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“I can be there in less than three hours, Tenley. You need me? I’m there. Even if it’s just to watch you sleep.”
“Tonight was fun. I had fun. But as much as I love spending time with Navy and Kodi…I think I missed you more.”
“Fuck. You have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that.”
“Figured you’d say that.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m perfect. Resting now and already feeling better to hear your voice. I’ll call you in the morning, bat boy. Get home safe.”
“You, too, my beautiful little venom. Dream of me.”
Oh, I plan to.
“I’m right here, Mama.”
Strong arms find my waist and pull me against a strong chest. While it should startle me, the comforting touch combined with the only smell in the world my body sings to, calms me.
“August?” I whisper, attempting to face him, but he only holds me tighter.
“Shhhh.” He strokes my hair, murmuring into my ear. “Go back to sleep, sweet girl. Just rest.”
“What time is it?” I nuzzle into his neck and feel every anxious thought, feeling, and worry I had vanish in an instant.
Nothing else matters.
“3:00 a.m. We’ll talk in the morning, okay?” I nod, and he kisses the side of my head.
August came.
He drove to Tybee Island to be with me even though I told him not to. To hold me. To comfort me and let me sleep in his arms till morning.
God, I love this man with a burning passion. Never in my life have I been sought out the way August seeks me.
He searches for me in every crowded room. In every vacant space.
Puts me before everything, and right now, that feels like a luxury. To be so wrapped up in his care, I know for a fact I’ll become addicted to it.
Who knew someone as ordinary as me would fit like the missing piece of a puzzle to someone so extraordinary?
He makes me feel alive.
And despite how hard it may be, I know I need to tell him. But first, there’s a question weighing heavily on me. I may be tired, but these new revelations I’m feeling in regard to him have me questioning what our future will look like together.
“August. Wait.”
His hand massages my lower back softly from behind, relaxing me even more. “Get some sleep, Mama. It’s okay.”
“No, I need to ask you something,” I whisper, sleepiness laced in my voice. “After he’s here,” I say, feeling August freeze slightly. “Will you stay?”
His head falls to the crevice of my neck, and I swear I hear the deepest exhale. “Yes. Yes. I’ll stay.”
“Good. That’s good.”
“Yeah, Mama. That’s good.”
“Goodnight, August.” And I fall into the deepest of sleeps, looking forward to morning.
