THE NEXT MORNING

It's a new day. I'm not sure whether to be happy, anxious, or both. Either way, it's Sunday morning, and that means I can relax. I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling for a moment, unsure of how much sleep I fucking got last night. Probably not much, if I'm being honest. My head is pounding because of the shots I took, and as a result, my vision is suffering from this intense hangover. Damn it. I take a deep breath and shift my body to turn, but that's when I realize who's anchoring me down.

Mr. Prince… Charming… himself.

FUCK.

His arm is snaked around my naked waist tightly, and his chest rises and falls softly with each breath he takes. I turn my head and look at him, a smile slowly forming on my face. He's knocked out cold, with half his face buried in the soft pillow, and his dirty blonde hair a disheveled and drenched mess. Even like this, he looks really good. How did we even— Wait.

It's all coming back to me now…

The after–party, the drinks, playing Spin the fucking bottle with Sean and Mikey, and…

Oh, shit. There's no way.

He promised that we'd only stay for a minute, and only have one drink to relax and enjoy ourselves. Then, I saw him, but relaxed soon after when the star athlete came back over.

We should've just left when we had the chance.

Hours later, after dancing and grinding on the star athlete, I find myself ironically playing Spin The Bottle with a bunch of idiotic guys. Well, minus Sean, Mikey, and my boyfriend. We were already drunk, so this was just a recipe for disaster. Throughout the night, I ended up kissing Mikey twice, which he was perfectly okay with. Side note: if I wasn't dating who I'm dating, I'd definitely go after Mikey. He's very cool to be around, and is the only one of my friends that doesn't shy away from who he is. We all laughed them off, as it was us just messing around. Mikey's a good kisser, though. But anyway, I took another spin and as Mikey drunkenly shouted out, I had to kiss none other than Dash fucking Baxter. Something I've done before, but not to this extent. When he leaned in, I felt heat rise in my face and a sense of anxiety come over me. This boy was close, too close, and I was no longer thinking about the game, the frat guys, or anything else—only him. When I felt his lips graze over mine, I… I just snapped. The tension had built for longer than it should've, and when I kissed him, nothing mattered anymore. Not even this game. We must've got up and left the group after that, probably due to Kwan. I can barely remember everything that happened—just feeling Dash's hands rubbing all over me as we stumbled to the room, away from the event. The pressure built up more and more, and when we got in this room…

The way he and I fought for dominance…

The way I kept asking for more…

I was drunk out of my mind, but something special happened last night between us. Something that we both wanted. Here we are, hours later, tangled up in surprisingly comfortable sheets in a frat house that neither one of us belongs to. A slow breath managed to come out as I tried to forget about how fast my heart was racing just thinking about everything we did to each other. To be honest, part of me was scared of even facing the guy, let alone talk to him. What if us drinking was the only reason why anything happened? What if he doesn't want this as much as I do? On the flip side, I'm lying here hoping that—for my sanity—this was not a one–night stand.

In the midst of my thinking, I feel his grip tighten around my waist and I can hear him stirring awake. He shifted around a little, causing his dick to press up against me. FUCK, why is he hard this early in the morning? His voice, while barely a whisper, is just as husky as it was last night.

"Hey, love… you awake?"

"Kind of."

He got quiet for a brief second. I can tell his eyes are still closed, and he's hesitating to speak. Then, I feel his forehead press against my neck lightly and his breath against the skin. "Last night… was really, uh, really intense."

My heart is pounding right now. "No shit."

He paused again and moved his arm from my waist now to my chest, almost as if he was reluctant to do so. His hand rested on my heart. "Was it too much? I didn't—" His voice was soft and he began to tap his fingers against my chest, sensing my fast heartbeat. "I… I didn't hurt you last night, did I?"

Without moving his hand, I turned to face him and wanted to start crying at the look of concern he had. Our eyes met and I knew that in Dash's mind, he could've potentially crossed a line with me that would cause him to have a lot of self–guilt. This guy could literally bulldoze his way through an entire offensive line, but here, he's concerned about me. I placed my hand on top of his and softly rubbed it, attempting to calm his clearly shot nerves. "No, Dash. You didn't hurt me last night. It wasn't too much." I wanted it, but I couldn't say that. Not yet, at least. Not right now.

A small smile of relief slowly appeared on his face and his shoulders relaxed. "Good, because last night—well, I don't regret it. I don't regret any of it."

I smiled back at him shyly. "Yeah. Neither do I."

His eyes scanned over my face, and I could see them begin to light up as if he was a little kid. "I… I'm a lucky guy. I got the best boyfriend in the world." He continued to scan my face and rest his hand on my chest, his smile fading. "You know, I regret being a bad person to you for so long. I'm sorry."

I'd be lying if I said I didn't see this coming. Dash has always been apologetic about how he treated me since junior year, when we started becoming closer, and that feeling of guilt clings onto him like a dark shadow that just won't let him go. "Look at me, Dashi."

His eyes locked onto mine, patiently and nervously waiting for me to continue.

"There's not a singular moment in the past three years that you haven't shown me that you are the same as you used to be. You have grown into a fierce protector, a loyal friend, and recently… became my Prince Charming. I trust you with my life because you saved it all those years ago. Please, don't think for a second that I don't love you. I love you with all my heart, Dashi."

He was quiet, speechless even. All he could do was look into my eyes and smile. I ran my fingers softly through his distressed curls and his smile brightened. We are still new to this, but this is clearly something we both want and don't want to ruin. "I'm never going to lose you. You're perfect in every sense of the word. I love you, too, ghost boy. I love you very much." He reaches up from my chest to touch my face, stroking it lightly.

After looking away from him for a moment, our eyes met and for the first time in what feels like years, I don't feel nervous or have any sort of anxiety right now. I just feel… content. Maybe even… happy. It feels like, for once, things are finally going my way. He's the best boyfriend ever. As I look at Dash, I can't do anything but smile and chuckle at him. His lazy yet warming grin makes my heart flutter, and aside from this intense headache I have, plus the fact that we're in a frat house, this moment feels like perfection.

"So… where do we go from here?" He asked, his voice still husky from just waking up.

I pause for a moment, the wheels turning in my head. I can't tear my eyes away from his smile, which brightens when he notices I'm looking at him. I get butterflies in my stomach and the answer comes to me. "I guess we got to figure some things out, Dashi. That is…" My smile fades, and taking hold of his hand, I take a deep breath and finish my sentence. "If you still want to."

Just three years ago, Dash and I were slowly becoming friends. We still didn't like each other much, but we were open to putting our issues behind us and moving forward. Now, it's three years later, and after a failed relationship with the one person I thought actually loved me, I find myself falling right into my best friend's arms. Dash has what I want and need in a partner: a strong sense of security, loyalty, and genuine love. Every hug, every kiss… the way he makes me smile… it all means something to me. I wouldn't want anyone else in this world to be my boyfriend if I can't have Dash, and I know the same is true for him.

"You know I want to, ghost boy. I've always wanted to, but at the time, I just didn't know how to go about it. You're sweet, you're charming, you're intelligent, and you know when to stand up for yourself. On those days where I need you to make me feel better, you're always there within seconds. When I feel like I can't handle the pressure, you immediately calm me down and help me through it. I know we both have our flaws, but the only way we can fix them is by being together. I meant what I said when I told I'd do anything for you. So, I want to. I really do."

A smile instantly returned to my face, and before I could say anything, he planted a soft, tender kiss on me. It feels like we've both been waiting for this. The tension that built up last night came flooding back—just without the heat and alcohol. Involved. This is something more than a drunken one night stand. I kissed him back with more intensity, removing myself from whatever has been holding me back from getting to this point with him. No one ever said college was easy, but it sure is fun, because being in the arms of the man I love the most makes me feel invincible. With him pulling me closer, I didn't care about where we were or who walked in on us. One thing is perfectly clear about Dash, and I have one sentence for it:

Like I said, best… boyfriend… ever.