I'd Kiss You Goodbye If I Thought It Would Make You Stay

“I just wanna say, I want you to say to me, no-oh-oh-oh. “I’ll always be there when you wake.” You know I’d like to keep my cheeks dry today. So stay with me, and I’ll have it made.” – Blind Melon

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The sunlight’s shining through the blinds and I wake up, rubbing my eyes, feeling a little sore, but in the best possible way.

A smile takes over my face as I roll over to see Michael lying beside me.

He’s still asleep, and he looks as striking as ever. His mouth is open just a little, revealing his slightly crooked teeth, and I can hear him breathing softly. I reach over to run my hand through his hair, trailing my fingers down his flawless jaw line and smiling again as he yawns and then gives a peaceful sigh in his sleep.

I want to wake him up, but his hair is falling in a perfect mess across his face and his lips are puckered just slightly in an adorable way, so I can’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I scoot closer to him, resting my head on his bare chest and listening to his heartbeat.

I doze off, and when I wake up again, I’m snuggled even closer into him and he has both arms wrapped around my waist.

“Michael?” I ask, wondering if he’s awake yet.

“What do you need, Rae?” he asks, yawning, and I lift my head slightly to give him a sheepish look.

“Nothing,” I reply. “Only you.” He grins, pulling me even closer, if possible. We lie there for a while more before my stomach starts to annoy me. “I’m hungry,” I announce, trying to wiggle away from him. “Michael!” I laugh, as his grip around my waist tightens.

He grins before letting me go.

“Thank you,” I say, kissing his cheek before jumping out of bed and practically skipping down the hall to the kitchen, still in my short-shorts and his t-shirt that hangs loosely off my petite frame.

I place two pieces of bread in the toaster and wait for them to pop up, hopping onto the countertop to sit. I sing to myself softly as I wait for my toast.

Michael joins me a few minutes later, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He stops in front of me, placing his hands on my waist and leaning his forehead against mine.

“I missed you,” he says, cupping my cheek with one hand. I answer by twisting my fingers into the hair at the base of his neck, bringing his face closer to mine and kissing him. He kisses me back, tugging on my bottom lip when suddenly we’re interrupted.

I groan in irritation, pulling away as my cell phone starts to ring from next to me on the counter.

“What?” I ask Suzie in slight annoyance, after fumbling to answer it.

“Good morning to you, too,” she laughs, but I’m hardly listening to her in between Michael trailing kisses along the neckline of the v-neck I’m wearing while I run my fingers through his hair.

“Rachel,” she says impatiently. “Rae?”

“Yeah?” I reply distractedly.

“Are you even listening?” she demands in exasperation.

“No,” I reply bluntly, to which she sighs. “What were you saying?”

“I was saying not to forget that we’re filming for the music video next week-”

I groan audibly again, and Michael stops to look at me curiously.

“Don’t tell me you-”

“I didn’t forget,” I assure her. Michael stops to put the toast on a plate and butter it for me. “I just didn’t realize it was so soon.”

“Well, just a heads up,” she says, and she starts to say something else, but Michael’s lips are at my throat again, distracting me. He knows my weak spot.

“Okay, bye,” I say, and she barely has a chance to tell me the same before I hang up and turn my attention back to Michael, bringing his lips back to mine and arranging my arms around his neck. We break apart for breath and he looks at me hopefully. I grin and nod once in response.

I wrap my legs around him as he lifts me off the counter, gripping my legs and carrying me down the hall to our bedroom, where he playfully drops me onto the bed.

My toast sits forgotten on the counter.