Baby Steps

Jo's POV:

I woke up in Colton's sheets, his body pressed up against mine with an arm draped over my waist.

After last night, I had pulled my pj's back on (much to Colton's dismay) and we both drifted off to sleep pretty quickly. Guess we were both pretty tired.

I shifted my weight around in the bed, slowly waking my body up. His bed was the most comfortable thing I've ever slept on, and I never wanted to leave. 

I felt him stir behind me, his body shifting lightly against mine. I wrapped my arms around the pillow next to me and pulled it in close, not wanting to yet wake up from this dream I was in.

Suddenly, I felt his warm breath against my neck. "G'morning, princess," he whispered, pressing a kiss against my neck.

My lips curled into a smile, and I turned around to face him, wrapping my arms around his neck as I did. "Morning," I replied sweetly. 

He grinned, his eyes meeting mine, and leaned in to plant a gently kiss on my lips. I was unable to pull the smile off my face, instead kissing him back with my lips curled. 

He pulled back, staring at me for a bit with a childish light in his eyes. His eyes normally sparked, but with the light pouring in from the window, they were shining gold, lighting up the room with almost an electric feel. He was grinning as well, and I thought we must've looked like idiots, both staring at each other, with wide smiles, in silence.

"The best sight to wake up to..." he muttered, his eyes roaming down my body. I blushed, the events of last night suddenly coming back to me. 

"Oh dear God," I groaned, throwing my head back against the pillow, facing the ceiling. "I totally made a fool of myself last night, didn't I?"

Colton chuckled. "I mean, that's not exactly what I remember," he smirked, rolling over so he was laying flat on top of me. A loud laugh escaped from me as he did.

"Oh, please," I cackled, "Get off meee!" 

I felt Colton laugh against my body, his entire weight pressing down on me. His head curled into my neck as he shifted, making himself comfortable. 

"Never," Colton said, his voice coming out muffled through my hair. I pushed my palms against his shoulders, trying to lift him. 

"You're heavy," I giggled, causing Colton to laugh even more. 

"But I don't want you to leave," he whined, making me laugh even harder. I flopped my arms back on the bed, giving up.

"I'll stay right here if you get the fuck off me," I bargained, trying to sound serious through my fit of laughter.

Colton's head popped up, a huge smile plastered on his face. "Deal."

He rolled back over and I took a deep inhale, finally able to breathe again. I turned my head to face him, finding him already facing me. 

"Breakfast?"

***

I sat on the kitchen counter watching Colton as he made us pancakes. He was using some protein-infused brand that I hadn't heard of before, but he insisted they were delicious. And "good for the gains," whatever that means.

I made him add blueberries to mine, to which he scoffed, but added them in anyways. He was shirtless standing in front of the stove, and I admired his sculpted muscles as he moved. I felt less awkward blatantly starring at him, especially since he got his chance last night.

He flipped the pancakes over effortlessly using the only pan, a skill I'd only ever seen on the food network. He made a big fuss each time, cheering and pulling me in for a kiss. I giggled at his excitement, poking fun of him with my words but my body giving into his pull.

Years later, he finally finished, and we were able to dive in. We sat next to each other at his counter and ate in silence. He was right about the pancake mix - it was delicious, even if it was "healthy." I devoured mine in a matter of seconds, earning a laugh from Colton.

"See, this is the treatment you get when you don't sneak out in the morning," Colton joked, playfully kicking my leg under the table.

I kicked him back, a little harder. "I'll stay over when you stop slamming doors in my face," I poked back.

"That was one time," Colton whined, giving me his best puppy dogs eyes. "Forgive me, princess."

I chuckled at his expression. "Fine, but then forget about the sneaking out business," I bargained.

"Deal," Colton said proudly, holding out a hand. I took it and gave him a firm shake.

"Oh my god, what smells so good?" A female voice called out from down the hall. Sarah, Drew's girlfriend, appeared suddenly in the kitchen, wearing what I presume are Drew's Eden Eagles sweats. 

"Hi," I greeted, "I'm Jo. And Colton made pancakes, there's some extra if you want!" Colton shot me a glare as I offered, clearly still hungry. Oops.

Drew appeared in the kitchen seconds later. "What's all the commotion about," he asked, pulling Sarah in and planting a small kiss on her forehead. 

"Colton made breakfast," I cheered, causing Colton to roll his eyes. He really did not want to share.

Drew and Sarah each grabbed a plate and sat down with us, and the four of us chatted as they ate. I learned that Sarah and Drew were high school sweethearts, and both ended up getting into Eden for the programs they wanted. They had been dating for nearly 6 years, and clearly still loved each other. Gross.

After breakfast, I ran upstairs to grab my things, telling Colton I actually had to get shit done today. He agreed to drop me off, telling me he would call after practice. We said goodbye, and I pretty much danced up the stairs to my room. 

I was on Cloud Nine.

***

A/N: Helloooo!! Sorry for such a short chapter and like a week of silence, I've been booked and busy. Gonna put some quality time into this tomorrow (at least I hope).