Come Wake Me Up

“What the hell happened to my back?” Virginia turns around and lifts up the back of her shirt.
“Well, she’s still swearing. She’s obviously drunk from last night,” Jack teases.
Virginia stares at him, far from amused. “This hurts. Now, if you know, I expect an answer.”
“Why is it my fault?”
“Well, if it’s not yours, whose is it?” she demands.
I raise my hand with a sheepish grin on my face. “Guilty as charged. Next time pick a better spot to hook up.” She frowns, reaching around to gently touch the raw skin. “As kinky as an alley is—“
“Next time don’t try to take off my shirt when I’m backed against a brink wall!”
Jack and Zack ring with laughter, and I pull her over to me, turning her around. “It can’t be that bad.” I lift up the back of her shirt and immediately break into laughter. “I take it back. I’m sorry, that looks extremely painful.” I gently brush my fingers on the scrapes. She flinches away. “Sorry. C’mon, I’ve got some Neosporin and Band-Aids.”
She follows me into the bathroom and sits down on the counter as I dig through the cabinet. I pull out the Neosporin. Virginia tugs her shirt off, leaving her in just her skinny jeans and bra. Quite frankly, it’s more of her skin than I’ve ever seen, and it catches me off guard. “How much of last night do you remember?” I wonder, applying the cream as gently as possible.
“I remember Jordan, if that’s what you’re asking,” she replies. She intakes sharply and flinches.
“Sorry,” I mutter, pulling my hand away from the scrapes for a moment. “That’s kind of what I was asking.”
I cap the Neosporin and place a few large bandages on her back. “You had to know it would happen some time.” I nod. “Zack’s got quite a punch.”
I let out a small laugh, but I still can’t shake the hatred I’m feeling.
Virginia hops down from the counter and cups my face. “I’m okay, Alex,” she assures. I rest my hands on her waist, and she glances down at my hands. “I have a totally unrelated question.”
“What would that be?”
“You’ve never tried to have sex with me.”
I furrow my eyebrows. “That’s not a question.”
“Why? Because I know you could have easily last night.”
I sigh, and she drops her hands to my chest. “I don’t want to fuck this up,” I confess. “I’ve had my fair share of one night stands and booty calls, and I don’t want this to become that.” Her lips tug into a small smile. “You mean a lot more to me than they ever could.”
“But you’ve wanted you,” she concludes. “Like last night.”
I chuckle and press my lips to her forehead. “You’ve no idea.” She lets out a small laugh. “But I respect you, and I couldn’t do something that,” I pause to think of proper wording.
“That Jordan might have done?” I nod. “Well, he did that, but It’s different with you, Alex.”

“Wait, when will you be in LA?” Virginia questions for clarification. She glances down at her watch and mixes a drink for the veteran at the end of the bar.
“Over fucking Christmas. Seriously, they couldn’t have picked a worse time for us to record. We won’t be able to be with our families, I won’t be able to see you—“
“Alex.” I stop my bitching and look up at her. “Where am I from?”
“Hawthorne, California. I don’t understand the rele—oh…that’s close to LA, isn’t it?” She suppresses a laugh and nods, sliding the veteran’s drink down to him.
“Come spend Christmas with me. My family wants to meet you anyways.”
“Babe, Christmas is in two weeks, and I don’t want to impose.”
“You’re scared,” she calls me out. “Which is fine, but we need to meet each other’s families at some point. We’ve been together for almost six months.”
I heave out a sigh because I know she’s right. “What about Jack and Zack?”
“Bring them with. Rian has a place to stay?” She leans onto the counter, engaging in our conversation a little more than she should with how busy the bar is.
“Yeah, Cassadee is recording over the same weekend. She’ll be in LA, so they’ll be together.”
“Hey, Gin, can I get a refill?” I hear from down the bar.
“Yes, sir!” Virginia responds cheerily, taking a beer glass from the rack behind her and filling it up with Miller. She takes a fresh napkin and sets the beer down in front of it.
“Wow, I just realized the irony of people here calling you Gin,” I state, watching her take the empty glass and stick it in the dirty dish bin.
She laughs. “Yeah, because gin is a liquor. They thought it was so clever.” She returns to rest her arms on the bar and lean towards me. “You still haven’t called me anything other than babe, sweetheart, and Virginia.”
“You left out beautiful.” I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and her cheeks flush.
“You know what I mean.”
I shrug. “I like the sound of your name. Gin makes me want to drink, and V reminds me of V-card, which reminds me of sex.”
Virginia laughs a lot harder than I think she should at that statement.
“I don’t get what’s so funny.”
“You sounded like an alcoholic and a sex addict. I’m sorry, I found it hilarious since we still haven’t had sex.” I let out a small laugh now that I realize why.
“I suppose it did.” I glance at my watch, realizing it’s nearing eleven.
“I get off in a half hour.” It’s like she reads my mind. “You can head out now, and I’ll meet you at your house.” I lift my beer up and finish it.
“I had a beer, I shouldn’t drive.” Virginia lets out a laugh.
“That’s fine. Rachel isn’t home tonight anyways.” She winks and tends to the person summoning her. My heart starts racing at the suggestive tone in her voice.
The next half hour passes fairly quickly, and next thing I know, I’m pushing Virginia up against her front door, my lips pressed to hers. Her hands are unbuttoning my shirt, and mine are guiding her towards her bedroom door.
The door isn’t open, and It’s a little more difficult to open the door than I thought it’d with the way she’s kissing my neck. She results in reaching behind her and pushing it open forcefully. We stumble into the room. “Sorry, it sticks,” she mumbles.
I back her against her desk, lifting her up and sitting her down on it. She wraps her legs around me and pulls me closer, only separating her lips from mine to tug my shirt over my head. I push her t-shirt off of her hips and slide my hands up her back. Her nails lightly grazing over my back sends goose bumps crawling across my skin.
I unbuckle the brown leather belt wrapped around her waist and pull it from her jeans, proceeding to unbutton and unzip her jeans as well. I trail my lips down to her neck, and tug at the jeans. She lifts her hips enough to pull the jeans down, leaving her in her boyshorts and work t-shirt.
I pick her up and carry her over to her bed. Our lips never leave each other for even a second as she scoots backwards and I climb over her.
I can’t stop the way my heart is racing as she pulls her shirt off. I’ve seen her this way, and we’ve done things—plenty of things—but this is different. This is new.
And it comes down to the moment I unclasp her bra from around her body, leaving us both fully exposed. “Alex,” she breathes.
“Yeah, babe.”
“Before we do this,” she pauses to lift my lips off her neck. She almost looks worried, and a million things run through my mind. “I think I’m in love with you.”
I’m actually left speechless for a moment, so to kill the silence before it begins, I push my lips to hers. “I love you.”