Page 84 of Spring Awakening

“But,” she says, stepping closer, “that’s because I’m on bedrest until tomorrow. Doctor’s orders. Otherwise, yeah, I would ask you to fuck me.”

Mali comes back into focus, and he watches the way she blinks. He flicks his eyes over her face. The slight drop of her jaw, the way her chest moves, the way she’s watching him intently. He moves forwards, his hand light against her waist. She tilts her head when he brushes his nose against hers. Her lips are so close, but then she moves again.

“Not until tomorrow,” she whispers, and he moans this time. A deep, feels it in his chest, in his dick, in his heart moan.

“You’re a brat,” he mutters against her hairline, and she laughs, pulling him into the room. It’s not awkward, getting into her bed. He slips her dressing gown off, and she gives him a side and a bonnet he immediately forgets to put on because her top rides up when she sits down and she’s wearing some ridiculously small pants, and she just said she’d fuck him. The words came out of her mouth, and it needed no prompting at all. So, now he’s hard, of course, but he’s comfy too. He’s only ever seen her room from the hallway when she leans against the doorframe and he talks about nothing because he doesn’t want the day to end, but still.

It’s quiet for a while, and he watches the patterns that the movement of the net curtains make against the ceiling. It’s chilly tonight, but Zach keeps the window open in case it means Mali moves closer.

She doesn’t, but he does feel her fidget a little. “Sorry if this is weird. I don’t want you to think I think you’re a mail-order bride.”

Zach smiles. “You saying you wanna marry me, Okeye?”

Mali laughs, but she doesn’t say no, and Zach will have it carved into his gravestone. He reaches across the wide expanse of the mattress to find her fingers. He smiles at the ceiling when she links their fingers together, and he wants to kiss her so badly he almost feels inhuman.

“You wanna hear about the outbuilding?”

“Finally,” he says, and he tugs her the tiniest bit closer.

“It’s for your mum,” she whispers, and Zach’s entire world turns on its axis. The universe might implode, leaving Mali somewhere at the centre of it all.

“Excuse me?”

“You haven’t found anywhere nearby that’s on the ground floor,” she says, talking fast, like she does when she’s nervous. He feels her fingers flex against his, but there’s no way he’s letting her go. “And I know you’d rather die than have her in a care home, and we have the space. I’ve read a lot of articles lately, and loads of doctors agree that it’s enough independence that she won’t get annoyed with you, and it’s close enough that you can keep an eye on her. It would give you so much time back as well.”

“Mali,” he says, turning his face to look at her. She’s already looking at him.

“Zach.”

His voice is a whisper. “You can’t be serious.”

“Why not? Is it because you think I’ll kick her out? Because I won’t. I know we never got around to you having a contract, but I’ll make one for her.”

“It’s too much.”

“She’s been so much better lately, don’t you think?” she asks. And he agrees. He still sees her most days, but she spends so much time with Zamina and Mosi that her bad days are significantly less frequent. “I like your mum a lot, but I’m not doing it for her.”

“Mal,” he whispers. He can feel his eyes welling up, and it’s the strangest sensation. She smiles like she knows he’ll do whatever she wants for the rest of time.

“Say yes,” she says, moving towards him. She rests her forearm on his chest, and he wonders if this is what being in love feels like for everyone. “Please say yes.” She’s his best friend in the entire world. The only person he can rely on wholeheartedly. The only person he trusts with his life, with his heart, with his family.

“Yes. Thank you.”

Mali smiles like he’s the one doing something for her. “It’s going to be so fun!”

“Yeah,” he replies, his fingers lightly tracing the side of her face. Her eyes drop to his lips, then back to his eyes, and then she lies back down. Zach wonders how to get her to kiss him for real. He should initiate it, but he thinks his entire body would shake as he tried. It’s never felt like this before. Like a kiss could change his entire life.

Mali settles next to him, and his hand falls to her waist. She runs her fingertips along his stomach, then up his chest and back. In his mind, Mali is a tease. When he’s in his room trying to drag it out, she’s a tease, but now she’s a tease in real life, and he’s supposed to be able to do something about it.

Instead, his grip gets tighter on her T-shirt, and she moves against him again.

“How are your ribs?” Zach whispers, his fingers running along her ribcage.

“Okay,” she replies, and while it’s the answer he wants, it’s also not.

“Are you sure?” He shuffles around her. He’s carful with it, and it makes little sense because he’s not a magical being who can make someone feel better, but he’s happy to try anyway. Mali lies on her back, propped up by the pillows, and she swallows when he looks up at her. His fingers shake, but the need to make her feel better overrides it.

“Are your legs hanging off the bed?” she asks, her eyebrow raised.

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