Don't Fall Back

“Love is reverence, and worship, and glory, and the upward glance. Not a bandage for dirty sores. But they don't know it. Those who speak of love most promiscuously are the ones who've never felt it. They make some sort of feeble stew out of sympathy, compassion, contempt and general indifference, and they call it love. Once you've felt what it means to love as you and I know it, total passion for the total height, you're incapable of anything less.” ―Ayn Rand

August 2014.

The sun rays didn't hesitate to brighten up the room, coming through the white blinds in the early morning. It was the same room that was dark nine hours ago with the same untouched blue bed sheets before they climbed under. The covers were on top of their bodies, flashing most of Colton's chest and only Mia's bare shoulders.

Even after one year, he still loved waking up to the sight of her sleeping peacefully. Her gently closed eyelids, steady quiet breaths, long dark chestnut hair that was unequally spread over her shoulder. He was awake for the fifth minute now, laying on his left side, staring at her while she was still dazed away in her dreams.

Colton had yet to understand what it was about her that made him so thankful, so happy. The way she gracefully danced in the kitchen when her stir fries dinner was cooking on the pan, the way her neck naturally tilted back when she was laughing with her heart, the noise she squeaked when a bug scared her, the chocolate eyes he got lost in; it made him stop and take a look at what he has. She was always his from the beginning, it just took them long to discover it.

His hand traveled up to her face, his thumb brushing along her cheekbone. He couldn't resist it. Her eyes fluttered, once, twice, three times, and then she saw him clearly. Mia inhaled the fresh scent, shifting her body back to stretch, and then plopping her head in the same area on the white pillow again. His fingers were still on her cheek when her lips curved up in the sweetest smile.

"Morning, baby." he said quietly, his tone gentle and calm.

"G'morning," she whispered happily, a yawn sneaking out of her mouth.

"Did you sleep well?" he beamed.

"Yeah," she bit her bottom lip lightly. "You?"

He nodded slightly, "Of course."

"Do you want pancakes for breakfast?" she asked warmly.

"That would be great." he smiled, and leaned down to press his lips tenderly on hers. The touch and taste that could keep them both going for twenty-four hours.

She sat up, rubbing her head and messy hair. She ran her fingers through it, shaping it back as straight as it could get. Her back was facing Colton when she asked, "What time is it? We don't want to be late for Lana's presentation."

"It's almost twelve," he pulled his left wrist up to glance at his watch, and yawned. "We have a couple hours."

"Okay," she replied and knelt down to search for her clothes on the ground.

When she realized that Colton's black sweatshirt was laying there inside out, she remembered how satisfied he could be when she wore only his tops. She turned it over and put her arms and head through the proper holes, pulling it down over her body. She put on her black and red panties, and stood up beside the bed, flipping her hair back. With the shirt just barely reaching her thighs, she faced Colton and caught him smirking, still under the covers. His arms were crossed behind his head on the pillow, and he was looking at her with those gray-blue, seductive eyes.

"God, you're so beautiful." he stared her down, from her smooth forehead, her plump lips, her perfect curves, to her legs that any man would dream of having wrapped around them. He knew he has felt every inch, every centimeter, every millimeter of her body, but he could never get tired of it.

She crawled back on the king-sized bed, making her way over beside him slowly. She pulled the sheets away from him, revealing him in only his boxers which he had put on later last night. Mia climbed on top of him, her legs spread on both sides of his chest, her area touching the Calvin Klein fabric. His arms were still behind his neck when she whipped her hair to the side gently and leaned down to kiss him passionately.

With her lips attached to his, she ran one hand softly up and down his chest. His arms moved; he brought them to her cheeks and cupped her face. When she pulled back from the kiss, only the slightest amount of space between them gave her the ability to speak.

"Get dressed," she said.

"We have time," he murmured against her neck while leaving a trail of kisses that made her spine shiver.

"No," she whispered huskily in his ear, beginning to sit back up on top of him. Once her neck was out of reach from his lips, he sighed and brought his hands to her waist. "Get dressed quickly, and I'll make breakfast."

Then, she got off of him, sliding onto the ground again. Without turning around, she went out into the hallway. After she brushed her teeth and splashed some water on her face, she made her way over to the stairs. Kabby had woken up and looked up at her with his green eyes, raising his butt in the air and rubbing his head on her ankle. She giggled and picked up her cat, carrying him like a baby downstairs.

When she had reached the bottom, she set him down and walked to the kitchen. Mia got her materials and set them on the counter. Pan, spatula, ladle, Aunt Jemina's Buttermilk Pancake mix, a large red plastic bowl, and one cup of water. Since Lana's new building design opening was today, she didn't have time to make her own homemade pancakes.

Lana was representing her group by introducing one of the city's newest building design for downtown. It was going to be held at a gallery, with many of her coworkers and bosses. The large apartment building was scheduled to be built sometime in November, and Mia knew how excited Lana was to have her first major structure created. Zoe had come back to visit from Seattle, and she was going to be staying at Lana's place for a week. Brownie was also in town, since he had promised Tyler, Colton, Phil and the rest of the team last May that Toronto would be his Summer spot.

Once the batter was ready, she poured some into two small circles on the pan, and waited for them to be done so she could flip them. She glanced around the kitchen, opening the drawers and cupboards, looking at the silverware and appliances she had bought over the last sixteen months of living there. Her garden had only improved more, and the house felt more like a home each day they spent together.

While Colton had been busy with the filming of HBO 24/7, the Winter Classic, and hockey itself, Mia had received a promotion. She moved up to the assistant medical director, having a higher rank as a doctor and assisting Jordan with his work. The roster changes were heartbreaking, at most, seeing friends leave and others get traded without a second thought. Although, the good news was that Colton had received a two-year contract extension last year in June. Tyler had also re-signed for another five.

By the time the pancakes were ready, Colton had come downstairs after he took a shower. He kissed Mia's hair as she turned off the stove, and he took the plates with piles of pancakes from her. He placed them down on the breakfast table, not too far from the dining room, but closer to the kitchen island. It was a new addition to the house which they had shopped for. A white, decent-sized breakfast table with four matching chairs.

"They smell so good," he smiled at the steamy food, while making a circle of maple syrup on the top pancake.

"Thanks," she sat across from him, partly cross-legged on the chair with her knee brought up so she could put one elbow on it. After also adding maple syrup and strawberry jam, she took a bite with her fork, but only after he did first. She still kept the same habit, even after all this time.

"I texted Brownie, by the way," Colton said after chewing and swallowing. "He said to tell him when we start heading to the Twist Gallery."

"Alright," she nodded. "I'm guessing Tyler got pre-dressed like seven hours ago."

"Yeah I can confirm that." he laughed aloud, as they both teased Bozie.

Starting from Mia's birthday party, and then the bachelor-bachelorette party mash-up incident, Tyler and Lana got closer and closer each day. He took her out to watch movies, to different restaurants, invited her to team barbeques, and the fun continued when they began officially dating last July. Lana was nervous, at first, nervous about being with a hockey player when she had only started watching and following the sport that February. But it all worked out just fine.

"Should I wear the long red dress, or the blue one with short lace sleeves?" she asked aloud, mostly wondering to herself but also willing to hear his answer.

"Um, I don't know, they both look good on you." he smirked at his last comment.

She squinted her eyes, "Alright, what did you do?"

"What do you mean?" he replied casually, grinning and finding her tone of voice more amusing than threatening.

"You sound too sweet and innocent." Mia curled an eyebrow.

"Can't I just compliment you without being questioned?" he sighed.

She ate the last small size of the pancake left. "No," she said jokingly and smiled at him before getting up.

Colton just laughed sarcastically and rolled his eyes. He helped her put the utilities away along with the condiments. It wasn't long before they headed back up the stairs to their bedroom again. The room was basically the same as always, but now with different picture frames and photography of beautiful places around the world. Mia had changed the window curtains to a light green with faint designing, and the window seat cushions were matching as a darker green. On Mia's bedside table, she put up a picture of them together on the CN Tower. On Colton's nightstand, stood a photo of him with Mia at Zoe and Mike's wedding last year with a solid, brown frame.

Colton left to go to the bathroom after changing into his white buttoned up dress-shirt. Mia, on the other hand, was still unsure of what to wear. The code was formal. It was a gallery, first of all, and architects were going to be there so she knew she had to look...sophisticated. So, she finally decided to go with the blue dress. It was V-shaped, not too much, but enough to show off a little. The arms were in lace with flower designs down to her elbows, in blue as well. She fit into it perfectly, with the dress reaching to her thighs above her knees. She curled her pretty, dark brown hair. After deciding to go with the open-toe white high heels, she began walking down the stairs and leaving the fancy shoes by the door.

Colton was fixing his belt in the living room, facing the large, long glass window. Her footsteps were almost silent on the hardwood floor. Mia went up behind and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his shoulder blades and rubbing her cheek on his spine. She could feel him chuckling, feeling the movement against her skin. Her hands slowly moved to where his were, and stopped him from continuing with the leather belt although it was already done.

He calmly turned around to see her, until her fingers were brushing over the top buttons on his dress-shirt. Then, she looked up at him. Colton's eyes were examining her, her curled hair, her face, her dress, her legs. She was so close to him with her arms against his chest. It was as if he was looking at her for the first time, but now with even more love for her. He traced her cheekbone with one thumb gently and waited for her next move.

"Kiss me." she whispered, eying his mouth and tightening her grip on his shirt.

He didn't think twice. Colton slid his hand behind her neck, holding a fist-full of hair, and kissed her lips. It was slow. They were eager for more when they pulled each other's heads even deeper. It was continuous for countless moments. They were attached, out of control, carefree and in love. The only thing in their way was the event they needed to attend.

"The speeches begin in an hour," he said once their lips were apart. "I thought you said you didn't want to be late." A small smirk curved on his face.

She let a sigh escape her mouth as she glanced down at his chest again. "You're right," she started sliding her other hand away from the buttons.

He ran his fingers through his hair, "Yeah...I already regret saying that."

"Too bad, so sad." she cracked a laugh and turned around, heading for the door.

The drive was mostly quiet on the highway. Every once in a while they would begin talking about something, whether it was about the gallery, the traffic, or things they just liked simply because. Mia turned on the radio to KISS 92.5 and listened to the men and lady announce what song was coming up next. Kelly Clarckson's voice was easy to spot. Since Mia knew the lyrics to People Like Us, she flipped up the volume a bit.

Colton checked his watch at a red light, 3:15PM. Yeah, we can make it in fifteen minutes. When the light flashed green again, he switched lanes and made the turn to the left. Sure enough, they got there in almost twenty minutes. The building was fairly large, with glass windows and hard walls at the entrance. Colton paid for the parking and they both got out, walking hand in hand.

When they stepped inside on the first floor to the gallery, Tyler, in his white buttoned up shirt with a red tie, noticed them first. "It's about time!" he called them over.

"They were probably too busy in the backseat." Brownie smirked beside him, earning a laugh from Phil who also dressed formal.

"It's nice to see you too." Mia responded, rolling her eyes jokingly at their remarks. She hugged all three of them individually. Being a doctor and friend of the team was one thing, but she had become like a sister over the years because of Colton.

"So, was that the tenth outfit you tried on, or the eleventh?" Colton teased Bozie, with his hands in his black pockets.

"Ha, you're so funny." he replied sarcastically. "You should ask Mia for some more lipstick you can borrow."

She couldn't help but laugh a little while sort-of-ignoring-them, and looking around at the other well-dressed architects, friends or visitors. "Has Zoe gotten here yet?"

"Yeah, she was just talking to Lana a couple minutes ago, I'm not sure where she went." Phil said, his eyes wandering as well to see.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?" a gray haired, average height man stood behind the podium. When everyone was listening, he continued. "Many of us have come here to support John Robertson, Aura Brown and Lana O'Donnell with their presentation. They have worked hard on this new design and we are honored to welcome the founder, Miss O'Donnell."

Zoe had just came up beside Mia in her long, simple navy dress, which showed the baby belly she was proudly growing. All attention was turned to the new speaker when the crowd began clapping. Lana wore a classy black dress, hair in a bun, as she shook hands with the man and took his place. "Thank you, Mister Wells." she nodded her head in his direction, smiling.

"As John Green once said in his book The Fault In Our Stars," she began her speech. "The weird thing about houses is that they almost always look like nothing is happening inside of them, even though they contain most of our lives. I wondered if that was sort of the point of architecture."

She talked about how buildings and better structures can shape a city. Their proposal was revealed once her coworkers took off the fabric covering the blueprint. A new thirty-four story apartment building near the CN Tower, each one with its own balcony. It would have a large outdoor pool, a highway not too far away, and the residents could have a view of the lake. Their opening date was scheduled for November, but there was going to be a smaller restaurant attached that would open before it. Lana announced there will be a ballroom dancing type theme at the restaurant that evening.

The group received many rounds of applause, and lots of recognition and compliments from their managers and bosses. When the presentation was finished, the visitors could chat and stay for refreshments. Mike, Phil, Tyler, Colton, Mia and Zoe gathered around her with glasses of champagne or water.

"You did great, babe." Tyler said, with one arm wrapped around Lana.

After he kissed her temple, she spoke. "Thanks sweetie. And thank you guys for coming, I really appreciate it."

"Of course," Phil smiled at her, and gave his best friend a wink.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Colton added nicely, holding up his drink higher.

"Are we still on for the barbecue next weekend?" Tyler asked him curiously for a confirmation.

"Yup," he nodded after glancing at Mia by his side.

They were referring to the barbecue they planned. Colton was going to fire up the grill and she would be making the salads and preparing the condiments and things to add to the burgers. The friends were just going to spend that weekend cooling off, relaxing on the porch outside, eating and drinking. If they wanted to sleep over, they were more than welcome to. The guest room upstairs was available, and the fair-sized room downstairs was mostly for small storage but had a couch that could be rolled out into a bed.

Then, on that Sunday, they would either repeat the fun time again or possibly start by curing their hangovers. Since their backyard was huge, and Mia's garden and fountain were on the side--not blocking anyone's way-- they thought about having a mini football game. Colton would then grill hot dogs for everybody, while having another cold one while they are at it. It was planned out to be a good way to spend a Summer weekend.

They spent the next few hours talking, and looking at other pictures of different designs that other companies will be building. The room was big; shaped like a gallery with pillars around the room, bar tables and people 'dressed to impress'. The whole place was modern and highly respected.

Mia smiled as she listened to them crack jokes and have a good time. It had been too long since they were all together. She remembered that the last time was at Tyler's lakehouse last June. Now, Zoe was settled down in Seattle with her husband and she was pregnant, already four months in, due for January of the new year. It just felt nice to have everything almost back to the way it was, like it basically never changed. Like time had frozen.

In a blink of an eye, in a quick finger snap; it felt like the night ended that fast. They all found themselves saying goodnight and standing by as Lana got hugs and compliments from others. Since she was having Zoe as a guest for the next week, they left first. Lana went on her toes to kiss Tyler, and then drove away.

"Heading home soon, Bozie?" Mike asked, chewing his gum and starting the usual topic of them all going to McFlannigan's bar.

"I dunno Brownie," he replied with the same tone, hands in his pockets. "What about you, Orrsie?"

"I think I'm going home with the boss tonight," Colton laughed lightly, and held his arm out so Mia could link her's through.

"Sorry boys, you can have him tomorrow." she winked mischievously, as they started heading to the parking lot.

"That ain't bros before hoes!" Tyler shouted jokingly from the distance, earning a laugh from Mike and Phil.

Colton then pulled his own keys out of his pocket and powered on his BMW M3. "Drive safe!" he yelled back.

When they got home, he placed the keys on the counter as she went to the kitchen, first thing. Mia filled the glass with cold water from the filter machine and drank it down as she heard Colton coming in behind her. Mia's feet were aching after she took her high heels off from standing for many hours.

"Tired?" he guessed by her expressions.

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the counter, and sighed, "Yes." When she opened them, she met his small smile and calm eyebrows that he wore on his face.

"C'mon," he put one empty hand out towards her.

She stood up straight and took a few steps closer, linking her fingers with his. They both walked up the stairs, down the hallway, to their room together. Colton then stretched his arms out before taking his iPhone out of his pocket which read 10:25. He began undoing the buttons of his white chemise and left it open for his bare chest to show, while Mia took off her round diamond earrings.

She tried to undo her zipper behind the back of her dress, but it was uncomfortable to bend her elbow that way. "Babe, can you help me?" she asked with her back towards him.

"Yeah, sure." he walked over and pulled down the silver zipper slowly to where it stopped by her lower back. He had to force himself to not touch her like that, because he knew that they were both exhausted and she wouldn't be able to walk in the morning.

"Thanks," she replied, now removing the dress by pulling it down to her ankles. She was left in her pink wireless bra and matching thong.

After Colton took off his remaining clothes, he stayed in just his boxers. It was a hot Summer night and even though he was inside, he didn't want to practically melt. Mia changed into a light tanktop and white boy-shorts before climbing under the covers. He turned off the lights and joined her on their large, comfortable bed.

"Sweet dreams." he leaned over, halfway on top of her chest, and kissed her.