a small kiss to my lips. Then he took the shaky hand that was stiff by my side to take me outside onto the balcony. It was still light outside, the sun not even risen yet.

"Sun rises in ten minutes." His voice echoed and I squeezed his hand to let him know that even if I wasn't speaking at that current moment - taking it all in - I was listening. He looked at me and I looked at him, and then he pulled me into his chest and wrapped a hand around my waist.

"It's beautiful, don't you think?" I asked, completely zoned out as my eyes darted everywhere and anywhere. Standing on the balcony, high above the city, the view of Los Angeles was breathtaking. The sprawling metropolis stretched out before me, its endless expanse of buildings and streets illuminated by the pink glow of the sun as it just about pierced the horizon.

I could see the famous landmarks that made up the city's skyline, like the towering spire of the US Bank Tower and the glowing sphere of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The cityscape was both beautiful and awe-inspiring, with its geometric patterns of light and shadow.

It was mind blowing to think each of these moving cars and moving people that to me from all the way up here on the hills, had their own life's, their own problems and challenges that they were experiencing right now.

Feeling a sense of wonder and appreciation for this amazing city, and for the millions of people who called it home, I wrapped an arm around Theo's lower half, resting my head into the crevice of his neck, humming silently at the warm echo his body radiated.

All of a sudden, I felt Theo's chest vibrate and that was the only thing echoing throughout my body now. "What?" I tilted my head up at him, watching as he continued to laugh. I lifted my head completely from his chest and stepped in front of him, his eyes found mine in an instant, a twinkle, like a star, in his eyes.

"If you're expecting me to look at you whilst you're staring out at the view and say, 'yeah it is', then you're sorely mistaken, Freckles. You've got the wrong guy." He flicked my chin and I laughed into my hand. He pulled away just enough to level our eyes, and I smiled.

"I wasn't expecting you to say that," I told him, "but thank you for clarifying." I wanted him to say that since that was what always happened in the movies. But Theo was built different, he was a different kind. He was one in a billion.

He winked and pulled me into his chest once again, our hands falling into their initial positions, "That's alright then, isn't it?" He said.

As the first light of dawn began to filter through the sky, we had made our way to stand right in front of the glass railings where if you squinted just enough and raised your hands in front of you, you could almost touch the sun. The sun painted the sky in shades of pink and orange, and as it spread across the earth, it found its way to more of the city below us, lighting up areas that were not so clear before. At first, the sunlight was a gentle caress, soft and warm. But as it climbed higher up into the sky, it grew more intense, more insistent, and I could see the entire city stretching out before us like a patchwork quilt, with the glittering skyscrapers and bustling streets below.

It was nothing like I had seen before. I breathed in the cool morning air, feeling the breeze on my face as I gazed out at the skyline.

Neither of us said anything for what felt like forever as we watched as the whole of Los Angeles was waking up, but I had something on my mind. Something that I noticed Theo had said previously and it completely slipped my mind at that moment.

"So, Freckles, huh? I like it." I looked up at him and realised he was already looking at me, whatever thoughts he had had been thinking about were soon broken through with my pondering question; He snickered. "I think it's cute." I told him and his finger grazed along my jaw, his lip swirling around the centre point of his lower lip.

"You do, do you?" He asked, his voice low. I nodded.

"Yeah. I think it's quite creative too. I'll give you five brownie points."

That was when his hand fell limp to his side and he shook his head, laughing. "Five? You really think that low of me, Willow Sofia Anderson."

I snickered and lowered my head in embarrassment. "I really do regret telling you my middle name. Now you'll use that as an excuse to use it whenever you please."

He winked and tossed my hair over my face, "you bet I will."

"Good job I know your middle name then isn't it, Adam? Do you tell a lot of people that it's 'named after your great grandfather who made alcohol'."

"Course not. I don't even believe half the shit that comes out of my mouth either." He said with a slight chortle and I smiled again. I had a bad habit of smiling whenever I was with him.

I followed Theo back inside afterwards and scanned the clothes I was wearing. His clothes he had lent me to wear and it wasn't like I could wear these comfy clothes or those funky looking orange ones I had on yesterday.

Before Theo kicked open his bathroom door, I caught his wrist and he looked at me.

"Do you mind if I wear something of yours to school. I don't have anything else." I asked and he straightened up at the idea and waltzed over to his dresser where he opened two drawers and pointed at them.

"Pick anything you want." He said and kissed my head before going into the bathroom to have a shower. I sent him a smile before the door closed and focused back to the dresser where his clothes sat. I kneeled down on the floor and pulled out just a normal graphic tee and sweats, deciding that'll be a good idea.

The draft that was coming through the door made me shiver. Although it was not like any other winger where there was a blanket of snow and stands where hot chocolate was being sold, it was still a little bitter here and there, depending on the day. Most of the time the weather was manageable, and some days, like today, were a little colder.

I slipped on the same sweatshirt Theo leant me yesterday, not wanting there to be any more washing to be done that necessary. All of a sudden, to my surprise, there was a knock at the door and I waited to see if Theo was going to come out and answer it, but he never did. I stood up, the clothes in hand and pulled open the door, shocked to see a woman standing before me, her attire being a formal blazer, blouse and long skirt.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear, I was expecting to see Theo." The lady said and I gulped. I dreamt of Theo just coming out right now and swooping me free from this very embarrassing accoutrement.

"Yeah, sorry. He's, erm, currently showering. Do you want me to tell him you were here or do you want to come in and wait?" I asked, not knowing what she wanted to do. Who even was she, was what I wanted to ask, but I then stopped myself, realising that that could be quite rude of me.

The woman immediately shook her head, her well-kept bun not dropping a single strand of hair. "That won't be necessary, that goes against my abilities. Just tell him I stopped by and shall be downstairs making breakfast if he needs me." She smiled and I nodded. Before she went I stepped forward and poked my head from around the wall, hand clutching onto the door, keeping me steady and upright.

"I-I didn't catch your name. What is it?"

Who was this random woman?

"I'm Julie! Theo will know who." Then she was off down the stairs and I was left staring at the doorway, blinking blankly. Julie, huh?

I closed the door and rolled my shoulders, feeling my stomach twist in discomfort. That woman didn't look to be my age or Theo's, but she could've been anyone. Now that me and Theo were together, I didn't know how to act on things like this. I knew he got a lot of attention and I knew that I was stupid to think that I was the only one who he'd give a chance to, and even that made me feel sick.

I tried my best to busy myself and get changed. I retrieved my bra from my pile of clothes that I wore yesterday and quickly stripped. I slipped my body into the shirt that was a little loose and wide on the sides, and the sweatpants too - but I tied them. I slipped my body into the same sweatshirt and my anxiety-filled stomach calmed upon smelling his fragrance on it.

With Theo in the shower, I walked around Theo's room and to my phone that was still plugged in, charged to the full one-hundred percent. Perfect.

As soon as I switched it on, my hands slipping and sliding against the stupid sequences and stickers I had stuck onto the phone case a long time ago but was never bothered to change it for a new one, I had a flurry of messages from both my mom and brother - like I knew I would. I really needed to start getting the hang of telling my mom where I was going. She must've been worried sick.

I immediately pressed onto her contact and dialled her number, pressing my cell against my ear. It rang a few times, a few times too many, before the sound cut off and my mom's chirpy voice was heard. "Good morning darling."

I cleared my throat and sat back against the bed, my fingers twiddling with the tassels of the sweatpants. "Morning." I breathed. "I didn't get your messages last night, my phone was charging this whole time."

"That's fine. But just try and message me in the future, just so I know you're alright." She said and I hummed. "Poor Cal was stressed out of his mind, more than me. I know my little girl's being safe."

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, yeah I am mom."

Silence took over the call for a few seconds, "So, is he there?"

"Hm?" Did she know?

"Theo." She explained and I bit on my lip, my eyes falling shut. "Are you at his house?"

"Y-yeah. I am. I'm sorry, I would've told you sooner but—"

"No, it's alright. I was just like you when I was younger, you know. Out everyday doing God knows what. Mom was losing her hair for it." She laughed. I could imagine grandma acting like that, she had always been protective over mom, and on me and Cal. "But at least you're being safe, that's all that matters to me. I don't mind what you're doing as long as it's not drugs or a large intake of alcohol."

I laughed, "I would never do drugs and I don't particularly like to drink alcohol."

I heard her gasp from the other line, "You drink alcohol? Gosh my baby really is grown up." She joked. I wasn't eighteen yet, and mom wasn't particularly fond of the idea of me drinking, hence the locked cupboard in the kitchen, but it sounded like she had laid off of it a bit.

"I don't like to drink, so don't worry about that." I said and heard the shower turn off in the bathroom. I sat up, "I'm going to pop by before school, just to grab my school stuff. I'll see you then or will you already be gone?"

"I should be here. I'll make you some lunch today since I've got some spare time. I'll put it in the fridge for you."

"Alright, thanks mom."

"See you soon sweetie."

I pulled the phone away from my ear and ended the call. Just as I did that, the door to the bathroom swung open and in came Theo completely bare chested. He had a towel hung low around his waist, blocking the view of his lower half but his top half was glistening with droplets of water. His well-crafted, manufactured chest wasn't the only thing that was dripping wet - HIS HAIR.

His hair fell in every angle and looked even more dark than it was when it was dry. I found myself drooling. "Sorry, just left this." He picked up his shirt that he had left laying on his drawer and turned around to retreat back into the bathroom.

I nodded, patting my warm cheeks. Before the door shut behind him again, I caught sight of his back. Even his back was hot! It was rippling and flexing and his waist was curved into its slender shape. His tattoo's that danced their way up his arm looked even more beautiful. I even noticed that some of them were coloured in now, rather than being the basic black and white colour.

The door shut.

"Fuck," I whispered to myself. I rolled my shoulders out and cracked my neck, staring back down at my phone. I scrolled through my contacts, seeing a new message that was sent yesterday evening from Angel.

I didn't want to press on it, I really didn't, but I couldn't help myself. I had hoped it was 'Charlotte was joking' type of message, 'Come back. We miss you.'

But it wasn't. It was something different.

You never messaged if you got home safe. Are you okay?

So now it was my fault? I was supposed to message her as if she hadn't been faking this whole friendship this entire time? Not once did I get the hint that they didn't want me around, from Charlotte I did, she made that pretty clear, but Angel and Cadence didn't say or do anything that made me feel upset and cautious of our friendship.

I decided to leave her message on read and shut my phone off completely. I couldn't bare to even look at it.