A/n: There will be a series of texts later in the chapter. Morgan is italics, Chris is in bold!

***

"I feel complete because of you, and when I look at you, I feel at home."

Chris Omar Vaughn

I couldn't even keep my eyes open to pull on a pair of boxers to wear to bed after the. Best. Sex. Ever.

My body needed to recharge over the next eight hours, for sure.

I looked at the time.

10:34pm

Yup, I'm getting my eight hours, I thought, smiling smug as I shut my eyes again.

"Good night," I mumbled to Morgan but she wasn't beside me.

When I heard the water running in the bathroom I realized she was in there freshening up as she should. One of the many things I liked about her, she was so clean.
Trust me, I could tell some horror stories about some dirty girls I unfortunately slept with before. Let's use that term lightly - "slept with."

I'm a changed man. I said before there's no way Morgan can have relations with anyone else. Of course she had a little slip up, Malcolm did whatever he did. I'm over it, though. I am, really. But, after that? Oh. She will NOT, can NOT absolutely ever give what's mine away.

I think I'm going crazy. Could it be, after all those girls that I drove wild, now it's happening t-to me? I wondered.

Well fine. Shit I'll take it, Morgan's perfect.

My body felt like it was floating on a cloud as I laid down. It's like trying to fall asleep after getting high, you just feel light, feel good.

I let out a content sigh and fluffed my pillow.

It wasn't too long before she came back and crawled under the covers we shared.

Before I could do it for her, Morgan brought her leg over my body. Now I can fall asleep.

After all the heat our bodies generated, the room was now cold and I needed her close to warm back up.

I think I actually dozed off in two seconds but she sat up, making waves in the mattress.

If she wants to go again, I don't know if I'll be able to, I thought in my head.
Legit don't have it in me, and she's a demon if she does. My body felt like it was made of gelatin. I'm begging she doesn't touch me right now, I'm far too sensitive. She better get a toy. No but then I'd want to watch her use it. Damn it.

So I played sleep.

"Chris," Morgan called out twice.

It wasn't until she started sniffling that I sat up, concerned.

"What's wrong?" I asked, holding her hand.

She stared at me and said, "I love you."

My head turned to the window. Nope, no pigs flying. No alien or zombie invasion.

"Pinch me." I said.

"What? Why?" She asked but did it anyway.

Okay, ow. . . Didn't really think she would.

"I'm not dreaming?"

She giggled, wiping her tears away. "No, you're not dreaming! Didn't that all just feel entirely too real for you to be dreaming?"

Indeed it did. I can still feel her. Wish it was recorded. Hey, I wonder how she feels about that? I wouldn't mind a tape at all.

"I love you..." I said it back.

The metaphoric devil and angel on my shoulders got together to make a speech:

Ladies, gentleman, family. Girls I've fucked in the past, and my dear friends - Jabari, I mean. Welp, I'm officially off the market. I know, I know, be very proud.

I imagined myself dapping up everyone on my way out of the stadium after a retirement game. Yup, this is it.

Morgan just sat there smiling. "I kind of expected something more..."

I laughed. "Like what?"

"I don't know, but this isn't as special as I thought it would be; I was very nervous," she told me as we lied back down, her head on my chest.

I locked our fingers and stared up at the ceiling.

"Why would you be nervous? I mean, it was obvious."

Wasn't it?

Women. You have to look them dead in the eyes and say exactly what you mean.

"I guess. I just didn't know how you'd react. But this doesn't feel weird, or anticlimactic, it just feels... right. Like, duh! Duh we love each other," she started laughing, making me laugh.

"Anyone with eyes could've seen it," I continued joking, acting nonchalant about this.

Morgan flailed her arms and went along, too. "Anyone without eyes could've seen it."

"That's what I'm saying!" I added, making her laugh. It was a cute laugh, she has like three different ones but that ones my favorite.

Silence fell between us so I just tuned in to the sounds of the city.

Time passed without her saying anything again so I let my eyes close and tried dozing off again.

"I'm going to leave Malcolm. For real and for good this time. He can't walk. What if I just leave and never go back? All I have to worry about, probably, is Sage. Even then, he'll just try to scare me or hurt me, but I can take it. I should've done this before, but something always got in the way. I'm serious now, though. We love each other, why not be together? Like, seriously," she spilled.

I exhaled deeply through my nose.

It was a good plan, all of hers before usually were. Like she said though, something, or someone, always gets in the way. Maybe this time, if we don't let it, we can go somewhere. I don't necessarily want to leave Penshaw, or think we should, but at least for a while maybe? I don't know, we hadn't thought that much through. I'll just be surprised if she successfully leaves him, we can worry about the other details after that.

All we had to figure was what he'd do. I know Malcolm but I have no clue how he'd react to that. He's a bad man, not down right sinister, but close.
If this was some random Tabitha or Jenny he wouldn't care about them running off. Since it's someone like Morgan, and with me, he'll probably not let this one go for some time. Not that I care, but, I just want to know what I'm looking at so I can plan for it.
If Morgan and I are going to be together, we shouldn't have to live scared moving forward. I want to be done with Malcolm, get him to realize there's nothing between them and he has to let her go. But how could I? He won't hear that. And even if he let's her walk, he'll have it out for me.

"Stay here. I'll get your stuff tomorrow, and we'll think of something, alright?" I promised.

Morgan nodded, putting her head back on my chest.

"Can you hear my heartbeat?" I asked, slowly blinking.

"Mhm. It's so fast," she noted.

Morgan yawned and rolled over, pulling my body with her.

"Good night." I said. Her yawn was contagious and got to me.

"Good night..." Morgan whispered back softly, kissing the back of my hand.

***

"So, what are you going to get her?" Asked my mother as we grocery shopped for a big family dinner tomorrow night during my lunch break.

"Get who what?"

She hit me in the stomach for playing stupid. "Morgan?!"

I bit into an apple before we bought it and rolled my neck. "For what?"

Mom threw some steaks into the half full cart and looked at me slow.

"You two have known each other for over half a year now, you said the 'L' word-"

"Stop right there. I'm not getting any gifts. Maybe for a one year type of deal, but no, I don't do that. I didn't even give her anything for her birthday. Well, aheh, yes I did..."

"Ew, son," Mom snarled, seeing the spaced out look on my face as I remembered (basically) fucking Morgan on the yacht on July twentieth. She was satisfied, I made sure of it.

"Plus she don't even ask for much. What am I supposed to get her, it's only seven months; and we weren't even together then?"

I took the cart from her and started pushing as she walked down the pasta aisle.

"Penne!" I hollered so she'd get my favorite style of pasta.

When she sarcastically threw it in the cart, I smiled big.

"Something special, son. I don't know, a necklace?"

I wasn't impressed, my face showed it.
"She has enough necklaces."

"A nice bag?"

"Way too expensive."

"With your salary?"

"Yeah, no."

Mom rolled her eyes, pushing the glasses further past her hairline.

Just as we talked her up, Morgan sent me a text. It was a picture message actually, of her on the bed in a very compromising position, wearing one of my button-ups. Or, barely wearing it, I should say.

As I went to type a response, Mom chucked something at me.

"Mary," I growled, eyes glued to the picture still.

She just laughed, taking the cart from my possession.

"Oh no, I lost cart privileges?" I made fun.

Mom looked up at me. "Yes you did." She nodded.

I laughed, finally closing my phone once I replied to Morgan, my ... whatever she is.

"Why don't you get her— I got nothing," Mom let out. She slouched with discouragement.

"Exactly. I'm not gonna get her anything, she got a good gift last night," I talked, chuckling.

When I took my phone out again, Mom tried looking at the screen.

"She's glowing." Mom observed.

"Don't be weird, Mary."

She laughed lightly, putting stuff on the register.

"I can't wait to see her at dinner, make sure she's there, and not with that man."

I shook my head. "She's not with him anymore. I actually need to talk to you about that?"

"Oh no. I love you, but I have nothing to say about it. Ask your father for advice concerning you-know-who."

I groaned aloud like spoiled teen boy. "I'm not talking to him."

"It's been long enough, honey."

The cashier finally stepped in. "Paper or plastic?"

***

When will you be home? I'm bored

Home?

Shut up. You know what I mean

Soon. Why don't you take some more pictures for me

I don't feel good

#2?

I don't poop or fart

But I do throw up

😂
Take some medicine

I tried but all you have is vitamins and pre-workout

Guilty. I'll bring you some home

Home?

I laughed at her using my line against me.

"Vaughn!" My boss shouted, entering my office.

I locked my phone screen before replying to Morgan and gave him my attention.

"Yeah?" I talked.

"Your designs, they impressed me. What didn't impress me, though, is you being late this morning. You could've at least brought me a coffee, man."

I laughed, hanging my head. "Long night."

"I'll bet. Alright, I'm out of your hair. Hey, why'd you request off next week?"

"Huh?"

"If you can 'huh,' you can hear, Chris. Why'd you request off?"

The thought hit me. "Oh! Family ski trip."

"You live in Colorado and you're taking time off to ski? That's like people in Hawaii taking time off to go surf? It's right in your backyard, should be nothing special."

My face fell straight. "We're going up to Aspen, my parents have a house there."

"Yeah, they have a house here, too, right?" He gave me a hard time.

I threw a balled up sheet of scrap paper at him and sucked my teeth. "Morgan's never seen snow before and she hasn't been skiing once yet since she's been here."

Reuben looked at me with surprise. "Really?"

I nodded.

"How long has she-"

"Since May," I cut him off to answer. A smug smile wore on my face.

"Well enjoy Aspen." He walked out.

Just as I was about to finally do some work, Morgan called my phone.

I answered. "Hello-"

She cut me off to speak. "Please take me to the hospital, I'm dying."

***

"I'm going into the light," Morgan dramatically sighed.

I looked at her in the passenger seat of my truck and kept my face straight.

"You're not dying, Morgan."

She wailed, holding her stomach. "Oh, but it feels like it! Can't you drive any faster, old man?"

"I'm doing eighty. Dude, what's wrong with you anyway?"

She sat up with a raised eyebrow. "Dude? I'm not a dude. I'll take girlfriend, babe, Princess..." Morgan listed.

But she's not hurt enough to lecture me right now about a title, huh?

She complained some more but finally we were waited on and seen by a doctor.

I put my phone away to listen as the doctor talked to Morgan.

"—So, what's been going on?" the woman asked.

Morgan sat on the examination table in a compromising position, groaning, claiming that's the only way she felt comfortable. When I asked why she needed to sit like that, she looked at the lady doctor and said, "You wouldn't understand." Something about cramps. Whatever.

"Morgan?" The doctor asked, trying to regain her attention.

Morgan sat upright and vibrated her lips.

"I've had a headache really bad, like, on-and-off for a few days. Um... oh! I'm so sleepy all of a sudden, and I never take naps. And then my stomach, it hurts so bad," she listed.

I listened, thinking this was just a cold or something like that.

The doctor looked at Morgan with a suggestive look and was about to speak when my phone rang. It was only JB, I was gonna ignore it, but Morgan asked me to go get her a ginger-ale from the cafe, and chocolate if they had any.
Despite my grunting, I obliged.

*

"No chocolate," I told Morgan when I returned. I would've been back sooner if JB didn't talk my ear off, then my mother called so that was a whole thing.

Morgan was in the plain white room alone now, staring off into to space when I entered.

"Yo." I snapped in her face.

She shook her head, coming back to Earth.

"Did you hear me? No chocolate," I said, handing over a can of Canada Dry.

"Whatever," she blew me off. "Let's go."

In the truck, she sat quietly with her head against the glass.

"I know they were out of chocolate but it's not the end of the world, Morgan," I tried to lighten her mood.

She cracked a small laugh and sat upright, unfolding her arms.

"I love you," she said out of no where. "but do I need to go to Aspen? The doctor said I should just rest."

"It's a three hour car ride, you can rest."

She groaned again and picked up her knees, bringing them to her chest.
"THREE HOURS?!"