"When you find yourself slipping away, remember to ground yourself with the presence of someone you love."

⛓

Skylar blinks away the bleariness in her eyes, groaning softly upon seeing the time on her alarm clock. 2:23am. She's only been in bed for a few hours after studying all afternoon.

June is decidedly her least favourite month of the year, finding that the end-of-year exams are more than enough to make her stress levels rocket through the roof. But during the fall, Rae had helped her with one of her projects—and several more since then—and made her sleep. Since then, she's placed her basic, bodily needs before schoolwork, and she can ultimately say she's doing better because of it.

Still half asleep, she buries her head back into her pillow, content with continuing her dream of tap-dancing crocodiles. Yesterday was a long day of both classes and work, and her body is more than happy to collapse again.

"Oh, slag this scrap!"

She jumps at the harsh growl, eyes darting to her door. As she should have expected, light seeps from the crack at the bottom of her door, indicating that Rae is still awake.

A frown forms on her lips, but she shrugs, splaying back under her thin summer sheets, eyelids slowly closing.

Skylar jolts back up, softly smacking herself for trying to go back to sleep while her boyfriend is still up. He wouldn't do that to her, he'd get up without a second thought to get her to sleep.

She pulls back her sheets and slides a plaid button-up over her small shoulders on top her white tank top. Her feet softly touch the carpet, careful to not make a sound as she tiptoes across her room. A prayer is definitely in order when her door hinges fail to creak and she is able to creep over to the cassette player on bookcase behind the sofa.

One of her calming mix-tapes sits on the side, and seeing Rae hunched over a textbook for his finals makes her decision for her. The music player opens for her, taking the cassette from her fingers.

🎵

When the music starts, her boyfriend tenses, and his brilliant blue eyes dart over to where she stands. Upon seeing that the cassette player isn't possessed, his body relaxes and a deep sigh releases from his lips.

"Skylar," he breathes, placing down his pencil to rub his eyes.

"Rae," she smiles softly at him, a hand tugging at her beach shorts.

"What are you doing up?" Dark bags are absent from under his eyes, but he certainly looks tired.

Her hands run up his back, gently rubbing his shoulders, "I should be asking you that."

A quiet groan of pleasure rolls off his tongue as she slowly works on his stiff muscles. Skylar smiles at his vocalization, enjoying how she can make him feel. While he slouches over the table, she leans over him, stopping her massage to wrap her arms around his middle. Her chin rests on his shoulder as she examines his work with a criticizing eye.

"I've got to finish this," he tries to excuse himself, sitting straighter to continue writing.

"Hmm," she hums disbelievingly, pressing her lips against his neck. "Is it a project?"

He shakes his head, ignoring the flush of heat to his cheeks, "No."

She trails her lips up to his jawline, appreciating the man's sharper angles for what they are as she speaks softly into his ear, "Then is it an assignment?"

The woman doesn't miss how he shudders lightly, trying to brush off the feeling bubbling in his stomach by shaking his head again. Not only does she catch his hesitation, but his pink ears betray him as well, making her smile to herself.

"Is it due at all?" She shifts her arms around his neck.

"No, it isn't," he sighs, picking up his pencil.

Skylar watches him scribble down several answers, erasing more than half of them after thinking on it a bit longer. His handwriting is illegible to her, but it clearly makes enough sense to him as he reads over his responses while muttering quietly to himself.

"Are you going to go to bed?" She asks him with concern, scowling slightly at his disinterest in moving.

"Probably not."

She sighs softly, looking at his pencil as it slips across the page, finding her focus fading with each passing second. Her hair falls to one side as she tilts her head at it, and she leans over him a little more.

Before Rae can say anything, she snatches the pencil from his fingers and holds it away from him. A small smile quirks her lips as she blocks his sight with her face, peering into his gorgeous eyes with her nose nearly touching his.

"Will you go to bed?" She asks again with a slight smirk, stretching her arm out further while he attempts to get it back.

"No," he hisses in exasperation, unable to reach around her small body.

Every time his fingers brush the wood pencil, she just moves it out of reach. It's growing increasingly irritating, especially since he's only trying to study for his exams.

There's only one solution he can think of. It's bold, it's cheeky, and it's perfect. Fingers crossed.

Rae stops his struggling, and watches his girlfriend giggle cheekily, unaware of his plot. His other arm smoothly slides around her waist, his hand gently holding her hip. It's too late by the time realisation hits her, and she knows, he can see it in her eyes.

He yanks her down, pulling her onto his lap with a subtle smirk, enjoying how she freezes at his touch. It's satisfying to see a blush spread across her cheeks. A blush that he has caused.

In her shocked state, her arm lowers slightly, but her eyes are locked on his. How can he resist that look she gives him, that delicate want shining in her soft chocolate eyes?

She falls forward slowly, head tilting in the slightest as she approaches him. Her free hand cups his jaw, her thumb lightly brushing his unique facial hair. The woman pecks his lips before kissing him properly, pressing against him with light force.

But she frowns when he smirks into the kiss, pulling away just a second before she finds the pencil stolen back from her hand.

"Oi!" She smacks his chest, doing nothing to affect his position.

While he continues writing, Skylar pouts, hiding her face in his shirt as he holds her close. This isn't what she had in mind.

"Rae?" He stops what he's doing immediately, looking down at her with expectancy. "Will you go to bed if—well—if it's with me?"

The man looks shocked at her question, making her stutter for a better wording. Even though she can't see it, he is really more surprised if anything, not having expected it from Skylar.

He sighs in slight annoyance, dropping his pencil a bit harder than necessary. Rae slides his girlfriend off of his lap, ignoring her squeak, and stands.

To her surprise, he nods, walking towards his room without a word, leaving her to follow awkwardly. His door remains slightly ajar after he enters, but Skylar waits outside, suddenly feeling rather indecent.

"Are you coming?" She jumps, slipping through the door immediately.

However, the woman finds herself floored at the sight of her boyfriend, the white-haired man standing in front of her with nothing but a pair of shorts on. She knew he was well-toned, but this knocks her assumptions out the window. His muscles are softly defined, yet marvelously chiseled, and his chest is without a single hair. Seeing his abs alone is enough to make her grow hot, but seeing the rest of his torso makes her legs feel like jelly.

Despite his initial annoyance at being interrupting during his studying, he's enjoying this more than he should. He knows what it's doing to her, and he uses that knowledge well, sticking one hand in his pocket before ruffling his hair with the other. It's a privilege to watch her grow to tremble.

He chuckles, a deep, resonating sound that makes the woman weak. It's far too amusing to watch her reactions, but they're not where they are to tease.

So, despite his actions, he turns towards the practically untouched bed in the middle of the far wall and pulls the covers away before getting comfortable on the mattress. He doesn't watch her move, but he waits until she lays next to him before tugging the covers back up. However, when her arms snake around his middle as she snuggles against his back, he's quick to switch positions, startling her in the process.

"No," he tells her firmly, smirking as she pouts.

"But—"

"I think not," Rae gently kisses her shoulder.

She whines slightly in protest, but otherwise allows him to spoon her, submitting to be the little spoon for the night. Though she would never say it, Skylar feels safe in his arms.

And he can't help but feels that she fits perfectly within them.

⛓

Yay! New chapter!

I swear, writing their relationship makes me flustered. They're so perfect.

Hope you enjoyed and continue to enjoy!