She woke with the light splattering across her face through the lace curtains and stretched her small frame, smiling to herself. She opened her emerald eyes when the music wafted in through the air like the smell of Sunday morning breakfast. She frowned slightly. Had she forgotten to turn off her radio again? She groaned and struggled to free herself from the vice-like grip of the tangled sheets. She finally kicked free of them, nearly colliding headfirst into the floor in the process. She squealed as the sheets, as well as the huge pile of stuffed animals that she cuddled with, fell on top of her.
Laughter brought her eyes up from the floor to the figure standing in the doorway of her bedroom. Her eyes wavered over the long legs covered in worn out jeans, the bare chest rippling with muscles, and the face plastered with a grin. "Well, I was planning to come wake you up myself, but I think Mr. Bear beat me to it." Irvine laughed, pointing at the bear that was sitting on Selphie's chest. She smirked at him and threw the bear at him but he caught it easily. He dropped the bear on the bed and came to her aid, pulling her to her feet.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, blushing slightly as his body brushed past hers as he headed back towards the kitchen. She followed him, trying to keep her eyes trained on his face and not letting them drift elsewhere… Selphie strained her mind to remember last night. She didn't remember drinking massive amounts of alcohol while at Zell's birthday party last night, and she sure didn't remember bringing a half-naked cowboy home…
He leaned over the stove, scrambling the eggs, his face still graced with a grin. "Well, I was worried about you last night. You didn't seem as perky as you usually were and you're not one to leave a party early." He dumped the eggs onto a plate and added the perfect amount of salt and pepper, just to Selphie's tastes. "So this morning I woke up and decided to try and make you feel better. But… There's a catch!" He flashed her an amber glance and she felt the heat rising to her cheeks.
"What?" She mumbled, trying to remember to breathe as he came closer to her. He stood inches away from her, so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his tanned flesh. His hand came up to her face and his fingertips barely touched her as he pushed back strands of hair to tuck behind her ear.
"You tell me what was wrong with you last night." He pulled away from her and opened the refrigerator, digging around inside for ketchup. She tilted her head to the side, her mind a jumble. What was wrong with her last night? Well sometime between the intense rock music, the bubbles, and the close dancing she had had a revelation... She and Irvine had been really close for a long time but neither of them had ever taken that one step to the next level beyond friendship. Feelings of doubt stuck to the insides of her heart, mind and stomach. What if he didn't feel the same way about her? What if her quiet confession to him damaged their friendship? It had hit her last night. She loved him...
They sat at the small table, her legs crossed on the cold wooden bench. He had slipped on a t-shirt but there was still something magnetic about the way he looked, dirty white shirt or not. His amber eyes glittered in the splatters of sunlight that danced across his face and his grin seemed to be permanent as he talked to her about everything and anything. She couldn't help but feel so full of glee that she was ready to explode with excitement. They finished their breakfast and he stood to leave. He leaned against the doorway, still grinning like he was hiding away a lovely secret. She eyed him with curiosity, placing her hands on her bony hips and pushing out her bottom lip in a pout.
"What, Irvine? You've been smiling like an idiot all morning! Tell me what's up!" She demanded, stamping her socked foot on the wooden floor. He bent his finger at her, beckoning her to come closer until she stood before him, in the doorway. His hands cupped her face and he knelt down to her, pressing his lips against hers. Time stood still for her. She was dizzy but it was an amazing type of dizzy. She clung to him to keep her balance and her lips still tingled with pleasure when he pulled away.
"I realized something last night, Selphie..." She stared at him with wide emerald eyes and he laughed, his fingers tracing the outline of her jaw. "I thought it might have been an overdose from all of those bubbles but I know that it had nothing to do with the bubbles and everything to do with you... Selphie, I love you!" And they kissed again, with the splatters of light warming their skin.