Zenon's Game Chapter 180

He was relaxed, holding me in in his strong arms. I could think of all the clichés, but the one I felt the most right now is how I don't want this moment to end. I couldn't think of anywhere in the world I'd rather be.

Is this what love feels like? Like home?

Nothing could feel this good - Except a caramel caffe breve latte on a stressful day.

Maybe I look at Zenon the way I look at my coffee. That would be lo...

"That would be nice. Maybe tomorrow?" I suggested, "Unless you have practice again."

"I'm sorry about missing your competition today, Candace," he repeated his apology, his hand lowering from my hair to my shoulder.

"It's ok," I raised my head up from his chest to look at him, "I'm sorry too."

I'm sorry I'm not ready yet. I'm just getting used to this. To us.

He held onto my shoulder and kissed me. The feeling made my skin tingle all the way through my body. I wanted to be held close, all night.

Maybe we can try again another time.

I woke up in the middle of the night, confused at first. I didn't remember falling asleep. I remember being with Zenon but was that a dream?

I felt an arm over me and almost flung it off. I wasn't expecting anyone in my bed. And here was a hand... like the stray hand in the Addam's Family.

He was asleep. His body was warm, and his arm was wrapped over me, keeping me close to him.

I've had this bedroom my whole life. I've eaten sweets from a sweet stash under my bed and hidden under the bed sheets to read when I should be sleeping. I've watched countless movies from bed and fantasized about a million lead characters.

But for the first time, there was a boy in my bed.

And he just so happened to look like a Greek god fallen to earth in the form of a teenage boy. His skin was soft and clear, but his muscular body created ripples across his shoulders and chest. I was so close to him that I could touch it. He was lying with his eyes closed on my pillow. The sheets weren't covering him. They were all over me instead. But he was still asleep, despite that. Na-ked except for black boxers.

"Zenon," I whispered.

I watched his eyelids flutter at the sound of my voice. I realized then and there that he had me played like a violin.

His eyes slowly opened and struck me with their blue.

I woke up in the middle of the night, confused at first. I didn't remember falling asleep. I remember being with Zenon but was that a dream?

He was asleep. His body was warm, and his arm was wrapped over me, keeping me close to him.

He was lying with his eyes closed on my pillow. The sheets weren't covering him. They were all over me instead. His bare chest was on full display and his arm stretched out over me. I stared at his na*k*ed form, na*k*ed except for black boxers.

"Zenon," I whispered.

I was still in disbelief that Zenon Albert was sleeping next to me. He had always been larger than life in my eyes; someone I would admire from across the street. Now he was in my bed, sleeping in my pastel colored sheets. I'll never tell him how he has me wrapped around his little finger.

I watched his eyelids flutter at the sound of my voice. His eyes slowly opened and struck me with their blue.

"We fell asleep," I whispered.

He didn't say anything, but his hand ran softly down my side. I closed my eyes to focus only on one sense – his touch. A sensation I wished would remain long after sunlight came.

Zenon's arm was wrapped around my waist and his warmth enveloped me. I lightly pressed my finger against his chest, drawing little shapes on them. He murmured under my touch, his soft eyes closed. It was tickling him.

I gazed up at his beautiful face. A face I had watched change from a roguish boy to a protective man. I leaned up and kissed his jaw. With his eyes still shut, he smiled and kissed me back.

Even in his sleep, he kissed me.

"What time it is?" he asked and his voice was deeper than usual; relaxing to hear so close.

He moved his hand to look around my room, taking it in under the darkness of night. I wondered what he thought about it and all the stuffed animals sitting in the corner. Their beady eyes staring at us - disapprovingly I'm sure.

I yawned, checking my phone. "It's two. We fell asleep so early."

We'd been so exhausted, we must have fallen asleep at 8PM.

He groaned and forced himself up. There was zero chance my mom would check on me and find us like this – but his parents were different. His parents were probably still up, waiting on him.

Zenon sat up onto the edge of my bed. I was not jealous of how he had to walk across the street in the cold, while I could stay warmly in my bed.

He pressed his elbow against his knee and leaned his head against his arm. He glanced back at me and smiled, resisting the urge to get back into bed. His boxers were quite tight and I-

"I like this song," Zenon said, pulling out a vinyl from my collection on my shelf, "Maybe we should play it?"

He turned over to kiss my forehead. Then he reached down and picked his shirt from the floor. He started to get dressed as I put the record back on the shelf.

Maybe one day we could get away from everything, find a place and play old records whenever we wanted to.