Five in the Morning

I have always loved riding in the car at night. Even when I was younger I found it to be something that I held close to my heart. I loved seeing the stars and watching the street lights fly by as we drove down the deserted highway. The world always seemed so peaceful at night, and that was something that fascinated me.

That feeling has always been a constant for me, but now it seemed like it was only a distant memory. I stared at the car's red tail lights in front of me and sighed heavily back into my seat. The dark early morning sky was starting to turn a light shade of blue and I glanced down at the time on my phone. I had been driving for an hour and I still couldn't get him off of my mind.

3:30 AM

Travis's arms snaked around me as we lay side by side on the couch. His chest was pressed against my back and his legs curved to fit mine perfectly. I could feel his nose against my neck and it sent a shiver down my spine.

“You smell really good.” He whispered in my ear.

I smirked and kept my eyes glued to the movie that was playing on his small TV. “I took a shower before I came here.”

I could feel him chuckle and he pulled me back closer to his body. “Well, that's good to know.”

I rolled my eyes and he turned me so that my face was only inches away from his. His deep blue eyes stared into mine and I could feel the heat rush to my face. It was then that I was thankful that he turned off the light because if he hadn't, then he would see how red my cheeks were. The glow from the TV flickered on his face and I could feel my heart start to pound. His eyes glanced down at my lips and then back up at me and a small smile played on his lips. He cupped my chin with his thumb and forefinger and pressed his lips softly against mine.

I placed my hand on the back of his neck and ran his short dark blonde hair through my fingers. He moved his body so that I was slightly beneath him and he deepened the kiss. As our lips moved together in sync, I couldn't help but feel as though this was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Travis moved his hands down my sides and then back up to my cheek. He pulled away slightly to look into my eyes and he smiled down at me. He hugged me close to him and kissed my cheek softly before saying, “I'm going to stop because I don't want this to be about sex, I want what we have to mean more than that.”

It was in that moment that I honestly started to fall for him.

A tear rolled down my face and I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand. Sitting on Travis's couch, I knew that I would regret leaving but leaving seemed like the only choice I had.

I pulled into the parking lot of my dorm and turned off my car. I leaned my head back against the seat and watched as the sun slowly started to peek out from behind the balding trees. I grabbed my backpack, locked my car, and made my way to the entrance.

The bitter December wind sent a shiver down my spine as I swiped my student ID to unlock the doors. I stepped into the building and a wave of heat washed over me. I sighed and absent mindlessly walked up the stairs to the third floor. Knowing my roommate would still be asleep, I quietly stepped into the room and set my backpack on the floor bellow my bed. I slipped off my shoes and my jacket and crawled underneath the covers easily.

The last thing I remember before falling asleep was a sense of calmness washing over me as Travis's voice appeared in my head.

“I could love you too.”