My Baby, My Darling.

I groaned and slammed my sketch pad onto my legs, ripping the top page out of the book and furiously crumpling it into a ball. I sent it flying to the other end of the room in the direction of the waste basket and missing it by a long shot.

"You really should work on your aim, darling." Dexter smirked from beside me, his hand moving to rest on my thigh and squeezing it gently.

I swatted his hand away. "Baby, I'm working. I need to brainstorm ideas for my first assignment at the art class I'm taking at Rubenfield. Don't distract me."

We were currently lounging around on my living room couch. My mother was at her bakery and my father was finishing up some work in his office, so we had the house to ourselves for a few hours. Even though I insisted that Dexter leave me alone for thirty minutes while I get started on a few of my sketches for the art course I just started, he would not and could not sit still. Despite my many attempts to refute his distractions, he seemed relentless. Every so often, his hand would brush against my leg, or he would stretch his arms into the air and rest one of them behind my shoulder, his fingers skimming along my bare skin lying uncovered by my tank top. To say that these actions were getting me slightly hot and bothered wlike he an understatement. However, not only were his actions distracting, but it was also adding to my irritation because every sketch I produced, basically sucked ass.

He laughed lightly, never looking up from the medical journal he held in one hand as the other slowly inched toward my thigh again. "I'm just trying to help you relax, sweetheart. You seem a little tense right now." His fingers brushed against my jeans slowly, moving up and down in rhythmic motions.

I rolled my eyes, turning to look at him with an irritated expression. He merely smirked lightly, his gaze never leaving the paperback in his hands. "Stop that." I snapped.

His hands only moved to rest on my thigh again, moving up and down my jeans. I raised my eyebrows and swatted his hand away again, returning my gaze towards my sketch pad and trying my hand at another sketch of a city skyline.

He squeezed my thigh again, causing me to jump slightly at the contact and drag my pen down my paper unintentionally, ruining the sketch. I groaned, tossing my sketch pad onto the floor in front of me and swatting Dexter's hand away as I stood up from the couch.

"You made me mess up again, Dexter. I swear, if you don't stop with that I'm going to kick your ass. It's hard enough finding inspiration for this shit, but I don't need these constant distractions. I'm on a deadline!" I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him.

He smiled lightly, finally setting his reading material aside before grinning up at me and leaning forward. "I can give you some inspiration, if that's what you need." He smirked, pulling me down onto the couch so that I was now sitting on his lap, my legs draped over his.

I rolled my eyes, scoffing lightly. "Don't think you can be cute and get away with this. It's not working."

"Really?" his lips moved so that they were leaving a trail along my jawline, breathing lightly and sending shivers down my spine. "Because I do believe it has some affect on you." he smirked, nibbling lightly on my jawline.

I bit my lip and shook my head slowly, resisting the moan that threatened to escape my mouth. "Think again."

He smiled, still trailing kisses down my neck. My breathing quickened and I nearly lost the fight when he started to suck on the sensitive area below my earlobe. I shook my head slowly, showing him that I wasn't going to give in. 

"Just give up, darling." he whispered huskily into my ear, sending another set of shivers down my spine. "You know you want to." He breathed lightly into my ear and squeezed my hip lightly, which pretty much was the selling point. 

I shook my head slowly in disbelief and moved so that I was now face to face with him, my legs straddling his own. "I think you overestimate the hold you have on me, Dexter McHale." I smiled lightly before crashing my lips onto his own.

I cupped his face with my hands and deepened the kiss as one of my hands moved to play with the nape of hair at the back of his neck, stimulating a moan on his end. I smirked lightly and gasped as his hands squeezed my hips gently, moving them so that I was now grinding against his own.

He grazed his tongue on the bottom of my lip, begging for access. I shook my head slowly, toying with him and smirking into the kiss. He groaned and squeezed my thigh gently, causing me to moan. He took advantage of the opportunity and slid his tongue into my mouth, exploring my insides. I breathed heavily, grinding my hips against his as a reflex. He moaned lightly and shifted slightly. And that's when I felt it. He wasn't the only one that was excited about this situation we were in. I smiled lightly and pecked his lips a few more times before pushing myself away from him, moving so that my face and his had a few inches of distance.

"Sorry." he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck and breathing heavily. "I just, I got carried away again."

I shook my head slowly, trying to steady my breathing. "No. It's fine. I just, my parents will be home any minute." I leaned down and pecked his lips again, looking into his eyes. "It's kind of a bad image if either one of them comes home and sees us making out on their couch, you know?"

He nodded slowly, his eyes searching my face in concern. He knew something else was bothering me. I would always find a way to stop us whenever things were getting too heated or when I knew I was getting to a point where I wouldn't be able to stop myself from going all the way. I thought I had been pretty sneaky about it, but he could always tell something was up. But he never pushed me, not once. He kept his looks of concern, but eventually brushed it off. That's what was special about him. He knew when to back off and never questioned me or made me feel uncomfortable. He supported my decisions, every single one.

His phone started to buzz on the coffee table. I stood up from his lap and tossed him his phone before bending down to pick up my sketch pad. I watched from the corner of my eye as Dexter glanced at the screen and silenced his call, tossing his phone onto the couch cushion beside him.

I bit my lip as I dropped my stuff onto the coffee table, plopping myself down onto the couch beside him. I turned to face him, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Who was it?" I gestured with my head to his phone sitting on the other side of him.

He shrugged, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and placing a soft kiss on my forehead. "No one important."

But I knew. He knew that I knew. It was an unspoken thing between the two of us, we never mentioned it. We both knew it was Monica that called him a few times every day. He would glance at the screen and immediately ignore the call, never even bothering to listen to her voicemails or text messages. I detected the hatred that overcame him when he saw her number on the screen, how vigorously he pressed the button that declined the call or deleted the text message. But more than hatred, I could see the hurt.

I knew I had nothing to worry about, I knew I had him. He assured me of that all the time, whether it was in the small things he said that implied a so much more detailed hidden meaning or the way he would wrap his arms around me, claiming me as his. Everything about our relationship was so unspoken, so comfortable. And I loved it. I loved not needing to filter my thoughts, or worry about what he was thinking, because he always told me, whether I asked or not.

"Hey, hey, hey! Movie Night Thursday!" Gabe yelled, bursting into the foyer, the front door slamming against the wall with a loud thud. Did that boy karate kick my door open? "Dexter! My main man. How have you been? Did you grow taller? I swear, it's like you two are together so much I don't even know what you look like anymore."

Dexter grinned, standing up to greet my far too perky cousin. They engaged in a casual conversation, joking around about a few people that sounded familiar. I'd probably met them at a few parties once or twice and forgotten all about it. I watched as Dexter and Gabe carried on a friendly conversation, reminding me that Gabe and Dexter were actually really good friends long before Dexter and I started dating. I guess I'd forgotten that sometimes.

 I noticed  Travis coming in through the front door, struggling with what seemed like 100+ grocery bags. I smiled lightly and stood up from the couch, making my way into the foyer. "Need some help?"

"You're an angel." he muttered, handing me a few bags that were hanging off of his index finger.

I laughed lightly, leading him into the kitchen. "Wouldn't be the first time you've told me that, actually."

He furrowed his eyebrows, recalling the record store incident and nodding in acknowledgement. "You're always saving me, aren't you?" he laughed, heaving all of the grocery bags onto my kitchen counter.

"Like it's my job." I smiled lightly, pulling out a few of its contents.

Laughter erupted from the other room as Dexter and Gabe recalled some event that happened at a party years ago. Travis looked out the dining room door at Dexter and Gabe.

"You and Dex are getting along pretty well, huh?" he muttered, opening a few of the grocery bags and emptying it's contents.

I nodded, grinning lightly. "Yeah. You could say that."

"He's a good guy. I'm happy for you guys." he nodded, meeting my eyes.

I laughed lightly, "Thanks, Travis."

"But just know," he gathered a few plastic bags into his hands, clumping them together. "If he messes this up, I'm on your side."

I let out a loud laugh, meeting his eyes with newfound appreciation. "I'll keep that in mind!"
---

"Mother effffff! Gabe, if you try that shit one more time, I swear I will not hesitate in punching your throat." Nicole hissed from beside me, trying to steady her heartbeat as she sent Gabe death glares.

Gabe erupted into hysteric laughter from behind me, clenching his side with his arms. "I swear. That was the last time."

For the last hour, Gabe has been jumping out of random places and screaming during suspenseful scenes as we watched Shutter for Movie Night Thursday. It was getting on Nicole's last nerve. She was easily frightened, under her tough as nails exterior, she was a bigger wimp than Dexter, who winced and clenched his jaw whenever something sudden would appear on the screen. He sat on the other side of me, jumping slightly whenever I squeezed his knee, sending me into a fit of silent laughter. Travis and Gabe sat on the other couch, tossing popcorn sideways when the other wasn't looking and trying to scare each other by shoving each other, hard during suspenseful moments.

"Should it bother me," Dexter leaned down to whisper into my ear, "that you watch horror movies without so much as blinking. I read somewhere that's a sign of sociopathic behavior."

I laughed lightly. "You can silently diagnose me all you want. You're just jealous because you're a pansy and you jump at every little thing."

"Hey. You need to calm down with that. I haven't so much as flinched. I'm hard as a rock right now." he scoffed, arms crossed as he attempted to seem manly.

I rolled my eyes and pinched his side when the girl appeared in the mirror, causing him to jump. "Pansy." I laughed lightly, whispering into his ear. "But you know what? It's really working for you, sweetheart."

"Really?" he smirked, leaning to whisper into my ear. "Because I was just about to say, that sociopath thing is really working for you too, sweetheart."

I rolled my eyes, shoving him playfully. He merely put his arms over his head in defense, trying to shield my attacks.

Suddenly, someone's hand grabbed shot up from the bottom of the couch, violently grabbing my ankle and trying to pull me down, causing me to erupt in a gut-wrenching shriek that would make even the most durable glass window shatter into a million pieces.

"Gabe! What the fuck?!"