University Roommates (Restart)

((yes, sounds good!))

Ashton:

We skipped dinner, not purposefully but because we were rather preoccupied and wrapped up with each other. Afterward, I held her in my arms, smoothing my hand over her bare back. “I’ve never loved anything as much as I love you,” I murmured to her, drowsiness coloring my voice and sinking into my limbs.

Emily:
I snuggled into his arms resting my head in the crook of his neck with my eyes closed. "You know, I used to think that love couldn't possibly be as good as its portrayed in books and movies," I mumbled softly into the skin of his neck. "But being with you, its way better," I smiled.

Ashton:

I chuckled softly. “Yeah? Would you say it’s the best you’ve ever had?” I said, moving my hand to stroke her hair gently. I pulled the blanket up over us more, I was warmed by her but her back was getting cold.

Emily:
I giggled and turned into him more, hiding my face. That question could be referring to my actual feelings for him, or what we had just done. The answer was the same, either way. "It's absolutely the best I've ever had," i told him.

Ashton:

A smug smile grew on my lips when she answered. “Good, me too,” I murmured and kissed the top of her head. My arms tightened around her, squeezing her body to mine. Her naked body felt incredible against mine even now that our passion had been sated. It was the pure love in intimacy. Nothing else mattered when she was in my arms like this, and for the time being, nothing prodded at me telling me it was wrong.

Emily:
I bit my lip and peeked at his face, catching a smug smile. I giggled again and shook my head. "You know, you might want to borrow some of my cover up," I told him, amusement seeping into my voice. I brushed my fingers along the side of his neck, where the light mark I had made before was darkened into a sizable hickey.

Ashton:

“Yeah?” My eyes drifted close but my chest shook with a chuckle. “I’ll just wear it proudly, as a mark of my achievement,” I said softly, my breathing slowing. I was conscious of her, but not much else.

Emily:
I smiled again, as i couldnt seem to stop, and placed a kiss on the mark. Then i rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes. We hadnt eaten dinner, but there was nothing i was hungry for except his presence. After listening to his breath slow, his heart beat lulled me to sleep with him.

Ashton:

I woke up to the early morning light filtering through her window. For a while I watched her sleep before I carefully extricated myself from her and padded out of the room. I dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt. The more awake I became, the more I noticed the deep craving settling over me. There was a convenience store just down the road…

That wasn’t really what the craving was for though. But I wouldn’t give in to either. I started my run in the opposite direction from the convenience store. The cool morning air felt good on my body.

Guilt creeped into my mind as I jogged. I was truly happy for once. It didn’t seem right. Happiness was never something that lasted. Something would go wrong sooner or later. I deserved it but I couldn’t bare it to happen to Emily. She shouldn’t have to pay for my mistakes.

How could I be happy after everything I had done? What could I do to atone for my sins without punishing Emily for them as well? Let it go. You aren’t that person anymore. I heard the words in another voice. I couldn’t tell myself that. I didn’t think it was right. But Emily…

I had to put it behind myself or risk harming her with it. I had to. We would both be haunted otherwise. She was too good to be tainted. It was too late to remove myself from the situation. After yesterday it was far too late.

It was over half an hour before I returned to the house. I rinsed off in the shower and changed clothes before returning to her room. Moving as softly as I could, I crawled back in bed with her.

Emily:
I stirred awake when I felt the bed shift and blinked my eyes open. Ash was settling down next to me and I moved to snuggle against him. I had the feeling he had been out of bed for a while. For one, he was wearing clothes and I knew for a fact that he hadn't gone to bed with anything on. And he smelled nice. Not that he hadn't last night, but freshly showered. The sheets on his side of the bed were cooler too. 

I knew I was still naked and I hugged the sheet up closer to my body so cover up in the morning light. I felt...sore. But in the best way. 

I turned my head to kiss his shoulder. "Where did you go?" I mumbled, my voice still thick with sleep.

Ashton:

I wound my arms around her and sighed softly. It was easy to not think about anything else when I had her in my arms. “I went for a jog,” I said kissing her forehead. I closed my eyes and enjoyed a moment of feeling nothing but her. Then my stomach gurgled. “Well, you must be starving,” I teased her.

Emily:
I smiled and sat up, pulling the sheet with me. I was sure I looked like a mess, with wild hair and no clothes on. "We didn't have dinner last night," I said, twisting my body to crack my back. I walked my fingers along his stomach. "What would you like to eat?" I asked.

Ashton:

“I was thinking about making the can of cinnamon rolls we got yesterday. And maybe scrambled eggs,” I said putting an arm behind my head. I watched her twist around, enjoying the slight slip of the blanket and the glimpse at what was underneath.

Emily:
"Mmm...sounds good," I said. "I'm gonna shower quickly and then I'll help make it," I told him. I leaned over and kissed him quickly on the lips before hopping out of the bed and scurrying to the bathroom as quickly as I could.

Ashton:

My lips quirked up when she got out of bed and I saw her in all her glory. She was mine, and she was more than I ever deserved. I laid in bed for another moment until I heard the water running. I pulled myself up and went to the kitchen to start on breakfast. I put the rolls on the pan rather haphazardly. They were more clumps than circles.

Emily:
I stayed in the shower long enough to wash myself and thats it. I wasn't in the mood for lingering, not when I knew Ash was just on the other side of the door. 

I got out and changed into a pair of yoga pants and an old t-shirt. I left my wet hair down and made my way into the kitchen. I walked up behind Ash and slid my arms around his waist. "Put me to work chef. What can I help with?" I asked, peeking over his shoulder at the lumps of cinnamon rolls.

Ashton:

“They’re ready to go in the oven. We can scramble eggs while they bake,” I said. I turned around in her arms and looped mine over her shoulders. I bent and kissed her for a lingering moment. It was different now, not so fiery with desire. Not that there wasn’t passion, but it was more loving than anything else.

Emily:
I smiled and kissed him back, pulling away after a moment. I lifted my hand and poked his nose. "You do the oven stuff and I'll grab the eggs," I told him before letting him go and getting everything I needed out of the fridge.

Ashton:

Working together, we managed not to burn anything. Granted, the eggs were a tad dry. Still, breakfast was great, and her being there next to me and happy made it all the better. We turned the TV on as we ate. America’s Funniest Home Videos was on. As per usual, we talked through it.

“I think I’m going to join a gym,” I said after watching a guy doing something stupid with an exercise ball. “I used to–well, I used to be more active.”

Emily:
I took a bit of my cinnamon roll and then licked the icing off my fingers. "Yeah? I think thats great!" I said, looking at him. "What kinda stuff do you do? Sports, or just jogging and stuff?" I asked, setting my plate down. It was hard to imagine that Ash used to be more fit than he was now. I knew that he was toned and muscular already.

Ashton:

“Uh, no. It was mostly martial arts,” I said, eyes on the TV. I shifted. “But I think having a regular workout routine would be good. And,” I glanced at her, “you could join me if you wanted.”

Emily:
I wiped my hands off on a napkin and smiled at him. "I've never really been the working out type, but I could give it a try," I said, nodding. I hadn't thought much about my body last night, when it was dark, but this morning, in the light, I noticed a little bit of self consciousness. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to work out. "What kind of martial arts did you do?" I asked, interested.

Ashton:

I waited a moment like I was interested in what was on the screen. “Kick boxing. Jiu-jitsu,” I said it off-handedly. “And in high school I was on the wrestling team before I moved out of my parents’ house.” I set my plate on the coffee table. “Maybe we can go check out gyms today?”

Emily:
"Sure, sounds good to me," I said. I crawled closer to him on the couch and ran one hand through his hair, wondering why he wasn't looking at me. "You can wrestle me anytime you want," I smiled at my joke, not disguising the innuendo.