Afterglow by Taylor Swift

Fighting with a true love is boxing with no gloves, chemistry 'til it blows up, 'til there's no us.

Waking up in Grayson's hands is a feeling I'll never get over, especially doing so for only the third time in the past year. He had woken up before me like usual, but he didn't move so he wouldn't wake me.

He just watches me sleep. Not in a creepy way, his eyes just admiring me with great awe. One of his hands traces strokes up and down my back gently, the other cushioning my head against his chest like how we'd fallen asleep.

I groan a little, adjusting my head to somehow get even closer to him as if he's not already hugging and holding me like a teddy bear.

"You up or you want more time?" He offers gently, stroking my head sweetly. "Mmm." Is all I can murmur, still half asleep as I nuzzle my head into the nape of his neck.

"It's okay, you can have more time." Grayson assures me comfortingly.

I get in another 20 minutes before I dictate waking up is appropriate right about now.

Every part of my body aches for several reasons. Day after christmas blues, a raging hangover, post orgasm in a hot tub, still wearing yesterday's melted makeup.

"Look away. This is literally the ugliest you'll ever see me. If you ever want to look at me the same way again, shut your damn eyes!" I squeal with disgust at my day old makeup and messy hair.

"P if this is the 'ugliest' you'll ever be, then just marry me now. You're so beyond gorgeous."

I try not to falter at the word 'marry' and start to wash off my makeup in the bathroom.

"Plans for today?" He asks me curiously, a mouth full of toothpaste as we both brush our teeth together.

"Sex? Nap? Eat? Cuddle? More sex?" I suggest, running a wet wipe under my eye to remove the faded eyeliner.

"Sounds like a dream." Grayson laughs.

In only my underwear I pad around his room like I own it searching for one of my earrings before Skylar can show up and murder me for losing it.

"Need help?" Grayson asks, exiting the bathroom post-shower as naked as the day he was born. We've reached a stage in our relationship where we can walk around naked without even an ounce of shame. Maybe we're a little too comfortable.

"Found it!" I squeal when I step on the sharp earring, resulting in a tiny stab on the soul of my foot. I scoop it up and place it back in the box by his closet along with all the other accessories I wore last night.

"Get dressed, I texted Skylar to come up here instead of my room." I slap his ass playfully as I pull on some sweatpants and search around for my sweater. "And dear lord don't you dare wear a suit if we're spending the whole day in here." I laugh.

Grayson laughs mockingly as he gets dressed in record time — thankfully wearing sweats just like me.

"Where the hell is my sweatshirt?" I groan as I dig through his drawers. 

"My sweatshirt actually." He corrects, "And it's probably in your suitcase which is in your room? Remind me again why that's not here?" My boyfriend challenges.

"Cause we were fighting. Can you go get it?" I plead. "You are so lucky I love you." He points at me, pulling me in and kissing my forehead fondly before heading to my room for my sweatshirt. 

He returns with not just my sweatshirt but my whole suitcase and all my bags of belongings. Deciding that his room is now mine.

Not long after I'm wearing his sweatshirt again, Skylar knocks gently on the door and enters upon me telling her to.

"Hey." I smile, greeting her as she has a couple people take the clothes from yesterday.

"A word?" I gesture to the balcony, Grayson raises a brow as I practically drag the poor girl out to the balcony.

"What the hell did you mean by ring?!" I demand. "Ring? As in the ones around Saturn?" She shrugs, pretending to be oblivious.

"Sky." I warn. "Look you'll know soon enough and you'd regret it if I spoiled it." She spills anxiously.

"Oh god he's proposing isn't he?" I cringe. "Would that be a good or bad thing?" Skylar asks.

I shrug and run my hands through my wavy hair. "I dunno. I'm only 18.. I- You're dodging the question! Is he proposing or not?" I insist.

"Sorry I'm getting a call." She says mock sympathetically. "No you aren't." I blink.

"Someone's shouting my name." She tries. "Nope." I decline. 

"It's past curfew?" She tries with a shrug. "It's 11am. And you are a grown woman." I reply.

"Maybe I don't have an excuse, but I'm leaving." She gives up. 

"I'll jump! If you don't tell me I'll literally jump!" I threaten. "Go for it, you'll never find out." She smirks knowingly. 

Like an angel she struts back to the balcony door and I groan in defeat.

"Please Skylar!" I beg. "Have some patience girl!" She urges, stepping back inside and nodding politely to Grayson before leaving me alone.

I notice three outfits already hung up in Grayson's large closet, all with little notes on when I'm supposed to wear them.

"Everything okay?" Grayson snakes an arm around my waist once I've said goodbye to Skylar.

"All good." I reply, kissing his jaw and resting my cheek against his shoulder.

"Want to do anything? Tomorrow we've got a football game to attend, then Avery's had me set up a charity event for all of us. I'm working the day after. Seems like today's one of our few free days." He offers, I ponder on it a moment. "I might have an idea." I grin mischievously, leading him down the staircase. We arrive at the kitchen in fits of laughter about who knows what.

"Has the world stopped spinning!?" Xander calls out, alerting all attention to us. 

Because apparently everyone had the same idea today to bake. Both my sisters, Max, and all the brothers are already down here getting ingredients out. 

"What?" Grayson furrows his brows in confusion. "I think I might pass out." Max scoffs. "Has my brother finally come to his senses and lost the suit?" Jameson smirks.

Grayson looks over to me and groans upon the realization he's still wearing the sweats I forced him to wear. "I was under the impression we would not be seen today." Grayson snarls at me, but I can tell he's just joking.

"So we all decided to spend today baking?" Libby laughs.

"Looks like it." Avery places a bowl down.

"Great Hawthorne Bakeoff?" Xander suggests with a raised brow and smirk.

The brothers seem to tense up. "Don't." Jameson warns, pointing his finger firmly to his brother.

"Ooh I'm sensing a Hawthorne story time?" Max sings excitedly, crossing her legs as she sits on the table.

"It was the summer of 2012. We decided it would be a bright idea to do a baking competition, which we titled the Great Hawthorne Bakeoff. It was brilliant in theory, that is until someone spilled a bowl full of cake batter onto the floor." Xander stares down Jameson, who raises his hands in surrender.

"Then someone else was too busy being an uptight 10 year old strutting around like he owned the place, he proceeded to walk through the cake batter without even noticing, and then slipping and subsequently breaking his arm." Xander looks over to Grayson, who rubs his arm in memory.

"The much older teenager decided to be a hero, he ran over to help his little brother when he too slid in the cake batter, hitting his head on the counter and being knocked unconscious." Xander looks over to Nash who is shaking his head with shame.

"And to top it all off, the poor innocent young boy left alone with an oven, set a minor fire, resulting in three children covered in cake batter dragging their older brother out of a semi-burning kitchen, unsure what was blood and what was red velvet." Xander finishes the story.

We all just blink in shock, trying to decipher whether that's all true or not. "I needed three stitches." Nash shivers in recollection.

"We got banned from the kitchen for 5 years." Grayson adds.

"What if I swear to keep my batter in the bowl?" Jameson pleads.

After much debating, we manage to convince Nash and Grayson to play with us. We decide to compete as partners, Grayson and me, Nash and Libby, Jameson and Avery, Xander and Max. 

Grayson and I situate ourselves nearby one of the countertops. Weirdly for a family banned from baking competitions, this kitchen is set up a lot like one, with four countertops with every possible cooking utensil. Only difference is the huge ovens are all grouped together at the back of the kitchen.

Grayson helps me tie my hair back and ties my apron at the back, I tie his as well and we grin sweetly at each other.

"What we making chef Hawthorne?" I smirk. "Making anything edible with your skills is nearly impossible." He comments. "Then it's a good thing I have my expert boyfriend to help me." I reply.

We settle for rainbow sprinkle cupcakes. Starting out with the batter, both of us adding ingredients.

"Everyone smile!" Max calls out, holding up her brand new disposable camera to take a photo of us all. As we bake she takes at least 20 photos, passing it around for all of us to take some of ourselves.

"That's way too many sprinkles!" Grayson calls out as I pour half a bag of sprinkles into the batter.

"How dare you!" I gape. "There are never too many sprinkles."

I've come to realize today that Grayson is a bit of a perfectionist, like how he had to make the vanilla essence 6ml instead of 6.2ml. And how he had to cut the butter perfectly, and how the cup of flour had to be evened out over the sink so there wasn't any extra.

Grayson insists on being the one to place the batter in the cases so they can all be even. I just laugh, sitting upon the clean counter that he cleaned between each and every ingredient.

"Is that okay?" He looks at it with worry. "Grayson. Oven or I swear." I warn.

He scowls at me and slides the cupcake tray in the oven at the back.

We finish earlier than anyone else, giving us time to relax. "You're crazy." I laugh, ruffling his hair. He leans his forearms on the countertop between my legs, he relaxes his head onto my stomach.

"But you love me." He smiles back. "I do. And you're lucky I do." I reply, planting a kiss on his unkempt hair. Usually Grayson has his hair perfectly combed and gelled just enough, but today it's as messy as it normally is due to his lack of maintenance. 

"I am." He agrees, kissing his soft lips gently against my stomach.

"Keep it PG!" Nash warns from across the kitchen. 

Max simply can't stop herself from taking yet another photo of the two of us.

"You guys make me feel so single." Max groans. "I second that." Xander agrees. Despite their breaking up, they seem to be acting as friendly as ever, which makes me wonder if their relationship was really just two best friends who sometimes fuck.

"Yeah me too and I'm happily engaged." Nash raises his hand, earning a gape from Libby and a gentle shove on the arm. 

"Oh come on you know what I mean." Nash laughs as he points to us, my hands in Grayson's hair as his relaxes into my chest.

"Yeah I feel a little single looking at that." Libby agrees teasingly. Nevertheless the two of them kiss each other's cheeks and keep baking.

Grayson finally lets me do something free of his perfectionism, watching me as I ice the cakes. He adds some sprinkles atop the cakes once I'm done.

We each take a cupcake, taking a bite at the same time and groaning at how good it is. 

We then have Oren taste test all our creations to judge who won — he was happy to oblige. 

He really seemed to not like Avery and Jameson's cookie, which he coughed up and ended up spitting out much to their dismay.

He rolled his eyes upon finding out Xander and Max made scones, but eventually saying they were good.

He seemed to love our cupcakes, making us celebrate ceremonially in assumption that we won.

That was until Oren tried Libby and Nash's brownies, saying they were the best he'd ever tasted. Of course they would win after Libby's years of baking treats as apologies.

Grayson is furious that we never won, but it completely goes away when I kiss him later. The taste of rainbow sprinkle cupcakes blending and causing our tongues to both turn into a mix of all different colours.

"We deserved that win." He moans against my lips, "Are you still thinking about that with my tongue down your throat?!" I gape.

"They must've bribed him.. I bet they did!" He solves.

"Grayson baby?" I ask innocently, he finally remembers I still exist and grins down at me, nodding. "You want to keep talking about cupcakes or do you want to shower with me?" I offer.

He blinks in surprise at first. "The second thing." He nods frantically.

(a/n. This is literally months late, I'm so sorry. I swear I'll get more consistent soon. Been a pretty tiring time with going back to school and already feeling behind on everything. This year's probably the most important of my life so I really need to just power through, that might mean less updates which I can only apologise for, but knowing me I'll upload like 10 in one week and then go radio silent for 2 months. Also, Blood Money chapters will probably be more frequent because I have loads pre-wrote for that and always seem to be able to just get my head down and write loads in one. Anyway, happy very late birthday Paris Grambs, last week she would have turned 20. Thanks for reading you guys!!)