This chapter's just a tiny bit of winter fluff since I felt like writing something nice. Christmas will be coming up in a few chapters (I say a few, but I'm addicted to writing fluffy stuff now so maybe a bit more than a few), so be prepared for that. It should be... interesting. Speaking of interesting, I used Google Translate for the French in this chapter so please forgive me if it's terrible. Hopefully you lovelies enjoy this chapter! ~Shaymie

I woke up to Alex's arms wrapped around me. He had gotten his cast off a few days ago, so it was nice to not have to worry about it anymore. I wiggled out of his grip and pulled on some underwear and one of his shirts, yawning as I went downstairs. I could have put on my clothes, but I liked wearing his a bit more. They didn't cling to my body, and it was easy to forget that I was still a bit chubby. I was going to ask John to help me lose weight next year. He went to the gym every week, so maybe he'd feel like taking me along.

"Hi, Dar," I greeted my sister as I walked into the kitchen. She was sitting at the kitchen table, stuffing her face with chocolate ice cream. She had a bit of a tendency to have a midnight snack when she was either stressed or sad. I could tell that she still wasn't over her breakup with her girlfriend (who I just now realized I hadn't even met), and she surprisingly spent a lot of time over at John's house. He told me that she spent her time taking her anger out in Grand Theft Auto and eating all the snacks in his cabinet.

"Hi, Lori." She sighed as I grabbed a spoon from the drying rack and sat down next to her. She pushed the carton towards me and stabbed her spoon into it violently. I frowned as I put a small bit of ice cream into my mouth.

"What's wrong, Darcy? You seem down."

"Do you think I should go to college?" she asked, trailing her nails over the tablecloth. "Dad called the other day and he was begging me to come home. I told him I could live by myself and he said he'd be fine with it if I went to college. He'll pay my tuition."

I looked up at her curiously. Even though she didn't seem like it, my sister was a genius. She graduated when she was 16 and had spent the past two (almost three) years doing whatever the hell she wanted. She was constantly talking about how she didn't really feel like going to college. She hated school. If she did start college soon, she'd probably start at the same time as Gil and Angelica.

"Do you want to go to college? What do you want to study?"

"I don't know… Art or theater or something fun like that. I'll figure it out." She sighed. I went to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle, which was what I had come downstairs for in the first place. I couldn't stay awake. It was still in the middle of the night, and I had to go to school in a few hours. I gave Darcy a one-armed hug and a kiss on the cheek and went back upstairs to my room, taking a sip of water as I opened the door. Alex was sitting up in bed, pulling on a pair of boxers. He turned the table lamp on and rubbed his eyes.

"I woke up and you were gone- are you wearing my shirt?"

I nodded and set the bottle down on the dresser. I climbed into bed next to him and hugged him. He put his head on my shoulder and pulled me closer. His hand went up to my hair, twirling a few locks around his finger. He was amazed by how fast it was growing back and took every free moment to play around with it.

"You look pretty damn cute in my clothes, Lo," he murmured, planting light kisses on my neck. My skin tingled as he left a trail of kisses. "You're so pretty…"

"I'm not anything special." Alex frowned and looked up at me, his head resting on my chest. I put a hand on his shoulder. I wasn't pretty. Even after two months of dating, I didn't know what he saw in me. He was handsome, smart, nice… He could have any girl he wanted, but he chose me.

"Lorin Meredith Haywood, what have I told you about having confidence in yourself? You're absolutely adorable. I don't care if you're a little bit chubby," he rested a hand on my thigh and kissed my nose, "or freckly. I don't care that you have scars or burns. I love everything about you."

"Pulling the full name card? I thought you were above that." I blushed at his compliments. They sounded right coming from him. When my father complimented me, it didn't feel right. It made me sick to my stomach. James had only complimented me when I did what he wanted. It never felt genuine. Alex would compliment me whenever he felt like it. He didn't really need a reason to say anything nice to me. I didn't deserve his kind words.

Alex chuckled into my chest and pulled me down so I was level with him. His hand moved from my hair to my face, and he started to lightly trace his index finger over the bridge of my nose and my cheeks. His eyes were drooping, and I could tell that he was on the verge of falling asleep already. I'd never understand how he could do that. He went from wide awake to asleep in an instant.

"J'aime tes taches de rousseur," he murmured sleepily, his eyes closing. I blinked at his sudden transition into French. From the tiny bit of French Gil had taught me, I knew he said he loved… something, but I didn't know what.

"What does that mean?" I asked, hoping that he wasn't completely asleep. His right eye opened a crack. A tiny grin graced his face as he pulled me closer, until my head was resting on his naked chest. I could hear his heartbeat, steady and reassuring. I relished in his warmth. It was comforting. I didn't think I'd ever be able to sleep by myself again.

"I love your freckles." He cupped my cheek, his thumb resting high on my cheekbone. I blushed. I didn't see why everyone thought they were such a big deal. If anything, they were a bit annoying. If he liked them now, I couldn't wait for him to see me in the summer, when I turned into the freckle monster.

"Can you say more in French?"

"J'aime tout de toi, mon amour. Tes yeux, ton sourire. Tout est parfait." He smiled and kissed me gently, pushing some stray hairs from my face. "Which means, 'I love everything about you, my love. Your eyes, your smile. They're perfect.'"

I closed my eyes and yawned, a small smile crossing my face. What's that thing people always say? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder? If Alex can find some kind of beauty in me, I guess I could find some way to accept it.