Chapter Seven

As David and I were about to leave the apartment, my phone rang. I wrestled it out of my pocked and glanced at the screen.

"It's my mom" I said with a sigh. "She's probably wondering where I am." I pushed the call button and pressed the phone to my ear. "Hi!" I greeted her.

"Hi honey. Where are you?"

"Oh, after dinner, David and I came back to his apartment to hang out. He was just about to bring me home."

"Well," my mom began. "You might want to rethink that. Have you looked outside?"

"No, why?"

"You might want to do that" she said. I walked over to the window and peeked through the blinds, suddenly being faced with a wall of snow. It looked as though we had been transported to the Arctic,

"Oh, wow" I murmured. "Do you want me to just stay here, then?" I asked.

"I would feel better if you did. I would prefer if David didn't drive in this. Now, both of you stay warm, and call me in the morning, okay?"

"Alright, mom" I said, nodding, although I knew she couldn't see me. "Good night. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie." She hung up, and I waited until the call had officially ended before I did the same. I never liked to hang up first. It always made me feel like I might have accidentally cut the other person off.

"What's going on?" David asked curiously. I walked over to the blinds and pulled them up all the way, revealing the wintery whiteout. David's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"My mom doesn't want you driving in this" I explained. "So, she insisted that I stay here for the night." A smile so wide appeared on David's face, that I was sure it would rip if he smiled any more.

"That sounds like a good idea" he agreed. "I'll get you some sweats and a t-shirt to change into" he said as he walked down the hall to his room. He came back a moment later with a neatly folded pair of blue sweatpants, and a white t-shirt.

"You actually have clothes that are clean?" I teased.

"Shut up" David replied, sticking his tongue out slightly as he tossed the clothes at me.

"I'll go change" I stated, walking towards the bathroom. I reached out to playfully ruffle David's hair as I walked by him, smiling flirtatiously. He turned to watch me as I walked, letting out a content sigh. I walked into the bathroom, shut the door, and checked for more spiders before I undressed. As I brought the shirt near my face, I noticed something. The t-shirt he had lent me had the same subtle scent as his cologne. I held it close to me for a moment, then slipped the shirt over my head, poking my arms through the sleeves. It was a little big on me, but I didn't care. I slipped the sweats on, pulling the drawstrings as tight as I could manage. I found they fit decently well.

When I returned to the living room, I found that David had changed as well, and was putting a pillow and a couple blankets on the couch.

"Aw, you're getting my bed ready" I said with a grin. He turned and smiled softly at me, shaking his head.

"No," he corrected me. "I'm getting my bed ready. You," he paused as he walked over to take my hand and lead me to his bedroom, "Are sleeping in here. I can't put you on the couch. It would be rude."

"I wouldn't have minded" I said with a shrug.

"I would have" David stated. "That couch isn't comfortable to sleep on. Don't worry, my sheets are clean" He teased, chuckling.

"That's not what I was worried about" I said softly. "But now, I'm worried you're going to wake up tomorrow feeling like you were caught in an elephant stampede or something."

"Better me than you, sweetie" David said. He was so thoughtful, always putting myself and others before his own needs, no matter what the consequences were. I was beginning to realize more and more that I did love him. I decided not to protest any further, walking into his bedroom and climbing into the soft, warm sheets. I settled in, and David came over to sit next to me. He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on my lips, then nuzzled his cheek against mine.

"Good night" I said softly. "Sleep well."

"Good night, Kallie. Sweet dreams. I love you." David whispered, making my heart flutter. He stood up slowly, walked over to the door and flipped the light off before closing the door gently.

"I love you too" I whispered into the pillow, then rolled over onto my right side and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of birds chirping cheerfully outside. I opened my eyes slowly and saw small beams of sunlight shining into the room from the cracks in the blinds. I rolled over to look at the clock on the bedside table, then sat up sharply. I flung the covers off and stood up slowly. I was about to retreat to the bathroom to grab my clothes from yesterday, when I suddenly noticed them sitting on David's desk chair. They were folded neatly, making me smile. David must have brought them in earlier, but I hadn't heard him come in. I quickly changed, then walked to the door and quietly opened it, in case David had gone back to sleep. I peeked around the corner and found that the couch was empty. I heard rustling that sounded like it was coming from the kitchen, so I casually walked over. I found David there, and he seemed to be looking for something.

"I just saw it the other day" he muttered. I found it cute when he talked to himself like that.

"What are you looking for?" I asked, causing him to jump.

"Oh, Kallie! You scared me" David said with a slight laugh.

"Sorry" I replied, blushing slightly and looking down at the floor. "Do you need help?"

"No" David said as he reached further into the cabinet he had been searching through. "I'm just trying to find the sugar bowl. I know it was just here…" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small silver bowl sitting on the counter.

"Is that it?" David looked up when I asked, and I motioned toward the bowl.

"Yes" David sighed, embarrassed. I smiled, then walked over to him as he stood up. He wrapped his arms around me, kissing the top of my head tenderly.

"How did you sleep?" I asked, wondering if he had been comfortable last night.

"I actually slept pretty decently" David said with a half smile. My neck feels a little sore today, but I'll be alright. Did you sleep well?" I looked up into his gorgeous eyes and nodded, finding myself becoming lost in them. I felt as if I could see into his very soul when I looked deep enough. David spoke again, snapping me out of my semi-trance. "Kallie?"

"What?" I replied, shaking my head. "Sorry, I spaced out a little bit."

"It's okay, I just asked if you slept well." David answered.

"Yeah, I did" I said, nodding. "Your bed is really comfy."

"I know" David said, grinning childishly, "It feels like you're sleeping on a giant marshmallow, doesn't it?" I closed my eyes and shook my head at his silliness, but I loved it. He had such a way with words, I could listen to him talk forever. I especially loved watching his expressions as he talked. His eyes sparkled, especially when he was talking about something he loved. When he talked about something serious, his eyes had this dark, mysterious quality to them. To me, every piece of his personality was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I wouldn't change a thing.

Yeah, it kind of does" I said, giggling. David's mention of marshmallows suddenly gave me a craving for hot chocolate and s'mores. I turned to glance out the window, checking to see if the snow had cleared up. To my surprise, the roads were clear and the sun was shining, making the snow on the trees sparkle. Upon seeing this, I decided to present David with the idea.

"You know what sounds really good right now?"

"Hot chocolate and s'more." David said confidently.

"How did you…" I asked, unable to finish my question.

"You think I don't know you by now?" David teased.

"Oh, I know you do" I sighed. "So, what do you think? Can we go get some?" I asked, batting my eyelashes playfully at him.

"Absolutely" David said. "First, let me grab your coat from the closet. He then turned to walk into the hall, returning mere seconds later with my jacket. He held it open, and I slipped my arms inside the sleeves. David grabbed his own jacket from the closet, and we were about to leave, when I stopped suddenly.

"I have a random question."

"I have an answer" David replied with a wink.

"What did you need the sugar for?" David paused for a moment to think.

"You know," he said, scratching his chin. "I can't remember." We shared a laugh as we walked out of the apartment, and he turned to shut the door and lock it behind us. I could tell that today was going to be an incredible day.