FIVE YEARS LATER...

A soft thud woke Lydia from her light sleep. She startled in her large bed, sitting up and wincing at the light she had left on. Her book lay on the pillow beside her, still open and abandoned. The alarm clock read 3.26am, the red numbers glowing from her bedside.
The curtains billowed outwards from the open window, the slight summer breeze stirring the fabric.

The apartment was silent again. The clean, white walls were filled with strange shadows that were still unfamiliar to the girl and Lydia shuffled forward on the bed, crawling to her knees as the sheets pooled around her waist.
The cool air kissed her skin, lifting the wispy, strawberry blond hairs that escaped her messy ponytail.

Another bang came from the direction of the living room, and Lydia heard one of the many cardboard boxes that were piled there, fall to the floor.
Someone cursed, and Lydia closed her eyes in both relief and exasperation. She imagined her boxes of books tumbling onto the new hardwood flooring and she shook her head into the dim room.

Eventually, after the sound of shoes hitting the carpet and fridge door being opened and closed repeatedly, Stiles stumbled into the bedroom.
His hair was fluffy from the wind outside and his keys were still clunking noisily in his hands. The boy stood in the doorway, illuminated from the soft light. He leaned against the frame, his eyes shining as his gaze met the girls stare.

He sighed as he took her in, her long, vibrant hair curling around her pretty face as it tumbled from her ponytail. Her doe eyes were still sleepy looking, her long lashes fanning her cheeks as she looked up at him with one eyebrow perfectly arched.

Stiles grinned, knowing that he wasn't in that much trouble. He could tell, he could always tell when it came to Lydia.
The sheets were wrapped around her small frame and a lot of smooth skin was showing. Hints of dusty pink lace greeted Stiles, making his lips quirk and his hazy eyes sharpen.

He moved into the room, his gaze still stuck on Lydia's. The girl was attempting to smother the smile that she knew was close to gracing her lips.
She watched the boy move towards her, clumsily weaving in and around more boxes and suitcases. Their belongings had been abandoned in their apartment the day before, Stiles convincing Lydia to take a break from unpacking, to join him in their new shower.
It hadn't taken long for her to give in.

Now, he had slipped his shirt off, discarding it on top of an unplugged lamp, grinning at her happily the entire time. Silvery stripes marred his side, running across his ribs in the shape of five ribbons that glowed in the soft light.
She finally conceded, smiling back up at her boyfriend despite how he had woken her up.
He reached the bottom of their impressive bed, climbing over the wooden posts before he sunk into the mattress, making Lydia giggle and bite down on her lip.

Stiles crawled towards the girl, his eyes dancing as they roamed greedily over her. She looked soft and deliciously rumpled, freckles still dusting her nose from their summer holiday. Her curls were a tangled mess that glowed like a beacon in the dark, calling out to him.
He moved over her, watching in awe as her body responded to his. She lay back as Stiles moved his legs between her own, leaning on his forearms as his bare chest pressed down on her own.
She was warm from bed, humming happily under him, sending small vibrations through his body.

His hands sought out Lydia's curls, his fingers tangling there as he placed tequila tasting kisses along her jaw, on her cheeks and nose. She chuckled under his lips, her legs emerging from the sheets into the cool night air, wrapping themselves around the boy's. The denim was rough against her bare legs, his hands warm on her hips.

His lips were smiling as he met her own, teasing pecks turning into longer kisses. Deep, full kisses that evoken moans and sighs.
Lydia pulled away slightly, her head on her pillow as Stiles brushed his nose against her own with affection.

"Good night with the boys then?'', she murmured, her warm breath fanning over Stiles lips.

He nodded, burrowing his face into the crook of her neck, finding as much contact with her skin as he could.

He smelled slightly smoky from the bar, his lips tasting like whiskey and Stiles. He kissed her neck, nipping at her bra strap as she let out little noises from under him. The boy grinned, sitting up and capturing her hands in his.

Lydia let him intertwine their fingers as he sat over her, his long legs on either side of her body. He gazed down at her with so much love it hurt. Her chest would constrict and it was if all the oxygen left the world. Stiles looked at Lydia like she held the earth and all its planets and moons aloft.

It took her little while longer to eventually realise it, but Lydia discovered at the age of eighteen, that she looked at Stiles in the exact same way.
Five years later, her heart still dropped when he placed his lips on hers.

Lydia gave a gentle pull on the boys hands and he obeyed, falling down to her and into her waiting embrace. Her arms wound their way around the familiar curve of his broad shoulders, finding her favourite spot at the nape of his neck. Lydia's fingers played with the small hairs there, smiling as the boy hummed in satisfaction.

The boy kissed her again, her lips attracting him like a moth to a flame. Stiles moved against her, his laughter filling her ears and her smile pressing against his lips. They were happy, carefree and a world away from the life they lived a few years back.

"Lydia?"

Stiles whispered into the girls parted lips, his tongue sneaking out to taste her, to trace the curve her smile made.

"Mmm?''

The girl refused to part from him, leaning upwards and into his arms as he tried to pull away with a chuckle.

"Lydia...''

Lydia let Stiles' bottom lip slide from her teasing bite and she grinned as he let out a hiss, grinding his body down into her own. He laughed at her expression, her pout that told him she missed his touch as much as he did.

"I've been thinking...''

"Oh, God help us all'', Lydia snarked; giggling when Stiles retaliated with his fingers tickling her bare sides, skimming the lace of her bra, tugging at the boxers she wore, the pair that belonged to him.
"Hush woman, it's a good idea, I promise'', Stiles grinned at her, rolling onto his side until he sunk into the soft blankets.

He pulled Lydia to him, wrapping her tiny frame in his warm arms, finally feeling a little more at home in the still new and unfamiliar apartment. She sighed in his embrace, her cheek resting against his chest as she placed whispers of kisses there, marking the moles and freckles she knew so well with her lips.

"You know how we've known each other since we were like, five?'' Stiles placed a gentle hand on Lydia's cheek, rubbing soft circles onto her jawline.

She nodded, placing her hand over his and marveling over how large it was compared to her own. How safe his touch made her feel.

"And you never knew I existed unt-'', Stiles barked out a laugh as Lydia thumped his shoulder with her little fist, doing nothing more than making the boy amused. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes sparkling.

"But it's okay, it's okay because then we became friends'', Stiles told her with humour still in his voice, "And then special friends''.

Lydia pursed her lips and tried to smother her laughter at her boyfriend's incorrigible expression. He looked at her with dark, hooded eyes. Liquid gold pools filled with love and adoration.

"And now, now we have our own little place and everything's great'', Stiles let out a disbelieving chuckle, tracing the bridge of the girls nose with his thumb, trailing it down to her cupids bow, over her full lips.

"You make me so happy Lydia, I'm so happy with you''.

Lydia parted her lips to respond but Stiles placed his own against them, sealing her words with a kiss. He knew she was going to tell him that he made her happy too, how she loved him, so much.
But right then, Stiles needed to get his words out. The effect of the small amounts of alcohol he consumed were wearing off, leaving him less brave than when he had first fallen into bed.

"So, I was thinking, just, you know - if you wanted to...''

Lydia let out a bubble of laughter, her eyes shining with unshed tears as Stiles glanced nervously down at the girl wrapped in his arms. The room was silent, the only sounds coming from outside. The wind swayed the trees and traffic moved in the distance.

"Yes'', Lydia told him through smiling lips. Her cheeks were pink, her hands clasping his neck. She brought his face down to her own,

"Wait, wha-? Yes?'' Stiles blinked down at her, slightly confused as he realised he hadn't finished his question.

"Yes, I'll marry you'', the girl let out another surprised giggle, her lips moving from his cheeks, to his jaw, over the tip of his nose before landing on his lips.

Stiles clutched the girl, wrapping his arms around her waist as he lifted her up and over. He placed Lydia in his lap, her legs moving automatically to their familiar position on each side of his hips. She leant down to meet his kiss, their laughter being swallowed by each other, their smiles making their teeth clash and their noses bump

"You'll marry me?'' Stiles murmured into her lips, the awe and shock so evident in his voice that it made Lydia's heart throb.

She nodded against him, his lips never leaving her own as he spoke nonsense to her, laughing and grinning between kisses and 'I love you's''.

Lydia sat up, a smile still playing on the curve of her pouty lips. She straddled his narrow waist, taking in the way his muscles rippled and moved underneath her. In one swift movement, she unclasped her bra, throwing the lace into the messy room behind her.
The boy let out a groan mixed with joyful laughter, hooking his fingers into the checked boxers she wore. They were adorable too big for her tiny frame, rolled up messily around her hips.

Stiles tugged at them, pulling the girl down onto his chest as he attacked her neck with kisses and nips. She shrieked playfully, his stubble scratching against her bare skin as he kissed over her collarbones, dipping his lips between the hills and valleys of her body.

He met her gaze once more as he travelled up her body, Stiles' eyes alight with every happy emotion in the world.
Lydia looked back at him with an ear to ear grin, her whole body flushed with a happy glow.

"Oh, you're going to be one special wife, Miss Martin''.