Page 71 of Picture Us

“I literally don’t know if I have the energy to make it to bed.” Rose let out a massive sigh.

With a smirk, Drew hooked their arms underneath Rose’s knees and back. Effortlessly, they lifted her in their arms, forcing a squeal out of Rose as she clung to their neck.

Holy fuck, they’re strong.Rose felt her entire body warm at Drew’s touch surrounding her. It was a short walk to the bedroom and Drew took it easily, slowly setting Rose down in her bed.

The quilted comforter was already peeled back from her rushed morning. Not that she would have made the bed any way. Sitting up, Rose peeled off her shirt and pants. Eventually pulling off her bra and underwear too.

Drew wandered to the other side of the queen mattress, pulling their own shirt over their head. As they did, their stomach flexed. When Rose looked at their faint six pack, her surprise faded. Of course Drew could whisk her away to bed, they were shredded under those loose clothes.

Slipping into the bed next to her, Drew groaned at the relief of the plush surface. “Your couch is terrible.”

“Maybe I’ll buy a new one with the wedding money.” Rose grumbled as her eyes closed.

Drew’s forehead wrinkled. “The what?”

Jolting open, her eyes met Drew’s. “Fuck. I meant to mention this earlier today but we got… carried away. Ellen and Finley want us to shoot their wedding together. Like plan it as a collaborative from the beginning instead of just accidentally.”

She knew it was less than ideal to talk about now, after an incredibly long day that included over four hours of driving.

“Right.” Drew nodded, their gulp visible from across the bed.

Resting her hand on Drew’s wait, Rose shook her head. “We can talk about it more tomorrow. You don’t have to say yes. But we probably shouldn’t get into it right now.”

A deep breath flooded Drew’s lungs with stale air-conditioning. Rose wiggled closer to them and placed a kiss on their cheek. Rubbing her thumb along their skin, she smiled up at Drew. “I really appreciate you taking a back seat on the shoot today. It meant a lot to me.”

Drew nodded, their face flushing under her recognition. “You did a great job running the set. You thought of everything.”

The sound of the rain pattering against Rose’s windowsill put both of them to sleep. Each raindrop made their eyes heavier and breaths deeper. Rose wasn’t entirely sure when she actually fell asleep. But she knew she was warm and safe in Drew’s arms, their bodies pressed together.

25

DREW

Drew got a late startthe next day, enjoying a slow morning with Rose before finally heading to Diana’s to return the truck. But if it had been up to them, they probably would have stayed with Rose the rest of the day.

They had promised Diana the car would be back before she went out the next night so there was no better time to bring it across town.

Situated in Park Slope, Diana’s apartment building had its own private garage. She may have been a mess in her personal life, but her professional life was at an all-time high.

Drew rested their back against her bedframe as Diana groaned. “Ew, seriously? In the truck?”

With a shrug, Drew laughed. They couldn’t stop their face from turning bright pink. Just the thought of touching Rose again made their stomach flip.

“I would be grossed out but honestly that’s so hot.” Diana shook her head as she held a patterned top up to her chest. After a second, she held up another hanger in her other hand, this one a plain, black blouse.

Drew rolled their eyes. “Don’t be a creep.”

Diana shrugged, changing the topic. “Do we think black top or patterned?”

Without hesitation, Drew answered, “Pattern.”

It was obviously the correct choice, Diana ripped off her pajama shirt and threw on the blouse while Drew picked at some grapes in a bowl.

“So it must be serious?” Diana squeezed herself into the shirt.

“Expressly not serious, actually.” But they knew that wasn’t entirely true. Of course, that’s what had been said a few weeks ago. Rose had just ended things with Shannon and Drew… well god only knew what they wanted.

The only thing they knew for certain was that they loved being around Rose. She was funny and smart. But most importantly she wasn’t afraid to put Drew in their place when they were being a dick. It was a new feeling for Drew to want to impress someone, to want them to be proud of their growth.

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