I'm starting to realize my girlfriend has a slight dramatic side.

Wow, girlfriend.

Sexy one at that.

With a brain.

And a heart too big for this world.

Full of ambition.

Overwhelming joy

And a big ass.

I smile, shaking my head at coming to the rescue to get her out from under her bed because she hid there for hours yesterday. Apparently, as I was told in a frantic call by her dear roommates, she won't move and campus security can't get her out either. For such tiny hands and short arms, the girl has a strong grip on the end of her bedpost.

Cupid's Advocacy Agent has to work eleven to seven today at her job. I had to record it because she was so tiny and not alone under there. It's like a second home for her, literally.

She has some wild shit underneath there, headlights, Christmas wrapping paper tubes, a mannequin arm for her practicing stuff for nursing school, lots of notebook paper, a collection of rocks, a soccer ball which I'm going to deflate, empty candy wrappers, and random ass heels. Although, those silver glitter ones, I've definitely got plans for those for Naughty Lizzie.

As I slowly dragged her out and gave her some TLC, I assured the little five foot two trembling doll that Valentine's Day will be okay and we'll work around it today.

She definitely made the effort this morning, especially making sure I had exactly three hundred and sixty five red and white posted notes with lipstick smudges on all of them stuck all over my fucking car. All those just to say happy Valentine's Day.

Then she busts through bright and early with her best friends, making heart shape pancakes, eggs which I'm still unsure of how she did that, and bacon, which Marcus wasn't thrilled about giving up again... all at six am. She's worse than Coach, bright and early but seeing that ass shake in my kitchen is worth an early wakeup any day of the week.

She shoved me out of the kitchen and ordered me to go back upstairs like it was Christmas or some shit even told me I had to have my room clean. Ignoring her, I just made the effort to get that big ass bear out of Jordy's closet, where he stuffed it because he said JD was a bit jealous. Lizzie will have an aneurysm if she finds out. She's probably got a stuffed animal abuse hotline number on speed dial and will try to put me in jail for neglect.

All the girls gave Jordy extra attention, with arts and crafts, sweets, and cards. I'm not sure why but he has more red, yellow, and orange Starbursts than he'll eat all month. Hollis was about to knock him out for giving Alexis a hug a second too long.

I was too.

Lizzie was excited but she definitely is still sad she has to work tonight. I told her it's fine but all it earns me was a slight touch to the chest and some aggressive words in Spanish that turn me on.

I still need to record her so I can Google translate what she says.

I wanted to do our gift exchange early this morning but she said no because her gifts involve her being there. I'm curious what she's got up her sleeve, with those brown bags that say Touch, Smell, Taste, Sight, and Listen with her girly handwriting neatly scrawled over the outside.

She said if I peek then she's ripping up the coupon book but I held it above her head with a tap to the ass.

I grin smugly as I put the new sheets on my brand new bed. I actually bought it before I left for Penn State, just a basic frame from IKEA, which took me, Marcus, and Hollis longer to put together because we don't speak Swedish.

For Blazing fire, Marcus recorded me and Hollis carting the old mattress down to the dumpster. I think he's still mad that he lost his bacon again because we tore up the whole package.

Honestly, I'm excited to move past the too many old, dirty, sinful memories in that bed. With this new one, I just want it to be me with Lizzie, starting out pure but letting me taint it a bit.

"Man, these chocolates are bussin," Jordy muching away on his treats. His laps up the chocolate spec on the corner of his mouth.

"How many have you had?" I laugh, grabbing my phone off the dresser.

"I don't know, lost count. Wow, you ready, huh." He grins and I roll my eyes

The room is thrown up with Valentine's Day shit, from the string lights hanging from my headboard, to the billion of red balloons and some red rose petals Alexis says it's just an added touch. All this shit going in the trash at midnight but knowing Lizzie she would koala me just to keep it up for a day longer.

"I did nothing," I confess, lifting up my hands. "Alexis and Hollis assisted in helping."

"Max st-"

Big Red  pushes me out the way, with sage in hand, waving it around. Man, that shit stinks. She goes everywhere, especially my bed and every corner. She blows it out and starts investigating the room, pawing through like a K9 searching for drugs.

Which, by the way, I have nothing to hide. Literally nothing.

"Hmmm..." Her laser eyes beam brightly at my bed and flips one of the new pillows.

I grin, watching her try to find anything incriminating. She can try but it's all new, so unless she wants to get me for cutting off the tags, it's clean.

"Max, come on. We are going to be late," Marcus barks.

She turns, arching brow and pulling down her tiny dress that's riding up. The movement makes Jordy avoid all eye contact and walk right out the room.

"Just a minute and relax, you can't be late to a strip club."

I arch my brow with a smug grin and Marcus couldn't hide his excitement any longer.

Yeah, I kind of want to know but I don't want to ask and have Maxine shut down this operation.

"Lizzie likes that corner." Big Red straightens the edges of the bed and points to the left side.

Nah, that's my corner... Wait, that's not why she sleeps on me, right? 

"Maxine," Marcus' voice deepens.

She pretends he's not there, until he reaches down and tosses her over his shoulder.

"Marcus, you fat ass!" She pounds his back with her fists. "I need to make sure Jaylan's not plotting to -"

The door slams right at her conspiracy and I just chuckle, observing how feminized my room has become in the last less than four hours. Alexis, being my wing woman, really put some nice Lizzie touches in, to make sure she thinks it's right out of Pinterest.

The pink, fluffy heart pillows and fuzzy XOXO blanket she got that matches the one she got Lizzie for Valentine's Day make my bed look like a Target display.

I have no clue why women like that damn Pinterest website, especially mine...

Man, that's so fucking weird to say but I like it. My face breaks into a huge grin when I think like that. I honestly forgot what it's like to have a girlfriend. I have to be VERY careful how I talk to girls. Considering my past and Lizzie's way of not wanting attention drawn to her, now I'm an easy target.

But I will try to do the best I can to not hurt Lizzie.

I sigh, thinking about how she told me Ava and her fucking demons threw condoms at her yesterday, ruining her Galentine's Day. It was pulling teeth for her to tell me from where she hid under the bed. She said not to worry about it but I want her to know it's not okay and this won't be a problem if I have any say about the bullying

I even informed Ava's cheer coach about it with Coach T. All she had to say is that you can't control anyone's actions but she will take some follow-up actions against it.

I'm not sure why this school doesn't take bullying seriously but I really wish they would. Especially when I got hazed big time during my freshmea year doing the absolute dumb shit just to be intatied and accepted on the basketball team here.

And Lizzie? Shit, she is the last person who is any of the words Ava calls her. Just like when Jordy got picked on, anger flares inside me whenever I think about it.

Don't even get me started on Gabrielle's bullshit, writing congratulations. I don't even know why I still have any form of contact with her. At first, I restricted her account but my gut told me to just block her. I don't want to go down that road again because I already know where it leads.

I shake my head at the constant toxic head game she played with me and emotionally fucked me over again. She isn't worth my time anymore. The Foster Stuffed Animal Mom is who matters more than anything.

My phone dings in my hand and a smile pulls across my face at Lizzie's text message.

Giggles🧸: It's still ok if you celebrate valentine's day with another pretty girl :(

Yeah, that's not going to happen.

The fact I see her doe eyes kills me and her soft voice stirs my soul. I get off the bed and grab my keys.

Me: The only pretty girl I want to celebrate is someone who is going to get me free chips and salsa when I pick her up in twenty minutes.

I chuckle, walking out my room, knowing for a fact she is crinkling up her nose as we speak.

Time to go pick up Cupid's best friend.

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

Bright neon green 3D lights highlight the night sky, brightly illuminating Jordy's landmark of the waving, neon, big taco. I have no idea how someone like Lizzie, out of all people, thinks this is the best place to work. It's very... Well, to me, kind of racist, especially with all the non-authentic decorations.

I guess this is probably the only place she could feel at home, considering all the workers here do not speak good English. I open up the door, being welcomed with loud chatter and weird salsa music that I swear I heard on repeat during Jordy's birthday party. The same piñatas dangling from the ceiling have red hearts slapped on their sides. This place is completely opposite to when we came the first time. It was like a ghost town during Jordy's party.

Warmth spreads across my chest as I spot her, not wearing her uniform but some short sequin red dress behind the bar. Leaning forwards, she's being full on nurse mode, placing an ice pack on the guac cart man's forehead over a big goose egg.

She's puckering her lips and spouting off strings of Spanish in her bossy nurse voice, like he's like a little kid but this man is at least sixty years old. He bows his head slightly and smiles. She has this goofy heart headband on but the hearts are dangling in his face, poking his eye.

"Gracias Lizzie." He groans, rubbing his head.

"Trate de no balancear la guitarra sobre su cabeza mientras el carrito de guacamole se está moviendo. (Try not to balance the guitar over your head while the guacamole cart is moving)." Lizzie giggles, handing him a water bottle.

I couldn't help but smile watching the exchange but fuck, I'm getting stiff from her ass looking incredibly good, her dress rising a bit from her bending over. Since I wanted less influence from my cock tonight, I for sure emptied my pipes earlier today... twice.

The second time was Lizzie's fault. I swiped over her towel picture accidentally.

Her fitted red sequin dress, straight across the top but hugging her ass, showing her honey brown legs off... She's not making this easy.

I scan around, making sure there are some faithful significant others and make my way to the bar. My head bumps into those same damn piñatas I hit last time. The bartender swipes her purple hair over her shoulder, looking in her mini mirror. She glances up and then back at Lizzie, then tries to make it more obvious by hip bumping her.

Lizzie stumbles over and looks at her like she looks at all misbehaving individuals, furrowing her eyebrows. The bartender bends down, whispering in her ear and she finally turns to look at me, right at the bar and smiling away.

"You came early," she shyly greets me, sinking her teeth in her lower lip.

Fuck, she looks sexy doing that. And even more with her dress on.

"I did," I say, leaning my elbows on the bar.

The bartender whispers in Lizzie's ear and she squeaks at whatever she says. I laugh because she turns beet red.

Lizzie bumps her shoulder against the bartender's arm. "Five minutes.'' She smiles, lighting up the room. 

She quickly rushes back to the kitchen with her heart headband bobbing and flowing through the wind. I chuckle and the bartender looks as the kitchen doors swing.

She eyes me with the most bitchy face and leans forward. "Listen here, playboy, if you hurt my hermana, then I will hurt you," she threatens in a thick Spanish accent, waving her long nails in my face. "We keep extra knives in the back."

I chuckle because Lizzie has so many body guards every fucking where but I love it. It's reassuring, especially when I go away in two weeks. 

"I got you, I got you." I wave my hands.

"I know your type. You remind me of Antonio." She arches her brow, waving her wedding ring finger over her face.

"I'm sure he is a good man," I tease and she huffs, moving her hair away.

Lizzie comes back with a huge white bag with a red heart on it over her shoulder. That sap. She waves it around like she's teasing me and grabs her nursing school books off a nearby table.

She never stops studying.

"Adios, Elena," she says so sweetly.

Elena side-eyes me and then kisses Lizzie on her cheeks, left and right, then gazes over at me. She looks back at Lizzie and says something fiercely in Spanish. "Solo di la palabra y Antonio puede tirarlo al río Potomac. (Just say the word and Antonio can toss him in the Potomac River.)

Man, I need Google Translate. My life could be at stake.

Lizzie giggles and shakes her head, walking around the bar giving me a full view of her dress. My mouth drops open slightly at how it's clinging to her body in every right curve, bending with each step she takes.

Damn.

I lick my lower lip with a sly smirk and she walks into my hug.

"I'm sorry." Her words, even mumbled into my chest, hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Why?"

"Because you didn't get the full experience of Cupid's Birthday." She whimpers softly.

"I think I had a lot this morning," I tease because she's already done more than anyone else ever did for me on this day. I, of all people, have three hundred and sixty five posted notes that I peeled off my car as evidence.

"Guess you won't need those presents, huh?" she teases back and I tickle her side, making her jump.

"Think you lost yourself a sticker." I wink at her and she grumbles at me.

I push the door open and the cold air makes her shiver loudly and I playfully hold on to her to get her warm by moving my hands up and down. But when I do, her fun bags jiggle.

"Where is your jacket, Elizabeth?" I joke, withdrawing from the spank bank.

"Jaylan!," she grunts, whacking my hands away.

I throw my head back and cackle as I turn her around fully hugging her. She leans into my chest and looks up at me with sparkles in her eyes and grins big. "Happy Valentine's Day."

I softly touch her chin, leaning down and kissing her lips softly. They're warm and soft like always but she shivers, being cold even in my embrace. "I missed you today," I rasp.

"Jaylan, you saw me this morning, silly." She giggles, tapping my chest.

"But I still miss you, that's what boyfriends do.'' I open my car door.

"Ohh..." She looks down for a moment, then climbs into my car. I almost miss when she says, "I've never had one before."

I need to clean out my ears. Did she just say she didn't have a boyfriend? Ever? Surely she had to have some guy in Mexico in her face twenty four seven.

But, if my ears did not deceive me, then I'm actually glad no guy has taken this step with Lizzie because every moment we have shared matters. And whether I'm her first boyfriend or last, I want to make sure I do this right.

"Thank GOD," I say, being an ass.

Even though I'm teasing, there's equal parts relief and added weight that comes with inexperience. For me, Lizzie's a mix of a new opportunity and redemption chance, neither I want to screw up.

She crinkles her nose and I copy her, closing the door. My feet practically fly me around the hood of my car. I don't know why but I'm just getting this feeling inside of excitement to just be with her.

I get in the car and she is buckling her seatbelt. I stare at her to mess with her and see if she looks. When she turns and lifts her eyes to mine, she blushes. I don't know which is more red, her dress or her face.

"Stopppp," she says, tucking her upper lip.

"What?" I keep grinning and she covers her face with both hands.

I watch as she squirms in her seat and I let out a chuckle. "I can't look at my beautiful girlfriend?" I add, making her huff lightly as the heart headband wobbles.

Silence fills the car as I start my engine, placing my hand on her thigh and her tiny hand on top of it to be funny. My fingers wrap more than halfway around her leg though, but her skin is squeezable, warm, and soft. Her eyes darken for a moment, heat pooling in them from under her lashes. It deepens when I turn on the car and head out.

"So first we eat, then presents, arts and crafts, a game and bed because I have a class tomorrow," she begins, coughing like she's trying to knock away her nerves.

"How come we can't do presents?" I smugly grin and she furrows her brows.

'Because dinner always comes first on Valentine's Day, Jaylan," she reminds

"What you makin'?" I tease.

She throws me a smirk. "Cupcakes."

"Absolutely not."

She giggles, smiling away at traumatizing me of the pink chunks. "I thought we could make something," she says innocently.

She's so sentimental.

"What were you thinking, babe?"

She crinkles her nose with a smile like what she has in mind is cringy but I know she's exploding inside to tell me. "Jaylannn."

"What babe?" I smile, knowing that nickname will cause a reaction.

She covers her face and I laugh at her blushing  "We can make tostadas," she mumbles into her hands.

"What? I can't hear you, babe," I tease again and she grips my wrist, well, touches my wrist.

"We can make Tostadas," she says tightly.

I keep my smirk and she looks down, making the headband hearts spring down in her face.

Knowing her, it'll be Pinterest-worthy. So I know if I'm making a twenty-item trip to the grocery store, I ask, "Is it easy to make?"

"Oh yeah, so easy." She pffts me and I laugh as she gets on her phone.

I rub her thigh softly, moving her hand slightly and she takes in a sharp breath. "So, how did you celebrate Valentine's Day without me?"

"Jaylannn." She smiles, shaking her head and patting my hand.

"What? I'm curious." I flash a smile as I palm the wheel, turning right and heading to the grocery store. I catch her glancing at me out of the corner of her eyes and I chuckle.

She's going to drive me nuts with how she gets turned on by this. I'm literally just turning the wheel.

"Well..." She clears her throat. "Papà would get Isabela, Mamà, and I roses from Señor Ramírez in the morning and then he would make us a yummy breakfast... He made the best huevos rancheros and then made these sweet Valentine's Day cards, with stick figures. And it was so sweet, how he would do it for Mamà,"  she gushes but her smile releases.

Would do it?

"What do you mean would?" I glance at her, seeing her eyes drop down to her lap.

"Oh, he just kind of stopped when I got to high school." She clears her throat and I continue to rub her thigh. I don't want to make her upset. I'm going to ask though, whether that's with her underneath her bed or, from what Alexis tells me, is hiding in the cleaning closet.

She pushes the falling hearts back up on her head and I chuckle.  "Then I came here, and well I was home sick for most of my first year so I only did a few things and helped Lexi with Derek," she says, distasteful at the end.

Damn, she was there for that too?

"No matter what we did for him, it was never appreciated." She rolls her eyes but she definitely has a point. Fuck, why I did not see Lizzie during those times?

Damn you, Big Red.

"Yeah, he is definitely an ass," I state flatly.

"Jaylan." Lizzie narrows her eyes, like I've lost a sticker.

"What? he is." I shrug.

"Just because he wasn't nice doesn't mean you have to be. But he was a mean head, he made Lexi cry all the time. And at one point Lexi was going to transfer schools, but Max and I begged her not to," Lizzie says sadly.

Derek really screwed up Alexis' life. I know I've done some shitty things but he really put a rift in between her sister and her and, at the end of the day, it was his damn fault.

"I'm glad she's still here," I admit honestly. "Hollis really likes her."

Now that's an understatement. The guy has been house shopping for the two of them to live in after school as a graduation gift because he means business. He found this nice, old-style farm home outside of Pennsylvania and has been raving to fix it up so she can decorate for her liking.

"I know," she says in a giddy voice and I laugh, smiling at her. I slow up at a red light and she leans over, quickly pecks my lips, and giggles.

"I like your kisses," she gushes and covers her face.

"I like yours too, Doc."

"Well, back to my story, I would celebrate with Max, well sorta. She had this weird thing with our neighbor across the hall." She shakes her head in disapproval.

"Tristan McCoy?" I slant my eyes at that weird ass computer geek.

"Yeah Tristan, he's super nice. Anyway, when she wasn't over there, we would watch movies and eat pizza, but sometimes he would call, well... umm... she would talk to Her."

I nod, knowing what she's talking about and she flickers her eyes. "You know?"

"Maxine and I are friends," I tease, which is a total lie but Maxine's made her past known. Aunt Lisa has burned in my brain to look out for her as much as I can but, honestly, Aunt Lisa has no need to worry. Considering she looks out for herself, something she's used to doing.

"She would hit you for saying that." Lizzie's being dead serious and I cackle because she's not lying.

"What? We are."

"I'm not getting into that." Lizzie shakes her head in disapproval, picking up her purse.

I smirk and pull up another red light, where Lizzie pecks me again. I laugh as she moves so quickly like a jack-in-a-box. She giggles and gazes at me with sparkles in eyes. The red sequins reflect in her brown eyes, reminding me of some kind of beautiful sunset.

Every glimpse of those brown eyes springs me back to life every single day.

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

The house echoes with Lizzie's loud giggles as she feeds me another bite of these good ass tostadas. For some damn reason, the whole entire world was thinking the same thing about it, so we made them homemade... Well, she did while talking to her Uncle Victor.

She introduced us but the dude reminds me of somebody from the Narcos Netflix series. I am not making shit up. I'm not sure why Lizzie has all these scary ass people around her but again, they're guarding a very precious heart.

Lizzie constantly roasts me, reenacting how she first saw me at her job and how my one night stand fed me. Which, when Lizzie sits on my lap and feeds me, is ten times sexier, by the way. She's been giggling non stop because I licked the guacamole off her fingers or I got cilantro in my teeth.

Of course, being the sweetest bundle of joy, she invited Jordy, who has no problem chowing down and staying on Fortnite. He's probably happy to just eat anything that's not chocolate or candy, but we don't leave any leftovers.

The fact he is so content with his life choices just never ceases to amaze me. "Thanks for dinner, baby." I kiss her blushing cheek as she shuts her eyes from the word.

"Jaylan," she says softly, looking up at me.

"What?"

"I'm Lizzie."

"I know that, sweetheart," I play along, moving some hair out her face.

She palms her forehead and I laugh, pulling her in. "We have to get started because I have a class tomorrow and my bedtime is, well, now."

"Whattttt? I thought we had games and arts and crafts?" I kiss her cheek, wrapping my arms around her and she giggles into my chest.

"I'm responsible." She pokes my chest and I laugh.

"I know." She is about to grab the plate but I stop her.  "Jordy said he would clean up, it's his Valentine's Day gift."

She furrows her eyebrows at me and I laugh, holding on to her. "Come on. Let's go do some Valentine's Day festivities."

She quickly gets off my lap and rushes out the dining room like a kid running downstairs for Christmas. I laugh, shaking my head as she makes her way upstairs.

"You don't know what room I'm in!" I shout, running after her because she is going to walk in on Jordy naked and I don't want to have to explain that to Big Red.

I make it up to the hallway and she jumps out, making me hold my chest because dang, she really got me. She starts cracking up and with one motion, I take her waist and toss her up on my shoulder. She squeaks, pulling her dress down and withdrawing from the spank bank. The sound of my hand connecting to her ass is music to my ears.

Man, my fantasy is coming true... well, half-true. 

"Alright, close your eyes," I tell her when we get outside my bedroom door.

"Okay."

She giggles, being sneaky, and I tap her butt again. "Close 'em."

She mumbles something in Spanish and huffs. I laugh and open the door at the hard work Alexis and Hollis put together to complete the room.

I slowly place her down on the bed and her eyes are still closed like a little kid waiting for a pony. I chuckle, shaking my head and taking a quick photo, just for memory keeps.

"Alright, ready? One.... Two.... Three."

Lizzie opens her eyes, which stretch wide and her mouth drops. She marvels around her at the photos hung up, on the starry night lights which are coming fucking down after tomororow. She clasps her hands over her mouth and touches one of the photos of us at the aquarium and smiles at the candy heart one.

"Jaylannn"

Her smile warms my heart at how she just appreciates the smallest things. Her eyes soften at me and I tilt her head to the side with the lopsided headband. I chuckle as she opens her arms up to come here. I squat down and she leans down to kiss my lips but the heart hits my eye, making me flinch back. She giggles and taps my nose. "Thank you Jaylan," she softly says.

Our eyes flicker and she looks at me through her eye lashes, hitching my breath internally.

Lizzie, don't do that.

"Ready for gifts?" She says innocently but the heat pooling in her eyes has all my attention.

I stand up and she looks up at me. She's seen me for a while, but the way her eyes are taking me in is making my skin heat up. The way she's sitting on my bed, in her small, tight dress, she's making my dick  so hard right now the way her gaze is.

"I thought we were doing arts and crafts," I remind her.

She yawns playfully and I tickle her and she falls back, laughing as I keep tickling her. My arms cage around her and her dress rides up her thighs slightly. I pull it down for her, making her giggles slow down because my fingers trail down her inner thighs. Meeting my gaze at her, she sinks her teeth in her lower lip.

Fuck. Positive thoughts, positive thoughts, I'm reformed.

My eyes gaze at the bags on the bed and she gathers them protectively. "You can't yet."

"Why not?" I playfully touch one but she holds them tighter into her chest.

She arches her brow and puts them to the side. "Because this requires a lot," she says seriously, like real serious.

I arch my brow and she giggles and places the bags even further away. She escapes out of my arm-cage and goes to her overnight bag. I don't see what she pulls out because my eyes track the shape of her ass as she bends over, but she tucks a few things underneath her arm. Those short legs rush her into the bathroom, where she slams the door.

What is she up to?

🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀

I groan, putting my face in my hands from thinking about Lizzie in my shower right now, basically drowning herself. She's been in there for a good twenty minutes, so I take the initiative to get my present and take a quick shower myself in Marcus' bathroom but she's still in mine when I get back into my room.

I glance over at the bags, wondering what she's up to with them. This has her crazy ass roommates all over it. I don't want her doing things she's not comfortable with and I don't want her to feel pressure to make this night about me either. 

The shower finally stops and I sigh in relief. I get up from the bed and go to the bedroom door and lock it but catch a glimpse of my newest tattoo. It actually looks real nice but I expected that from Todd. He was a real known artist and his story just blows my mind with how his parents gave him up for adoption to travel the world. Every tattoo and piercing he wears just tells the pain he's endured and wins he's made.

I appreciate him a ton, I actually was th...i....king -

My heart stops.

My eyes dilate, I know they do when I see Lizzie comes out of my bathroom, wearing this silky, beige lace cami and pajama shorts. An emerald green towel wraps around her head.  Every inch of her curves is present, everything I envision under those pajamas is outlined right in front of my eyes.

Fuck... I'm being tested. Tonight is the night...

Is she trying to get me killed?

She glances up and stops at the sight of my night clothes, which she's lucky I'm wearing these shorts. She gulps, looking down, and keeps packing her bag. She pulls out white construction paper, a gold frame, and some pink and purple jar of paint.

My blood rushes faster through my veins when she takes the towel off and her hair falls perfectly down, wet and damp.

I know Maxine has a camera in this damn room.

Happy thoughts, Jaylan... No, clean thoughts.

My hands fidget as I clench and unclench them and I'm pretty sure it's related to the sensation that blood is draining out of my brain right now.

"I know I know, I'm Ariel." She waves her hand, climbing on the bed with the materials in her hands.

My mouth dries at the way her bare legs extend. I'm very speechless right now. Is this what she wears to bed?

"No.... I was actually going to say, you look very beautiful... sexy." I sit down quickly on the bed and grip her waist, pulling her close to me under my arm. That might've been a bad idea because I can see right down her top but it's a painfully nice view.

She looks down and I lift up her chin as our eyes meet again. "I just... wanted to... Well, do you like it?" she shyly speaks.

"I love it." I kiss her warm cheek.

She giggles, holding up construction paper that says, 'Our First Valentine's Day.'

The sap.

"So, what do we have to do?" I smirk slyly.

"With theseeee, we put our thumb prints." She twirls the jars in my face because it's pink and purple.

She tries to open one and huffs because she can't open it. I press my lips, taking it and opening it with ease. She furrows her brows, picks up the paint brush, and begins painting my hand. The soft bristles tickle as she dabs it into the middle of my palm. "Geez, this is going to take an hour."

I suck my teeth and she giggles, her other hand holding the bottom of mine while painting my palm. I brush the damp hair from her face and she smiles, showing off her dimples that I love. I touch her face and she puts her chin down for me to stop. Silence fills the room and I can't help myself and pull Lizzie close to me. She sinks her teeth in her lip.

"So, what's in these bags?" I tease, trying to peek and she grunts.

She looks at me and looks down at my hand, still working hard finishing up. "You took the whole jar." She shows the empty jar and I chuckle, gazing at the small empty pink jar. She takes my wrist and turns my hand over.

"Now Jaylan, do this correctly," she warns and I couldn't help but cackle because one little slip up and we doin' this all over again, hence the extra paper. She struggles to place my hand down and I help her plant it down right on the left like she wants it. "Ten seconds."

Fuck it.

I clasp my free hand behind her neck and pull her forward. I kiss her for ten seconds, but hear count while she's giggling and kissing me.

"Ten." She giggles, pulling away. I smirk because this girl actually brushed her teeth. She is too funny but it's fresh tasting.

"Okay." She hands a clean brush to me. I playfully turn her hand around with her palm. Her hands are so tiny compared to mine. "Make sure you get the sides, Jaylan," she instructs and I glance at her. She sheepishly grins.

"So you always do crafts for every holiday you celebrate?" I begin, dabbing at her hand but a lot messier than she did.

"Of course, it's fun to do. One of my many perks about me," she boasts.

I chuckle and she wiggles her fingers to be funny. I gently stretch out her hand, painting it purple. Our eyes catch each other again, stirring my interest down to the cobra. She tucks her upper lip in as she watches me gently paint on her hand.

"Don't mess it up, Lizzie," I tease, and she grumbles. I turn her hand and place it on the right side, then press down for ten seconds. I lean to kiss her again and she giggles pulling away.

"Now presents?" I wiggle my brows, pulling up the Sight one.

"Jaylan," she grumbles, wiping her hand and then mine.

"What? I want to go first."

"Ladies first," she reminds me and I suck my teeth she playfully hits me. I pull up one of my bags and dangle it in front of her. She catches it and shyly pulls the white tissue paper. She pulls out a black paper box, making her arch her brow. I chuckle and open it for it.

"Jaylan..." she softly says, marveling at the gold necklace, Maxine told me to buy especially this one. It's a gold necklace with her name and stethoscope.

"I just want you to be reminded of your hard work and how much time you put into school and it's not being put in vain."

She smiles softly and leans in to kiss me, moving her hair a bit and revealing her gold heart necklace that she wears all the time. "Can you put it on me?" She politely asks, turning around and I take the necklace out of the ties. My fingers brush over the sides of her neck as I place it around her neck and clasp it. Since I can't resist the way she's holding her hair up, I lean down and kiss her neck softly. "Thank you Jaylan." She puts her hair down over me, doing it again.

She turns happily towards me and shoves the bags in front of me, finally. She also yawns but for real this time. I take the Sight bag first and I look in there and it's empty. I arch my brow and she giggles uncontrollably. She leans back on her hands, showing casing herself to me.

"Sightttt," she teases.

Alright  I like where this is going. Almost.

"Nah..." I tease, shake my head, and point to the floor near my bed. "I wanna see."

Her eyes go wide as she looks where I'm pointing, then slides off the bed and stands two feet away. Her long hair falls over one shoulder, dipping down to her side.

"Hold up your hair," my throat dries, making my voice husky and tickle when I speak.

The same heat from whenever I drive returns in her eyes, pooling as she gathers up her hair. I'm practically a sweaty, drooling mess when she piles it on top of her head. The way her elbows raise high slightly arches her lower back, pressing her, as she calls them, mangoes forwards. She's barely moved but her breath hitches, lifting the tiny hint of cleavage she flashes. A beautiful flush of pink covers her cheeks, even flushing over her chest under her collarbones.

My knuckles crack from how tightly I'm clenching them, my eyes taking in every detail,  from the way her shiny nightshirt clings to her breasts and S-curve from her ribs into her waist then flares out to her hips. I try not to stare at the two peaks from her nipples poking shadows into her top, and instead trace my eyes over the dip in the center, tied with a small bow. Goosebumps raise on her skin wherever I look and I grin, lifting one index finger and twirling it for her to turn around.

At the risk of admitting that I'm a pig, I've been to strip shows. I've had girls undress for me, dancing and stripping themselves bare. But the way Lizzie pauses, so much heat in her eyes as she lifts onto the balls of her feet and slowly turns in her silk pajama set sets my whole body on fire. My blood is pounding in my ears, heat pools in my palms, and I lick my dry lips.

Hesitation hangs in her eyes as she looks over her shoulder but I flash her what's probably a cheesy grin. She has to know my jaw is probably on the floor because she smiles and her uncertainty melts as her heated gaze returns. The silk dips down her lower back and my eyes follow the gentle crease of her spine, down to her ass.

I'm thankful that she drops her hair and looks away as she climbs back onto bed, because I need an adjustment. That might've been a bad idea.

No, it wasn't. It was one of the hottest things I've ever done and all I did was look at her.

Thankfully, Lizzie shoves another bag in my face. I take the other one which is Smell, but again it's empty. She crawls close to me,  sitting almost on top of me... Damn it. She pushes her hair to the side and tilts her neck, arching it up in an offer I can't resist.

I lean forward and drag the tip of my nose slowly up the side of her neck, inhaling hard and smell the enticing vanilla she's wearing. Her shoulder bounces as she giggles because my nose trails as much of her neck that I can reach, ending behind her ear. My heart is pounding painfully at the up close view of her smooth skin, painted in goosebumps.

I'm going to die.

I grab the sound bag and jiggle it. She giggles, jiggling her mangoes right in my face. I open it and it's nothing again, this girl. 

She leans in until her lips brush over the shell of my ear, making me immediately grab on to her ass for support. The cool, smooth silk contrasts the head flooding out of my hands but I grip her tightly. Her hair dangles in my face, giving me a full scent of her coconut shampoo.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she says in the sweetest, sexiest way with a giggle that I swear draws up my balls. I lightly squeeze her ass and she giggles.

Beaming, she holds up the Touch bag. She's super excited about this one, for some reason.

Should I?

This is a fucking trap.

I hesitate and she pushes the bag forward for me to open. I pull out this pink carton box that says Dirty Dice. I arch my brow and she giggles again, this time with a blush.

"I told you there were games," she says, giving me that heated look I just know will pull me under.

This is a trap.

Edited and spiced by still_just_me