Rose Gold

Waking up confused was never something I enjoyed. I claimed to have left that habit in college since blacking out three times during that phase of life was more than enough. I was too old to be digging through WikiHow for hangover cures or scanning Instagram stories to piece together the previous night. 

While it was nowhere near that level, my grogginess prevented me from recognizing my current environment. The smell wasn’t familiar, and neither was the feeling of the mattress, the angle of the sun on my face, or the bright but blurry view of the room. Alas, it wasn’t until I wrestled myself out of the sheets and saw Pinecone beside me that I remembered I was at my Nana’s.

God forbid my own bed leave me this rejuvenated. 

Although, as I rolled over and finally sat up, promptly feeling sharp pains all throughout my lower back, I remembered the main event. For starters, it’d been ages since I ached in such a way. I almost missed it, that is until I got to my feet and it multiplied. When I finally started moving, Pinecone woke up from his nap and stared at me.

Despite him being only a cat, standing naked in front of him felt wrong, thus I politely shooed him out the room. I scanned the discarded clothing on the floor and grabbed my underwear, although my mind sidetracked every time I blinked. 

I could still feel his hands on me.

I smiled, staring into space for a while before I got a chill and dug through my backpack for clean clothes. I threw on an oversized hockey jersey that I always used as a pajama shirt before wobbling out the room, in search of Tobias. After wandering through the living room and following the scent of food, I found him in the kitchen. The clock above the doorway struck twelve the moment he noticed me.

“Finally, the man of the hour makes his appearance.” Tobias chuckled while standing at the stove in a T-shirt and jeans.

I rubbed my eyes while shuffling over to him and almost crashed into the counter. He held in a laugh when we made eye contact, and all I could do was smile.

“That’s quite a look.”

I grabbed the hem of the jersey and humored him with a slight curtsey. “You like?”

“Is that even a question?” He smirked. “I just like looking at your freckles,” He explained as his gaze slowly drifted to my bare legs.

“Shut up,” I laughed before stepping closer and pulling him into a long hug. He leaned into my shoulder while resting his hands underneath my shirt.

“You still smell like me.”

“I like it,” I mumbled into his neck.

“Me too. It’s honestly kind of cute.” He rubbed my back. “I forgot to ask the most important question though,” He chuckled. “How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty damn good!” I leaned back, pausing. “How about you? Honestly, I was looking forward to waking up beside you,” I muttered.

A bit of red tinted his cheeks. “I got up around eight, watched you sleep until about nine, and then took a shower. I was gonna lay beside you until you got up, but I got the sense that you’d be out for a while. Seems I was right.”

I shooed him away while leaning against the counter with a smile.

He ruffled my hair. “So I just fed the cats, watched some TV, oh—” He turned back to the counter. “I also made breakfast.”

My jaw dropped. “I thought that was the one thing you banned yourself from doing!” I laughed.

“Well,” He shrugged. “For starters, I was well rested, and it wasn’t five in the morning. Plus I was hungry, and I figured you’d enjoy waking up to hot food.”

I investigated the plates and grabbed a pancake. “Did we even have breakfast food? I usually just eat cereal when I’m here.”

“The old people cereal that I saw in the cabinet an hour ago?! That cereal?!”

I shoved him, shielding my mouth as I ate. “Shush! It’s food!”

“Well, clearly switching it up a bit couldn’t hurt. I just drove to the grocery store and picked up a few things.” He shrugged, smiling like it was nothing.

“You’re awesome.”

“I mean, you’ve made breakfast for me before!” He grabbed me a plate from the cabinet, although I placed it on the counter and kept eating with my hands. “It was about time I returned the favor.”

“Yeah, and you’re awesome for that,” I clarified before grabbing another pancake and slowly devouring it.

He snickered softly as he watched me. “I love your bedhead. You’re adorable when you’re half awake.”

“Frankly,” I mumbled with my mouth full. “I think I’m inexplicably unattractive when I’m groggy like this.” I shot him a playful glance. “I haven’t even brushed my teeth.”

Tobias shrugged. “I think I’m used to seeing you like this—work mornings and such,” He nudged me. “It’s just ten times better when you’re only wearing a t-shirt and boxers.”

“Before you came along, I used to roam my house in my underwear,” I shrugged. “It was low maintenance—I’d be happy to return to it, now that…it wouldn’t be weird. Or as weird.”

“Oh, fuck yeah!” He grinned. “Am I also allowed to walk around in my underwear?!”

“S-Sure.” I wiped my mouth, scoffing. “It’s the least you can do since I never got to see half-naked, half-asleep Tobias this morning.”

“I can’t do anything about the half-asleep part but,” He pulled off his shirt. “I can fix the rest!”

“Don’t do that!” I quickly shielded my face, laughing. “I’m not asking you to strip!”

“Why are you hiding as if you didn’t see every inch of me last night!” He grinned and took a step towards me, pushing my hands down. “You’re so cute.”

“I-I dunno! I think it’s just weird since we’re in the kitchen!”

“People have sex in kitchens.” He raised an eyebrow before redressing.

“Shut up!” I wiped my hands on my shirt. “I’m gonna go shower.” I leaned up and pecked him on the cheek but as I pulled back, he started playing with my hair.

“Without me?”

“Oh gee, that’s original.” I grinned. “I’m assuming you’ve already showered,” I looked him over. “But if you really want to, I’m not gonna stop you.”

“Oh shit,” His face flushed red. “I didn’t think you’d actually say yes!”

“I-I don’t really have a reason to say no!” I kissed his other cheek and leaned away, flustered. “Although, my hips hurt so much that I think I might shatter if I immediately try and…go back at it.” I mumbled to myself. “Although, I guess that’s what I get for having no game.”

“Well, clearly you’ve got something.” Tobias smirked, proudly gesturing to himself as I looked back up at him. “It worked on me.”

“Maybe too well,” I muttered as he carefully grabbed my waist and pulled me into him.

“Hmm?” He planted soft kisses on my jaw, and I squirmed as his lips moved to my neck.

“Stop!” I laughed “Let me shower!”

“You never fail to amuse me,” He began as his hands slid up my jersey. “You act all innocent and yet when I joke about showering with you, this guy concludes that we’re gonna have sex in the shower as opposed to—I don’t know—washing?!” He cackled.

“I—” I groaned, unable to hide my smile. “It’s not my fault,” I attempted to explain. “I’m still half-asleep! We established that!”

“Half-asleep and desperate for part two,” He teased as I tried to stop his hands from wandering.

“I’m not de—!” In seconds, his lips moved from my neck to my mouth as he cut off my outburst. “Wait!” I attempted to lean out the kiss, but he pulled me back in. “I haven’t even brushed my teeth!”

“Don’t care,” He muttered as I quickly found myself pressed against the counter. 

I was too tired to fight back but for starters, I had no desire to. Not having followed my basic-hygiene guidelines for the morning was bothersome, but not enough to stop me from melting back into Tobias. The moment he slipped his tongue into my mouth, my body started burning in the way it did last night.

The areas that ached for his touch—chest, neck, lower back, navel—his hands always seemed to find. I was fighting not to get worked up again, but he always did just what I wanted, even if I never verbalized it.

And yet, just when I convinced myself that shattering into a billion pieces during a sequel was worth it, Tobias pulled back. 

“Alright, now you’re officially free to go.” He wiped the saliva off my bottom lip.

I blinked while barely coming to. “What?”

“I’ve been dying to kiss you for four hours,” He snickered. “I had to busy myself while waiting for you to wake up, otherwise I would’ve gone insane.”

Despite my smile, I hid my face. “Ah.”

He eyed me as I grabbed the bottom of my shirt and pulled it down. The garment was already oversized and from far away, it barely looked like I was wearing pants. Alas, my embarrassment only made me draw more unwanted attention to the area as I shifted the fabric. 

Just as he looked down, I grabbed his face and pecked him on the lips. 

“Fair enough,” I continued. “I hope you can survive the potential hour I might take in the bathroom, however.”

He scoffed. “Oh, shush. The hell are you spending that long in the bathroom for anyways?!”

“I just like the water pressure here,” I explained, laughing as I left his side and finally got myself back on track.

The statement was supposed to be an exaggeration, but I lost time of how long I was standing in the water for. When I was finally clean, dry, and dressed, I returned to the guest room to find Tobias had already changed the sheets and cleaned up the aftermath.

After finding my Chapstick I originally went in there for, I helped myself to a second breakfast that surprisingly involved a plate and utensils. The TV was on, but I was more entertained watching Tobias playing with the cats.

Well, he was trying. 

They were still iffy about him, but Pinecone was easily won over with treats whereas Mappy was the difficult one. When they grew tired of him, we found ourselves in the same place as last night. Although, we picked the other couch this time just to keep it interesting.

I found myself rambling about Valetine’s Day until I got déjà vu and realized he let ramble about the exact same thing last night. Embarrassed, I quickly switched topics. Not that it mattered, as after seconds of leaning against him, I was out again. It was a solid nap despite never fully falling asleep, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open with the way he rubbed my back.

The sounds from the TV went in and out, but I eventually realized when the constant talking wasn’t from the show. I slowly came to, still beside Tobias who was talking about something my brain had yet to process. It wasn’t until I heard my Nana’s laugh that I shot up from the couch and saw her standing by the patio door.

“Whoa—okay, you’re up, I guess,” Tobias chuckled with a worried tone. “Are you alright?”

I nodded while rubbing my eyes.

“You shot up like you had a nightmare,” My Nana laughed and picked up Mappy on her way over to us.

“I’m—” I paused to yawn, quickly covering my mouth. “Fine. Sorry,” I chuckled. “I’m fine. When did you get home?”

“Maybe a half an hour ago, no sweat. Your lovely friend here helped me bring in my bags.” She smiled at Tobias. “I’m surprised you didn’t ask to invite anyone over sooner. Frankly, I was worried you might be lonely.”

I rubbed the back of my neck as I eventually got to my feet and stretched. “I have the cats.”

“Yes, but you can’t necessarily have conversations with them.” She smirked and placed the feline she held onto the cat tower. “I figured you want to go sit on the beach with a friend eventually. This place is the easiest access you’ll get. I don’t mind.”

“True.”

Her eyes drifted to Tobias. “Did you two even go the beach?”

“It was cold!” He stiffened. “Honestly, it never crossed my mind.”

She placed her hands on her hips. “Blasphemy. Knowing what I know about you, I figured you’d have notes on the entire area before agreeing to join Mr. Scatterbrain here.” She teased.

He smiled as my Nana surveyed the living room. “I’ve been so overworked that I’m surprised my brain hasn’t led to me breathing manually.”

“The hell are you doin’ working yourself to death at this age?! Are you trying to die at forty?”

I noticed Tobias blush.

“C’mon, you gotta find a healthy balance so you can be immortal!” She bowed as Tobias laughed. “Like me!”

I laughed along just so I felt included, despite my confusion. “You two surely are close.”

“A lot went down in those thirty minutes when you were conked out!” She grinned. “Just kidding—you didn’t miss much. Especially since I’m assuming you already know Tobias, given that you invited him over and everything.”

The man chuckled. “I told her about my job and then she explained how she’s been a schoolteacher for like, her whole life. Different county, but education is education. And it evolved from there.”

“Exactly. That’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the topics we crossed while waiting for sleeping beauty to regain consciousness,” She glanced at me, laughing.

I rocked on my heels before following my grandmother to the kitchen, desperate for a way to make up for not helping her into the house. The older woman looked me over, only to shake her head.

“Now, what are you all antsy for? Sit down. Have a glass of water,” She demanded while opening the cabinet and pouring me a cup.

“D-Do you need me to help you unpack?”

“Cason, you’ve done more than enough,” She gestured to the rest of the house. “You pet sit, and you didn’t burn the house down. Anything else would be overkill,” She chuckled before turning back to the sink. “For example, the kitchen being spotless. Knowing you, I’m aware of who I should be thanking,” She whispered with a smile.

“Y-Yeah, he made breakfast.”

“Oh?”

I focused back on my cup of water as my cheeks burned.

“That doesn’t surprise me, frankly. He’s practical, gentlemanly, well-read—he checks all my boxes.” My Nana muttered, glancing at Tobias watching TV across the room. “After he helped me in, he gave me a highly improvised elevator speech,” She checked her nails. “Can’t lie, he made one hell of a good first impression.”

“Which is crucial since you always judge books by their covers.”

“And more often than not, my judgement is correct!” She smiled. “When you said you were bringing a friend—” She paused. “I don’t know. He’s just not who I expected,” She chuckled.

“What?” I pitifully met her gaze “Were you expecting a Cason clone of some sort?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I hate to say it, but I’m infatuated with the fact that he’s a solid citizen. Your mom’s told me many stories about some of the ‘friends’ you’d bring home back in the day...” She whistled. “Glad to see your tastes have changed.”

I quickly stared back at the cup. “Why’d you do air quotes,” I mumbled as my anxiety worsened. 

“Because they weren’t friends,” The woman shrugged. “Easy as that. You treated them with nothing but kindness, and they left you for dead.” She looked over my shoulder at Tobias. “At least I can tell he has a heart.”

“Oh,” I chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah.”

My Nana sighed. “Do you want me to stop talking? He’s your friend—I figured you’d be happy talking about him,” She smiled. “You invited him on a mini vacation!”

I shook my head. “N-No, it’s fine.”

The woman shot me a glance, clearly not convinced. “Well, I’ll leave you with this—I think you should consider inviting him to the dinner.”

“What dinner?”

I jumped as Tobias’ voice came from directly beside me.

“Sorry to eavesdrop, I’m just here to grab some chips,” He chuckled before running his fingers through my hair, clearly distracted.

“My dad has this tradition of getting together for family dinners on the first Sunday of each month. Since my brothers and I have all moved out, it’s the easiest way to catch up.” I explained softly. “It used to be Saturdays, but the event often dragged on which my mom hated,” I snickered.

“And so did you.” My Nana raised her eyebrows. “Since everyone would have to get up and go to work the next day, Sundays provided a nice out.”

“Ah yes, another concept that’s completely bizarre to me.” He laughed, before turning to my grandma. “Do you take part?”

“Hell no. See, I’m his mom’s mom, and we both find the event a nuisance.” She chuckled. “In any case, it’s only an immediate family thing. Thank God.” The woman grabbed the bag of chips Tobias eyed earlier and handed them to him.

“And you hate them too?” His attention turned back to me. “Oh, and thank you.”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

“I used to like them,” I began, watching as my Nana started tidying up the dining room table. “But then it was just…embarrassing.” I forced a laugh. “Month to month, I never had anything to talk about, whereas my brothers always had news…and plus-ones.”

“Oh God, so it’s like Thanksgiving every month.” He grinned. “When you have to deal with questions about your relationship status and job prospects.”

“Fucking exactly!” I sighed, happy that he understood my displeasure. “I love my family, but I feel second best to everyone in the house at those dinners,” I mumbled while leaning on the counter. “My brothers bring their wives and kids and then here comes Cason with some form of dessert, trying to draw attention away from the fact he’s never brought an actual person to the table.”

“Wait, your brothers have kids?!” His face lit up. “That means you’re an uncle!”

I shrugged as he leaned on the counter across from me. “Well, Mason and Destiny are trying whereas Adrian and his obnoxiously perfect wife already have two—a toddler and a baby. But yes, I do enjoy being called Uncle Cason,” I laughed. “The kids are the only good part about the dinner.”

“Wow.”

“Honestly, I feel more comfortable sitting at the hypothetical kids table,” I fiddled with the chip clip. “I’ll take it over third wheeling with the adults. Counting my parents, it’s three couples.” I glanced at him. “…And then me. Honestly, I wish my Nana would join just so I’d have someone to talk to.”

“Or someone to hide behind,” He nudged me.

“Yeah…” I leaned back on the stool, flashing him a smile. “But aside from constantly embarrassing myself just by…being myself, the dinner itself is fine,” I chuckled. “Good food and whatnot,” I mumbled.

“When’s the next one?”

“Next Sunday,” I groaned. “It always sneaks up on me. I literally have to psych myself up for it.”

“Why do you pressure yourself so much?” He gave me an odd look. “You’re the youngest sibling—of course you’re not gonna be married with fourteen kids yet!”

“Yet?!” I laughed as he closed the bag. “I feel it’s important to note that Adrian got married at twenty-six, meanwhile I’m not even in a fucking relationship.”

Tobias glanced over his shoulder although my Nana had clearly moved elsewhere. “We can fix that.”

I blushed. “A-And then what? Am I supposed to bring you to dinner?” I laughed awkwardly before noticing that he was being genuine. “I don’t wanna subject you to my family’s crazy! I’m the weirdest in the bunch but all hell breaks loose when we’re together.”

He grinned. “Cason, that’s just how family works! There’s not a single normal family out there.” He shifted closer to me. “Plus, I’ve already met your grandmother and your brother. I’m sold. N-No pressure though, since it’s a family thing and all.”

“N-No, it’s not that,” I rubbed my face as my cheeks burned. “We’ll just be badgered with questions. I barely invited people over in grade school,” I laughed. “Hell, I don’t even know how to introduce you.”

“Perhaps as the handsome freeloader who burned his house down,” He raised his eyebrows with a grin.

“God, no! Honestly, I think that’d raise more questions!” I shook my head. “I’m trying to avoid having the dinner turn into an interview.”

“And I thought you liked the spotlight.”

“Not like that.” I rolled my eyes, smiling. “Not the parental spotlight.” I faked gagged. “I don’t know. I guess it’d be easiest to introduce you as a friend. Sweet and simple.”

“Damn, I’m still in the friend zone?” He joked. “After last night, I figured I would’ve been promoted!”

I turned red. “T-That’s just for the dinner—to avoid an interrogation! I don’t have to tell them we’re together! I mean, I can if you want me to!” I avoided his eyes. “That is, if we’re together! A-Are we?”

Tobias leaned on his hands, grinning. “I sure fuckin’ hope so,” He looked me over. “I’m not too keen on sharing you with anybody else right now.”

I returned the expression. “Fair enough. I-I just didn’t want to jump to conclusions,” I admitted. “I’m good at doing that. It’s never ended well.”

“That’s alright. I also didn’t want to rush you into anything,” He shrugged. “And for my own sake, since I don’t know what I’m doing.” He blushed. “I’m actually a bit paranoid about dying at forty thanks to my unhealthy work ethic. I’ve got so much shit to work on…”

“I’m happy to help.” I shrugged playfully while shifting back and forth on the stool. “What else are boyfriends for?”

“This, probably,” He leaned in and gave me a soft kiss. The way he lingered gave me more butterflies than the kiss itself.

“S-Spot on.” 

He played with my hair before returning to his previous position, visibly proud of himself after assessing my reaction. “That being said, I don’t mind how you introduce me. Do what’s the least stressful.” He paused. “You are…out to them, right?”

“My mom knew I was gay before I even left elementary school.” I laughed. “So that made the rest pretty easy given that everyone else…also figured it out before me.”

“That’s adorable.”

“Alas, I’m still on the fence about whether I even wanna go this month,” I flashed him a smile. “Even with company. Dinner is nice and all, but I think I’d rather just spend the evening with you.”

“Just me?”

“Just you,” I laid on my arms while gazing at him sideways. “Not to mention, we should probably go on an official first date before I have you meet my parents.”

“Shit.” He blushed a little. “Yeah, I can’t disagree there. Frankly, my life is so dry that I’d be down for whatever.” He caressed my face. “As long as you’re included, I don’t care. Everything’s so boring without you,” He chuckled. “If only I could hire you to fill Matthew’s position.”

“In another life, maybe. Unless I go back to school to actually get the qualifications,” I laughed. “Which I do not have the money for.”

“No sweat. Businessman Cason seems like an oxymoron anyway. You’ve got too much zing to be cooped up in a cubicle,” He chuckled. “Not to say I wouldn’t love to see you in a suit.”

“Cuz who the hell doesn’t love a man in a suit?” I smirked. “Hey, I’ll wear a suit if you take me out.”

“That could imply a suit you’re wearing at your funeral or a suit you’re wearing to a fancy restaurant while sitting across the table from me,” He sat up from the counter and grinned as he stretched. “Regardless, I don’t need incentive.”

I laughed as he glanced at the stove clock. 

“Speaking of, I figured we might as well pack the rest of our things since it’s getting late. Do you want to go and find food on the way home?”

“I don’t see why not,” I shrugged before leaving the kitchen and following him back to the guest room.

Since it was only a two-day trip, neither of us had much to organize. I wasted more time saying goodbye to the cats as my Nana made a reappearance and roped Tobias into another conversation.

Although as we left the house and stood in the driveway with our bags, Tobias grabbed my sleeve before I got to my car.

“New idea.”

I cocked my head to the side.

“We can still find food, sure, but…” He trailed off. “Your Nana did have a point—we might as well go to the beach while we’re still at the beach.”

“Well,” I eventually unlocked the car and placed my duffle bag in the passenger seat. “That’s a solid point. I’m relatively on board aside from the fact that it’s cold as shit.”

“Don’t you have layers in there?” He gestured to my bag before tossing his backpack into the trunk of his Corvette. “I do. There’s also a hoodie somewhere in here,” He mumbled before digging in the backseat. “Probably on the floor.”

I leaned against the car and laughed before patting his butt. “You don’t have to go on an archaeological dig. I’m down, hypothermia withstanding.”

The man got back to his feet and closed the door. “I don’t think it’s hypothermia cold.”

“Yeah, until you get hit by the wind chill!” I snickered. “Regardless, we’re like five to ten minutes out so you can just follow my car.”

Tobias gave me a thumbs up before we finally left my Nana’s property and arrived back on the main road. While the beach was walking distance from her house, it wasn’t a good walk in February when it got dark at five.

After we parked, I threw on another shirt under my jacket and grabbed the remaining beach towels from the back of my car. I struggled to walk on the sand thanks to my Converse and my tendency to trip on air. As I bumped into Tobias’ side, he instantly prevented me from upping my fall count, as per usual. I refused to make eye contact as I knew damn well my face was red. I had lost count of how many times he’s caught me.

“Sucks we’re on the wrong coast to see a direct beach sunset,” He chuckled as I laid out my array of oddly patterned beach towels. “Then again, at least we won’t be blinded by the sun as it sets.”

“True.” I laughed as he sat down, leaning back on his arms as he took it all in. “I’m more fascinated by how the light refracts through the clouds. Like how often do you see a purple sky?” I joined him and nudged his arm.

“That too,” He smiled as I struggled to find a comfortable position. It was less about being on the sand and more about my paranoia of sitting too close to him. Hell, sitting too far away would be weird too. As I glanced over, he stuck out his arm and gestured for me to scoot over. I laughed sheepishly before curling up in a ball and placing my head on his lap.

“Better?”

I closed my eyes, smiling as he quickly tangled his fingers in my hair. “Mhm.”

“Have…you ever done this before?”

“Done what before?” I chuckled. “Gone to the beach with my boyfriend and watched the sunset like some ending to a gay Hallmark movie?”

“Wait, are there gay Hallmark movies?”

I glanced up at him. “I actually don’t know!” I grinned. “But to answer your question—no. Honestly, any time I was at the beach it was often family related.”

“Given the photo albums, that makes sense,” He paused. “Okay next question—are you gonna redye your hair?”

I rolled onto my back and looked up at him. “What is this? Truth or dare?”

“Those are my only two questions! Promise!” He placed his hand on the side of my face.

“I mean, I’m planning to.” I grabbed a strand and assessed how faded it was. “I guess. I’m too lazy right now. I have it on my to-do list but it’s literally at the bottom.” I looked at the water. “Hell, I’ll probably be full blond by the time I get around to it.”

He snickered. “Do you want me to do it?”

I turned back. “Dye my hair?”

“Yeah,” He shrugged.

“I’m not gonna stop you,” I smiled. “Knowing me, it’ll be a hot mess. It always looks like a crime scene when I’m done.”

“Sounds like a blast.”

I rolled my eyes as he playfully raised his eyebrows. “It’s all fun and games until your hands get stained pink.” 

“Eh? I’m pretty damn sure you’re supposed to use gloves!” He laughed. 

“It’s fineee,” I droned as I sat up and leaned on his shoulder, only for him to scoff in response.

“Don’t sit there—I can’t look at you!”

I leaned forward and laughed the moment I noticed his cheeks tint red. “You’re supposed to be looking at the sky!”

“So what?” He placed his arms behind his head and laid back. “I’m a bigger fan of the waves anyways. The sound, that is. Which means I can use my other senses to take in you.”

He shifted below me and opened his arms as I clicked my tongue, as if his flattery could ever stop me from playing into his hands. I laid against his chest and thanks to his jacket and whatever else he was wearing underneath, he was more like a pillow. I could only imagine how weird it might look from afar—if anything it seemed like we were huddling for warmth. Regardless, I doubt any sane person would be out here at this time of day in this weather.

“Don’t fall asleep on me. I’m not too interested in drowning or waking up on a deserted island,” He laughed while pulling me further into him. “Especially since I might eat you if we never find food.”

I scoffed. “As if that’d be any help. You’d be better off starving to death than eating another human and literally dying from the insanity. Unless you’d rather go out by succumbing to madness. I dunno if that’s your thing.”

“Shut up,” He started fooling with my hair again. 

“Although,” I continued. “That only goes for if you were to eat my brain. So, I wonder if kuru could come back if people went back to…eating other people,” I laughed to myself.

“What the—have you looked into cannibalism?!” He sat up a bit, grinning out of amusement and concern. “You’re always full of surprises but that might actually be a dealbreaker.”

“No!” I pushed him back down before trying to find the exact position I was in before that didn’t make me cramp up. “I looked into it because I was curious! Not because I’m interested in pursuing…it.” I chuckled. “I saw some documentary that mentioned it a few years back and it traumatized me so much that I had to research it in order to move on.”

“You…” He shook his head with a laugh. “God, I love you.”

I shifted again to see him better despite how flustered I was. “Because I know too much about cannibalism?!”

“No!” His laughter multiplied as he effortlessly rolled us over so I was under him. “Because I love how your brain works.”

I hid my face although I could still feel his eyes on me. “Y-Y’know I just have ADHD, right?” I mumbled before peeking through my fingers, only to be met with his persistent smile.

“That’s not a bad thing.”

I stiffed as he leaned down. “Uh…” I immediately avoided his eyes. “I-I mean, well, yeah. I’ve just always heard the opposite, I guess.”

“Well, fuck all the people who told you otherwise.”

I chuckled as Tobias practically kissed me on cue. Given the breeze, his body heat was a blessing as I wrapped my arms around him. Between the sound of the waves, the smell of the ocean, and the feeling of his body against mine, the experience seemed surreal.   

Another wave of peace washed over me knowing that he was sincere, unlike my exes. I tried to prevent the thoughts from lingering, but he stood out so much that it was impossible to notice. Thus far, he was superior in every category and getting the seal of approval from my Nana made it obvious. She was a sixty-seven-year-old cat lady who preferred the company of her cats to any other human being. Although, I think family members were ranked higher than the cats at least.

Regardless, if she loved him, so would the rest of my family. Given my terrible taste in men back in the day, they were bound to examine him under a microscope, but despite their potential opinions, he had already won me over.