Olivia's POV

Soft kisses on my neck wake me up the next day. Opening my eyes, I look into the most beautiful, hazel ones.

"Good morning, Liv!"

I blink sleepily and smile as soon as I remember where I am. Zach and I spent the night in the blanket fort he has built for our movie night, and I must admit it was damn cozy and I'm honestly impressed that this thing is still standing.

"Mmh...," I hum in contentment as Zach kisses his way down to my collarbone. "Good morning."

"Did you sleep well?" Zach asks in his husky morning voice and hovers over me, tenderly smiling down at me. His eyes are still slightly swollen from sleeping and his dark hair is tousled.

"Actually, I haven't slept that well in a long time," I reply and return his smile.

"Me neither." Zach leans down and softly presses his lips against mine. In an instant, the butterflies in my stomach start bustling around and my entire body tingles. Waking up like this was always a thing I loved. After a minute, Zach pulls back to face me.

"As much as I'd love to take this further, I need to get up for work now," he murmurs and starts nibbling on my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "Let me cook dinner for you tonight."

I softly moan as he presses his body against mine, so I can feel his hard-on through the thin fabric of his boxers and my panties.

"Okay," I breathe and grab his hair as he begins sucking the sweet spot right under my ear. Noticing his breath accelerates, I lift my hips to feel him at my center, causing Zach to groan into the crook of my neck. The way our bodies respond to each other doesn't stop to amaze me and the effect he has on me is even more intense after that long time of missing and craving him.

"God, Liv," Zach whispers and lifts his head. Looking into my eyes, he adds some friction at my center by slowly but firmly rubbing his hardness against me. He smirks when I bite my bottom lip to stifle a moan at the increased pressure.

"Zach, I swear, don't start what you can't finish!" I warn him already out of breath.

Instead of backing down, his movements become quicker, and he starts kissing my neck again.

"Ah, fuck my morning coffee. We have five minutes before I need to get up!" he mutters and searches my eyes for a reaction. I just pull down his boxers as a response and reach for his erection. My hand starts slowly pumping, causing Zach's eyes to darken and he utters the sexiest moan I've ever heard out of his mouth.

Actually, I planned on taking things slow and don't wanted to rush into anything again, but I don't think that is possible. After being separated from Zach for such a long time, my body seems eager to make up for everything I've missed in the past weeks. A grunt is to be heard from Zach and within a second my panties are pulled down and I feel him rubbing his tip against my clit. The moment he slides into me, I arch my back and moan softly.

"You feel so damn good," Zach groans through gritted teeth and draws back slowly just to make another thrust a moment later. This time, a bit harder. "This is going to be fast, Livie. We don't have time for slow sex right now."

I just nod impatiently and move my hands to his ass, firmly pressing him down. Feeling him so deep nearly drives me crazy and I long for more. Zach reaches for my legs and places them on both his shoulders. Before he moves again, he brushes a gentle kiss on my ankle and gives me a loving glance. As soon as he starts thrusting into me, I can't stifle the loud moans fighting its way up my throat. This position is one of my absolute favorites as Zach is able to reach so damn deep while I can still touch him, and he knows that exactly. My hands roam over his body, squeeze his nice and firm ass, caress his smooth skin, and my nails dig into his flesh every time he makes another hard thrust.

Zach is relentlessly pounding into me while his piercing eyes rest on me. Beads of sweat glisten on his beautiful face and he's moaning loudly. To be honest, I think I've never heard such loud moans from him, and it only adds to my pleasure. He's firmly holding onto one of my legs with his hand while the other one is lifting his weight off me. My orgasm builds up faster than ever, and I already feel the well-known tingle in my toes. The perfect angle in this position is another reason why I love it so much. Zach's hitting that one heavenly spot again and again until I'm on the verge of exploding.

"Zach...oh god...I come," I pant and the next moment I reach my climax and arch my back while Zach's thrusts still come hard and fast. He smirks at me and speeds up his movements since he's not finished yet.

"Fuck, feeling you come is so hot," he groans shakily. I'm a panting mess under him and when he doesn't stop hammering into me, I soon feel another wave of pleasure washing over me. This time I take Zach with me and his head dips down while I feel him throbbing inside me. Our loud moaning echoes in the room until our orgasms die down again.

"I almost forgot how fucking amazing the sex with you is. Holy shit," Zach states breathlessly and slides off me. He grabs his phone and curses. "Fuck, I need to hurry up!"

Before he crawls out of the blanket fort, he leans over and gives me a tender kiss.

"You can stay here until I come home if you want. I'll be back at five."

"Yea, maybe I will. I don't have any plans for today, but I definitely need a shower," I retort with a giggle.

"Use mine. Feel at home and help yourself to whatever you want."

With that, he disappears into his bathroom and only ten minutes later, he reappears in the living room, fully dressed and ready for work.

I get up and follow him into his hallway.

"Have a nice day," I say while leaning against the door frame with crossed arms.

After slipping into his shoes, Zach pulls me into a tight hug.

"You too!" He leans down and gives me a soft kiss before he turns around and reaches for the door handle.

"I love you, Liv!" He says, looking over his shoulder once more.

"I love you!" I retort with a radiance in my face I can't hold back.

As soon as the door closes behind Zach, I can't help but grinning stupidly. This morning as well as the entire last day was simply perfect. Not all my concerns about our relationship are gone yet, but I'm optimistic we will get through this as long as Zach overcomes his guilt feelings, and the way he talked about how he missed me and how he regrets his decision to leave me, leads me to hope that he's determined to make this work, no matter what it takes. What struck me the most was when he said he loves me. I mean, I kind of knew that, but these small three words went straight to my heart. I swore to myself to not sleep with him that soon, but I was completely overwhelmed by Zach's opening up about his feelings, it was inevitable, and I don't regret last night one bit. On the contrary, it was the closest I ever felt towards Zach and I think we both needed to feel each other again. We both needed to still our craving for each other.

After using Zach's bathroom to wash all the sweat off my body, I brush my teeth with a spare toothbrush which Zach left on the sink for me, and then head into the kitchen to make some coffee. A glance at my phone tells me it's only shortly after 7am which means Zach has woken me up before 6am. Strangely, I don't feel tired at all. Actually, I feel energized as never before. With a steamy mug in my hand and wearing one of Zach's hoodies which I found hanging over a chair, I open the terrace door and walk onto the little rooftop terrace. The sun hasn't risen yet, but it's already dusky and the view over the park beneath Zach's apartment is stunning. Light fog hangs over the large green areas which are closer to wilderness than to parks and are covered with snow. I really need to take a walk through that park soon. Perhaps Zach wants to join me.

When I start shivering in the frosty air, I curl up on Zach's sofa and have a lengthy call with Abbey. My best friend is dumbfounded once I serve her the latest news, but she tells me she's happy as long as I am and wishes me only the best. The rest of the day, I spend with watching some TV, making a short nap after lunch, and clearing away all the blankets and pillows Zach used for the blanket fort.

Shortly before 5pm, I hear the key turning in the door and the next moment, Zach appears in the door frame. His face lights up as soon as he spots me sitting on his sofa.

"You're here," he points out and kicks off his shoes. "God, it's so good to see you!"

As soon as he plops onto the sofa next to me, he pulls me onto his lap, so that I'm straddling him, and buries his face in the crook of my neck.

"Is it weird when I say that I missed you the whole day?" he mumbles and lets his hands wander up and down my back.

"I missed you too," I admit sheepishly and rake my fingers through his hair. "How was work? You didn't tell me about it yet except for the fact that Jake is your workmate now."

Zach sighs exhaustedly and then draws back to meet my eyes. "I'm the janitor at the company Jake works at. After I...you know...uh...after I left you, I kinda isolated myself until Jake dragged me out of this place and literally forced me to apply for that job. In hindsight, I'm thankful for that because I nearly got insane. Being alone all the time made me feel the giant load of remorse and pain much stronger, and the nightmares I had, got worse with each passing day."

"I had those nightmares too," I remark quietly and lower my gaze, fumbling with my fingers. "It was always the same one. Franco killed you and forced me to watch him. That haunted me every single night since Franco died. Friday night which I spent in your bed was the first night in which I didn't have a nightmare."

Zach listens attentively and then leans forward to plant a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"I'm so sorry," he mutters, causing me to look up. "In my dreams Franco did horrible things to you and I was unable to step in. I was unable to free you out of his disgusting claws. In the end, either I got carried out of the room and only heard your screams from afar or Franco killed you right before my eyes."

Zach's pained expression tells me he's suffering from these nightmares just like me. I cup his face in my hands and give him a warm smile before I lean forward and pull his head against my chest. For a while we're sitting like this, with Zach's arms tightly wrapped around me and my head resting on his.

A loud growl coming from my stomach lets Zach look up.

"Olivia, did you eat today?" he asks with narrowed eyes.

"Yea, I made myself a cheese toastie for lunch."

"That's all?" Zach shakes his head and gently pushes me off his lap.

"I didn't really feel like eating today." I shrug my shoulders. The truth is, I didn't feel comfortable raiding Zach's fridge without him.

"Let me take a quick shower and then I'll make dinner." He quickly kisses my cheek and then heads for his bathroom.

About forty-five minutes later, Zach and I sit next to each other on the bar stools in his kitchen and hungrily devour the delicious food Zach made us.

"So, tell me about your job. What are your tasks as a janitor?" I ask before I shove another forkful of pasta into my mouth.

"Well, my main activity is to repair things such as computer, TV's, and monitors, but I also need to clean the staircase, the windows and do things like this. It's no big deal and nothing I want to do in the long run, but for now it's okay, I guess." Zach takes a sip of his wine and then gives me a warm smile. "What about you? You don't have a new job yet, do you?"

"No. I don't really fancy working as a waitress anymore, but at the same time, I have absolutely no idea what else to do. You know, that's somehow the story of my life. Honestly, ever since I can remember I struggle to find my higher calling, but there's nothing what fully captures my heart." I sigh deeply. With my mom, I discussed this topic quite a few times the last weeks, but except her advice to finally make something good out of my drawing skills, nothing useful came out of these conversations.

"I think you should do something creative, Liv. I saw the drawings of yours and they are amazing. Have you never thought of making it into your profession in any kind of way?"

"Now you sound like my mother," I state and roll my eyes while taking a generous gulp of my wine. "I don't know. I didn't draw the past weeks. Besides, I don't even think I'm good enough to have a proper chance in this industry. I mean, there are so many great artists out there. Why should anybody want to look at my paintings?"

Zach eyes me for a moment without saying a word. Then he shakes his head and twirls his pasta on his fork. "No one can force you to do anything you don't like, but just think about it once more, okay? In my opinion, your paintings are full of emotions and vividness, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that way."

"Okay," I mutter and pick at my food. Knowing Zach and also my mom, they just want to help me, but talking about my drawings also reminds me of times of my life where ugly things happened. Things I'm not ready to face yet even though, deep down I know that I should.

Trying to change the topic, I ask, "Did you manage to sell your stepdad's house already?"

"Actually, the real estate agent I hired found a potential buyer a few days ago. We will do the whole paperwork on Friday, and if everything goes well, I'm nearly two hundred thousand dollars richer by the end of the week," Zach tells me with an excited face.

"Oh, wow! That's great news. And what about the money you owed Franco?" I place my fork on the now empty plate in front of me and turn towards Zach.

"He's dead and those debts weren't legal ones, so I'm officially out of debt now." Zach's big grin is so infectious, I start giggling and wrap my arms around Zach who's obviously surprised about it.

"I'm so happy for you. Now, you can keep your money! That's amazing!" I start swooning, "Just think of all the opportunities you have now. With three hundred thousand dollars you could even move out of town to start over, or you could start your own business if you want to."

Zach pulls away and faces me with both, amusement and confusion in his eyes.

"Liv, I don't want to start over and move out of town unless you plan on doing that. My life is wherever you are now."

I sigh in contentment and pull him into a long and passionate kiss. Hearing those words means so much to me and I can't hide that. When we break away again, we're both breathless and look into each other's eyes for a moment before chuckling. Zach pushes a strand of my hair behind my ear and smiles fondly.

"You know what? It feels unbelievably great to finally tell you that I love you!" he remarks quietly. "I wanted to tell you for so long, but I never managed to actually say those words out loud."

"Why?" I ask and place my hands on Zach's thighs as he fully turns towards me now.

"My mom was the last person I told that I love. Somehow, it was awfully hard for me to utter those words again. On top of it, I was unsure if you were even ready to hear them already and since you hadn't said them either I decided to wait for a while. Another thing I regretted after leaving, by the way." Zach takes my hands in his and gently brushes over my knuckles with his thumbs.

"I wanted to tell you too for a while already, but I was afraid you would reject me just like my ex did after I told him," I retort with a faint smile. "I once told you while you were asleep though."

I remember that like it was yesterday. It was the day before our Vancouver trip, and I was restlessly lying next to Zach. I told him that I love him while he was still sleeping.

"So, it wasn't just a dream," Zach remarks with a boyish grin which shows his adorable dimples. "I was hoping that to be honest."

I giggle shyly and then tilt my head with a more serious expression.

"When did you realize it?"

"What? That I love you?"

I nod and Zach thinks for a moment before smiling broadly again.

"It was the day we viewed this place when it crossed my mind for the first time. I was looking into your eyes while you were raving about all the details of this apartment and all of a sudden, I thought 'Fuck, I love this girl!" Zach chuckles and leans forward, nudging his nose against mine.

"I do love you, Livie. With all my heart!"

"And I love you!" I retort warmly, and again, I blush under Zach's intense gaze. I don't think those hazel eyes filled with love and tenderness will ever stop to increase my heart rate.

After cleaning up the kitchen, we cuddle up on his sofa and spend the rest of the evening with watching movies and talking about anything and everything, laughing about silly things, and simply enjoying the closeness to each other which we both missed so much the past five weeks. Eventually, I fall asleep lying on top of Zach with my head on his chest while listening to his calm and soothing heartbeat.

*****

I decided to let them two a bit of peace and give them some time to talk and to become closer again. I hope this chapter wasn't boring and you enjoyed reading it.🦋

Next chapter will be a bit more action-filled again. 🤭💀

Love you all, please don't forget to comment and vote.🌞

Katie🤍