The next week passed agonisingly slow, and I thought Friday would never come. It was absolutely pouring with rain, and I'd decided to order us takeaways rather than going to the supermarket to get real ingredients. Carlisle was a little late, and it had me worried that he wouldn't come.

I was practically pacing the apartment by the time he did arrive, and I pounced on him the minute he touched the door.

"Sorry I'm late…I got held up at work…" he mumbled, watching the ground and not looking up at me. He was paler than usual, and obviously wasn't happy.

"Don't worry about it." I hugged him without thinking about it, smiling as I felt him wrap his arms around my waist. His clothing was kind of damp, and I knew he was cold. "You've had a rough day, huh?"

"Sort of, I guess…I don't know…" Running his fingers through his hair to get it off his face, he was still hesitant.

I pulled him in the door, holding his hand. "I thought we could have takeaways for dinner, seeming as the weather is so shitty?"

Nodding, he stepped forward to hug me again, resting his head against my shoulder. I ran my hand down his back, leaning my cheek on the top his head. What little heat was left in his body was seeping into my clothing, and it was nice having him this close to me.

His silence over dinner had me worried, and even after we had been sitting next to each other on the couch for a while, he still wasn't talking.

I shifted closer to him, pulling him into me and sliding my arm around his waist. "You okay? You're awfully quiet."

He turned to face me, wrapping his arms around me and cuddling into my side. "I really like you, Garrett…"

I froze as I felt his lips against my neck, tangling my fingers in his clothing and repressing a moan. "I really like you too…" I forced out between my teeth. I shifted under him, wanting him closer.

Thankfully, he took pity on me, gently pushing me back against the couch and kissing his way up my jaw until our lips met.

My head was spinning with my first kiss, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around him, wanting more. I just wasn't sure how to fucking get it; I didn't want to do anything which would fuck this up.

He seemed to get the cue, though, holding my face in his hands and kissing me again, and then a little more passionately once I started to respond.

It was wonderful, but I eventually lost my nerve, pulling away from him a little. Seeming to understand, he kissed my cheek once more and left it at that. I kept my arm around his waist so he was still lying against me, and he leant his head against my shoulder, absentmindedly fidgeting with the edge of my shirt. It had me a little nervous – there was no way he could pull it off me while we were like this, and I knew he wouldn't do it without checking it was okay, but I couldn't completely smother my anxiety around the thought of being any sort of undressed around anyone.

"Do you want a drink?" I asked after a while, wanting the alcohol in my system to dull my nerves.

Sitting up so I could stand, he nodded. "Yes, please."

A few shots later and a couple of bottles down, I was well on the way to a hangover the next morning. Liquid courage had given me enough confidence to touch Carlisle again, and I was stealing kisses at every opportunity. He was still being careful with me, trying not to freak me out, but I was having problems keeping my hands to myself.

As we lay together on the couch, I pulled Carlisle closer to me, smiling as I felt him mould his body to the shape of mine. The alcohol in my system was making me tired now, and cuddling like this was definitely appealing. "Do you miss London?" I glanced down at him, a little too tipsy to notice his expression become guarded.

"No." The answer was short and sharp, and he quickly looked away.

I frowned. "What about your family? It must have been hard moving over here alone?"

He didn't reply, silent and stiff in my arms.

"Do you have siblings?" My intoxicated brain didn't register that he wasn't happy, and that I should stop.

"Three." He pulled away, sitting up and turning away from me a little.

I wanted to keep him talking so that he would stay and lie down again. "What were they like? And your parents?"

It had the opposite effect to what I had wanted; he got up and moved to sit at the table. "I'm the youngest by seven years. My mother died giving birth to me and my brothers and father blame me for it."

That sobered me up pretty quickly, and I sat up as well. "What? Carlisle…"

"My family hates me, and I moved countries so they had to leave me alone." Studying the table top, he was biting his lip to fight the need to cry. The only sense I could make of the situation was that they'd had a fight just before he'd moved, and the distance had confused the issue a little.

"They can't hate you, Carlisle. You're family," I reminded him. "I'm sure if you flew back to visit them everything would be okay."

"…Sure they can, I'm not worth anything." I waited for him to add "not worth anything to them", but it never came. Blowing out a shaky breath, he ran his fingers through his hair.

I couldn't form words, unsure what he wanted me to say; my head was reeling.

"I'll go- I've fucked up enough today already, I don't need to make your night miserable as well." Standing up, he all but bolted for the door. Although he quickly turned away from me, it wasn't before I had time to see how upset he was.

"Carlisle! Wait, no, it's okay. Please stay," I pleaded, grabbing him and pulling him into a tight hug. He sighed quietly, resting his head against my shoulder, still hesitant. "Stay with me. I'm sorry for asking, I didn't mean to push you."

He just nodded, numb as I pulled him back inside. "…I thought that once I got far enough away from them, it wouldn't hurt anymore," he mumbled, his voice muffled by my clothing

I squeezed him tightly. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Y-yeah…" he answered uncertainly, risking a glance up at me, confused.

"I need to make sure you're okay," I clarified, forcing a smile and kissing his forehead.

He hugged me again, more forcefully than before, and I leant my chin against the top of his head. "…Okay…"

At bed time, I made sure to get changed privately – he didn't need to see how damn finicky I could get about clothing - and Carlisle seemed to respect that, even when intoxicated. He looked adorable in the change of clothes I'd leant him, though, and I couldn't resist pulling toward me as we lay together on the bed. He was still quiet and a little withdrawn, but I hoped a decent night's sleep and a cup of coffee in the morning might change that.

Under the blankets, I wasn't sure what to do; everything seemed far too intimate and I was floundering over where to put my hands. Although I'd been hugging him all night, my arm almost permanently around his waist, it seemed too much of an advancement now.

Carlisle seemed to notice this, shuffling closer to me and fitting comfortably against my side, his arms around my waist as he moulded his body to the shape of mine. It was exactly what I had wanted, and I couldn't resist a smile. "You're allowed to touch me, Garrett," he teased quietly, kissing my neck and hugging me a little tighter.

"…I've never had anyone stay over before…" I mumbled, awkward.

He smiled, resting his head against my shoulder. "I'm glad you let me, then."

"Me too," I admitted. "I never thought I would want this with anyone. Being this close, I mean. You're my first…" I trailed off, wondering if 'boyfriend' was too soon. Pushing my luck, I shifted a little, making it easier to be close to him and more comfortable for both us to lie together.

"Thanks for…this…" he mumbled, squeezing me to make a point.

"I was the reason you were upset in the first place," I reminded him, unsure why exactly I wanted him to remember such a thing. "I wasn't about to let you go after that."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Garrett. I just had a shitty day, and I guess it all mounts up…I fucked up today, I'm sorry."

"Carlisle, you didn't 'fuck up', you weren't happy; there's a difference," I reminded him. "I freaked out when you offered to buy me food, so what the hell are you apologising for?"

It worked; he laughed a little and finally started to relax properly. "Good night, Garrett." He leant up to kiss my cheek, before cuddling into me.

I smiled smugly. "Good night, Carlisle." I think I love you.