Sapphire

My alarm goes off the moment Amber wraps an arm around me, and I apologize profusely as I fumble to turn it off.

She pushes herself off me and pulls the sheets over her head, grumbling every curse word in existence, both english and spanish. And who could blame her? I can only imagine the headache she has to wake up to.

Quickly letting out another hushed apology, I scroll through social media for a couple of minutes before sitting up on the edge of the bed. I rub my eyes with the heels of my hands to try and rid of some laziness before stretching both arms over my head. It's not until I gather enough energy that I stand, grunting when my knees buckle slightly.

I leave Amber alone to sleep away her hangover as I head out of my room and make my way into the kitchen.

Setting down my phone on the counter, I grab a glass from the top cabinet before opening the fridge and grabbing the water pitcher. I fill it up all the way, finishing it in four big gulps. And as I set the empty cup down on the island, a satisfied sigh escapes my lips.

But my satisfaction is quickly interrupted when I hear the sound of a door shutting, followed by heavy footsteps nearing the kitchen. I don't have to guess to know that it's Ian. I mean who else would it be? Amber can barely sit up.

I quickly try to think of an escape plan as he gets closer and closer.

Just as I see Ian make an appearance, I drop down to the floor and crawl around the island, listening in on his footsteps to place exactly where he is, fully aware that I look ridiculous. But I'd rather that than face him after last night.

However, as soon as I try to make my escape by crawling away, the sound of him clearing his throat stops me in my tracks. I hesitantly look back, smiling sheepishly when I see him holding out my phone with a very amused look on his face.

Embarrassed, I force out a quiet laugh as I stand and walk up to him, just close enough to grab my phone.

Still wearing the amused smirk, he grabs the pitcher from the counter and serves himself water in the same cup I used. He stares at me over the rim as he takes a slow sip.

After setting it down, he grips the edge of the island and leans into his arms, his muscles bulging.

"So, tell me," he begins his torture of teasing me with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Is it true that you named a dildo after me, of all things?"

I scoff, trying to act nonchalant as I wave a dismissive hand. "That was just Amber being drunk Amber. She doesn't know what she says majority of the time. It's just nonsense."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mm-hmm." I nod to make my point clearer.

"That's funny. I don't remember you denying it last night."

I shrug, "That's because it's humiliating that she even put that image in your head."

My nonchalance is suddenly replaced by nerves as he pushes himself off the island and takes predatory steps toward me. I instinctively back away after each step he takes, my heart thumping against my chest.

"You don't need a toy when I'm just a room away, you know?"

My eyes are wide as I breathe out a, "What?"

"You heard me."

He's still stalking toward me as his tongue peeks out to wet his lower lip, his eyes scanning my body from head to toe.

An embarrassing gasp escapes my lips as the back of my knees crash into the couch, nearly making me tip over. Feeling dizzy, I ground myself by gripping the cushions by my sides, watching Ian slow his steps as he gets closer.

"I can assure you, none of my dildos have your name."

"Oh." His smirk grows. "Plural?"

I shut my eyes tightly as my face heats up faster than an electric kettle can heat up a tablespoon of water. Why do I keep making it worse?

"Ian..."

"Yes?"

When I open my eyes again, he's directly in front of me, the amused look gone. It's replaced by a look of lust. I'm left stammering.

"Just tell me you don't want me this close and I'll give you your space."

"I– uh... how's your arm?" is my best effort to steer the conversation elsewhere.

He arches an eyebrow as he looks down at his freed arm. He got the cast removed a couple days ago, and he's been making up for lost time. Pushing himself during practice and whatnot.

"It's a lot better, actually. The doctor told me to go easy for another week." His eyes meet mine again as he rolls his shoulder, and I thank the heavens above when he takes a step back. "But we both know that's not happening."

"What do you mean?"

He closes the space between us again. "I plan on carrying you into my room. If you let me, of course."

I shake my head, grabbing his very hard biceps to push him away gently, stepping sideways to go around the couch. We're on opposite ends as I say, "Your dad would kill both you and me if you got hurt again."

"Probably."

"So yeah... we can't." I force out a laugh.

"We can't, or you don't want to?"

I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to go to his room and find out what he plans on doing to me, but my best friend is just a few feet away, unaware of us at the moment. I'd rather not give her yet another thing to tease me with.

So instead of rejecting him, I make an offer: "How about we go on a date first?"

His bright, white teeth make an appearance as he smiles. "Are you asking me out?"

"Maybe," I go along with it, my voice low. "Will you say yes?"

"How could I say no?"

* * * *

"Stay still," Amber scolds, nearly poking my eye out with the brown eyeliner grasped tightly between her fingers. "It's your first official date with him. You need to look your absolute best."

"He's seen me in my ugliest pajamas," I point out, trying my best not to shed the tear that's threatening to ruin my makeup. "I don't see why I have to make this much effort. Besides, I still haven't forgiven you for telling Ian that I named a dildo after him."

She snorts, quickly trying to compose herself when I glare at her through the mirror. "Sorry," she lifts a hand at me. "But you know how I get when I'm drunk."

"Which is why I hate when you drink more than you're capable of handling. I'm the one who takes the hits of humiliation."

"Actually, it's thanks to that that you're going on a date today. So give me some credit."

I scoff and cross my arms. "I'll give you credit when credit is due. I don't think Ian will ever live that false information down. I feel the constant teasing for years to come."

With a quick eye roll that I'm sure I wasn't supposed to notice, she finishes the last touches of makeup and perfects my hair to her high standards. When she's done with me, even I have to do a double take. The girl staring back at me is far prettier than I have ever looked before.

It's no wonder Amber wants to be a cosmetologist. She knows what she's doing.

Her eyes scan my body as she hums and says, "Now, can I convince you to wear a better outfit?"

"What's wrong with this one?" I complain as I look down at my only going-out dress. The same one I wore to the party where Ian punched a guy for me.

My cheeks flush, thinking about the way he was protective over me, even with his girlfriend being right there to witness it. Well, ex girlfriend. Now I'm the one going on a date with him. Granted, I'm the one who asked, but a date that he agreed to nonetheless. Besides, he's the one who picked the place. I still don't know where we're going, but he told me to dress my fanciest.

"How about this?" I snap out of it to see that Amber has been in her closet, picking out another outfit. I look over at her to see that she's holding a tight, black mini skirt and a red bustier top. "I have some red bottoms that I got for Christmas that you can borrow."

"That's not even close to being fancy," I point out. "That looks like an outfit you'd wear to a club."

"At least you wouldn't be repeating an outfit like you always do, missy."

I feign offense with a hand over my heart, "Gee, thanks."

"I do it because I love you." She beams proudly, going as far as patting my head, but quickly fixing the few strands she misplaces.

Gloria comes up from her world of fantasy to finally acknowledge us, bookmarking her spot and setting her book down on the bed before climbing down. She enters Amber's closet and comes back out with a satin, bodycon mini dress that is the prettiest shade of blush pink. She quickly hands it to me before climbing back onto the bed.

"There," she sighs contentedly. "Fancy and a bit sexy. Now I can focus on visualizing a better world without you two yapping back and forth about clothes."

Amber and I share a look of disbelief before we turn to see Gloria, who is already deep into her book again.

"We have lost her. Who knows when she'll come back up." Amber grabs the dress from my hands and inspects it. "Though, might I admit, she picked the perfect dress—I forgot I owned this. But... were we really talking that much?"

"Shhh." Gloria looks over the pages of her paperback to glare at us.

"Okay, okay..." we both throw our hands up. "We'll shut up now."

* * * *

Amber looks out the window for the umpteenth time while I constantly check my phone, anticipating Ian's 'I'm here' message.

"It is today, right?" Amber asks cautiously.

Is it? I shut my eyes tightly for a few seconds before checking the date, nodding to myself as I silently confirm that the day we agreed on is today. Though, whether he remembers that or not is another thing.

"What if he forgot?" I look down at myself and blow out a deep breath. "And why am I so nervous? It's not like we haven't hung out before."

The smirk that grows on her face makes me regret letting her in on my nerves. "You tell me. Were you sore that one morning after?"

Just as I'm about to reply defensively, my phone dings with a message and I look down to read it:

I think I'm at the right place?

I smile to myself as I push Amber out of the way and look out the window. And there he is. Standing in all his glory in dark gray dress pants and a black button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair is basically how it always is. Meant to be combed back, but his hair is stubborn and flows to the side, swooping down a bit to touch his forehead.

His brows are furrowed and his head is turning from one house to another, helplessly looking for the familiar face that is mine. He looks like a lost puppy. It's adorable.

Wanting to take him out of his misery, I step out of Amber's house and stand on her porch, trying my best to suppress my smile as he still continues to look around. But then it happens. He looks directly at me and a bright smile replaces his small frown.

Hurriedly, he walks over to me until he's just a few feet away, only stopping to admire me from head to toe.

"Wow," he breathes out. "You look stunning."

I smile, my cheeks warming. "Thank you. Likewise."

His warm smile turns into an amused smirk. "You think I look stunning? Why, thank you." He curtsies, holding an invisible gown in his hands.

"You know what I mean." I shove his arm playfully, a huge grin on my face.

The playful glint is still in his eye as he offers his hand to me and walks me down the front path to his car. He opens and holds the door open for me until I'm seated comfortably. Then, he shuts the door gently and jogs around to get into the driver seat.

Once inside, he turns to look at me one last time, up and down, before starting the car and driving onto the main road. My attention is out the window as soon as the drive starts, feeling too nervous to even glance over at him.

"May I?"

"Huh?" I say dumbly, finally turning to look at him.

With his attention fully on the road, he lifts his right hand from his lap and extends it towards me. I look down at it, my face flushing when I realize what he's trying to ask permission for.

He wants to put his hand on my thigh.

He wants to put his hand on my thigh.

Oh lord Jesus Christ have mercy.

"Um," I breathe out shakily. "Yeah... sure."

My attention is back out the window before he has a chance to drop his hand on my thigh. But when he does, butterflies instantly erupt in my stomach, fluttering like crazy. Especially when he starts to draw lazy circles with his thumb on my skin.

The car ride probably is or just feels like the longest drive of my life. Either way, as soon as we arrive, I ignore Ian's protest to let him open my door and step out all on my own. In desperate need of being surrounded by fresh air, without a warm hand on me.

I quickly try to compose myself. Turning my face towards the wind and taking deep breaths.

"Are you ready?" Ian comes up behind me, so close I can almost feel him.

And then I'm back to square one.

"Um, yeah, sorry," I say after taking one last deep breath, slowly turning while taking a step back so I don't accidentally bump into him.

"We're just in time for our reservation, but we won't be if we're just standing out here." He laughs a little. "Come on." Again, he offers his arm to me and I hook mine through it before walking alongside him through the entrance.

It's fancy. But I don't see any tables. Or people for that matter, except for the reception lady smiling at us by the front desk and a security guard standing just a few feet away.

Confused, I allow myself to be guided by Ian as he walks up to her.

"Ian Hawthorne. I called to make a reservation on Tuesday."

Her nails tap on the keyboard as she types in his name, nodding to herself when she finds it. "Here you are, Mr. Hawthorne." She bends slightly to pull out a card from a drawer, handing it to him before going back to typing. "I just confirmed your arrival. Just put the card in the slot beside the elevator and it will do the rest. Once you get to your floor, hand this paper to Jenny and she will call up a waiter or waitress to show you to your table." She finishes writing on said paper before handing it to him as well.

"Thank you, Penelope." He grins after reading her name tag.

She nods. "Enjoy your meal, Mister and Misses Hawthorne."

"Oh, no, we're not—"

Ian cuts me off, "We will, thanks!"

Without another word, he tugs me towards the elevator opposite the desk and we hurry inside after he puts the card in the slot. I hold on to him just a little tighter when the elevator jumps slightly before going up. I watch the number go higher and higher, eventually stopping at twenty-three.

When the elevator doors open, I'm left mesmerized at the sight in front of me. Huge chandeliers dangle from the ceiling, about ten feet apart from one another, and the walls are nothing but windows revealing the view below us.

We approach Jenny, who calls up a waiter for us after Ian hands her the paper. "Show them to table A6," she instructs our waiter before turning to us with the friendliest smile. "Nice choice of seating. Enjoy the view."

The waiter leads us to our table, one of the few that are right beside the window. And since the building is nearby one of the most popular beaches, our view is basically a live wallpaper of the ocean.

I turn to gape at Ian, who simply offers a proud smile as he pulls back a chair and motions for me to sit. I gladly do so.

Once we're both seated and have ordered our drinks, I turn towards Ian as he looks out the window.

"Neat, huh?"

"Are you kidding? This is incredible." I gush, turning to look out of the window as well.

"This place belongs to my parents, but I've never taken advantage of it. Until now."

I can't help but look back over at him, and he turns towards me with a lazy smile.

"What about Julissa?" I can't help but ask.

He shrugs, "We rarely went out on dates. We both seemed to be too busy."

"Oh," is all I can say.

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that now I'm able to bring a beautiful girl to a place where I can get an amazing discount." He laughs, leaning forward and resting his forearms on the table. His eyes scan my face, and I'm suddenly very self conscious about the way I look. "Have I ever told you how fucking gorgeous you are?"

A huge grin takes over my face, and I turn my face away, pretending to be very intrigued by the view outside. Really, I'm just unable to hold eye contact.

"Your drinks." The waiter returns, setting down our glasses in front of us. Lemon-lime soda for Ian and a pink lemonade for me. "Are you ready to order?"

I'm quick to answer, "Yes, please."

* * * *

"So, I was thinking..." Ian trails off as he wipes the sauce from his lips with a napkin, leaning back against his seat with a satisfied sigh.

I look up at him and plaster on a playful wary look, "Uh-oh, that can't be good."

His face falls and I refrain from laughing when he throws his balled up napkin at me. "Dick," he grunts.

"I know you are, but what am I?"

"Really?" His voice is patronizing as he folds his arms over his chest. "We're being fifth graders now?"

"Sixth," I amend, trying to look serious, but failing.

He pinches the bridge of his nose and exhales deeply, but it's hard to miss the grin on his face. With a quick shake of his head, he lets out a soft chuckle before focusing on me again. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"Well, you can start by telling me what you were thinking," I offer, finishing the last of my lemonade and leaning forward, resting my elbows on the table. Not very fancy, but I could care less. Ian is quick to do the same anyway, smirking at me when our faces are mere inches apart.

"How would you react if I asked you to be my girlfriend?" He reaches forward and pushes my hair behind my shoulder.

It catches me off guard, but I quickly catch myself and try to act cool and composed. Inside I'm bursting with excitement. "I'd say you'd be going against your own contract." I arch a challenging brow. "And if I remember correctly, it specifically says we can't be anything more than housemates."

"Contract? What contract?" He feigns confusion, going as far as tilting his head sideways and looking up at the ceiling with a hand stroking his chin in deep thought. "I don't remember a contract. Oh wait, that contract. Yeah here's the thing, I seem to have misplaced it."

My amused smile never falters. "Oh, really? You misplaced it?"

"Or wait... maybe it was the one that accidentally fell into the shredder." He goes as far as scratching his head, looking stressed. But it's quickly replaced by a nonchalant shrug. "Either way, guess we'll never know. But back to what's important—will you be my girlfriend?"

My lips part and I grin widely before nodding, "I would love to."

Author's Note

A long chapter after a long wait. I am getting terrible at this writer thing. I didn't even spend time to edit it, so I'm sorry if there's any errors. But I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.

Much love,

Kim