Dylan

 

Our kiss is interrupted by a knock on the door. I almost burst out laughing at the look of annoyance on Bryce’s face, and I find myself protesting his decision to see who it was. Maybe it’s for the best because I feel lightheaded and breathless. My limbs feel wobbly, so I remain against the wall, basking in the euphoric feelings from having my confession so enthusiastically accepted.

 

“Amelie?!”

 

Our agent? What is she doing here? It’s close to 4 am, right? Bryce and I exchange glances while I am still catching my breath. Something I can’t read plays in his eyes, and he blocks my view of Amelie.

 

“Uh huh, I thought so. Glad you’re both okay. My office, 9 am.”

 

Amelie is using her mommy tone which means we’re in trouble, but I already knew that based on the events at the club. Why so early though?

 

The elegant woman pulls a neatly wrapped gift out of her large designer bag and hands it to Bryce. Aw, she used my favorite color. How sweet!

 

“Happy birthday, Dylan.”

 

Amelie turns to leave before I can say thank you, but I try to shout it so that she hears me anyway. If she does, I don’t hear her respond back.

 

Bryce and I are alone again, but it is clear his mind is now on the meeting with Amelie. He is silently staring at the gift in his hands, his brow furrowed. I fix my clothing and then walk over to him, putting my hand on his.

 

“Bryce let’s get a few hours sleep. We can worry when we wake up.”

 

He makes a face at my comment and allows himself to be led to the bedroom. We take turns showering and I borrow a pair of his pajamas, like any other night we’ve spent together. It all seems so routine, because we’ve done this a million times, but when I go to slip under the sheets, I get really nervous. Bryce sees me pause and he opens his arms to me.

 

“Come here.”

 

I feel my face break into a grin, and I eagerly crawl across the bed to snugglehis side. He sighs and hugs me tighter, then he places a kiss on my temple. In no time, we are both asleep, but the alarm seems to go off as soon as we close our eyes. Looking at the clock, I see that we’ve actually slept for two and a half hours. Groaning, I move to wake Bryce with a little shake, as usual, but I decide against it.

 

Settling back into his arms, I stare at his defenseless sleeping face. My heart feels like it might burst with adoration for him.  With gentle fingertips, I smooth some of his soft, light brown hair away from his forehead so I can take in more of his features. As usual, his hair falls right back into place, and I chuckle. He smiles with his eyes still closed and I lean forward to peck his lips.

 

“We’ve got to get up.”

 

He opens his amber eyes, and my stomach flip flops. I could get used to this life. Sure, we wake up together often, but just knowing for sure that we both have feelings for each other makes this so much better.

 

Realizing it would be easier for him to get up if half of my body wasn’t lying on top of his, I sit up and stretch. We both get ready, grinning at each other in the mirror as we brush our teeth, and exchanging playful touches as we go about our morning routine. Bryce buttons my shirt for me, and I kiss his lips after straightening his collar. We share a smile, lost in each other eyes for a few seconds before Bryce reminds me that we have to go.

 

“Must we?”

 

“I’m afraid we must, my love. Time to face the music.”

 

I sigh and take his arm. It feels unfair that we will have to talk about this with someone else before we’ve had a chance to fully explore it ourselves, but that is partially my fault so I can’t complain.

 

“Hey, Bryce.”

 

He looks at me with warm eyes, seeming relaxed and content.

“Yes?”

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.

 

We link hands and I am ready to face whatever the future gives us. I feel invincible with his hand in mine.