Eden winced when she remembered that day. From the thunder to the nightmare. It wasn’t a rare occurrence. Every time it thundered, her dreams always took her to that place.
“I saw it again after that, remember?” Eden mumbled. “I try to remember details.”
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Sterling hummed and pulled her closer. “Right. Of course. Now, what should we do when we get to your apartment? Just cuddle? Kiss?”
Eden blushed, leaning into him.
“Both sound nice…” she said rather shyly. “I like kissing you. It always keeps me on my toes.”
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“Yeah? Well, I like kissing you, too. A lot,” Sterling chuckled. They stopped at the black Mustang, and he unlocked the doors before opening Eden’s for her. “My lady…”
“Thank you, my Lord,” Eden chuckled before sitting, reaching for the seatbelt with her good hand. It was hard buckling it with one, but Eden managed. She then waited for Sterling to sit. She couldn’t wait to be in his arms again.
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Sterling leaned in and pecked her lips before closing the door behind her. He made his way around to the other side of the car, sliding into his seat and closing his own door.
“You know… I’m really glad I kissed you the other day. And that you kissed me today,” he murmured.
A smile traced her lips at his comment. Then she remembered the time their mouths had brushed together and her cheeks turned pink again. She wondered if she should mentioned it to Sterling.
How would he react?
“It happened before, too,” Eden mumbled, deciding to go for it. “Though it was just like a ghost’s touch.”
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Sterling frowned, his brows drawing together in confusion. “Really? When was that?”
“The day I had a fever,” Eden replied quietly. “That day. You had me in your lap. You were asleep.”
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“And you kissed me?” Sterling asked, his lips twitching up into an amused smile.
“No!” Eden exclaimed, hiding her face in her hands. “I shifted a little and your head slipped from mine. And then it… happened…”
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Sterling chuckled and leaned over to kiss her softly. “Eden, it’s fine. You don’t have to defend yourself. It’s cute, actually.”
“I hate how you reduce me to a puddle…” Eden mumbled. “Every time.”
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“I don’t think you really do,” Sterling teased, pecking her lips again before leaning back in his seat and starting his car.
“I really don’t,” Eden admitted. “How long—how long have you liked me, Sterling?”
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Sterling hummed and backed out of his spot. “Not sure, really… But I think I knew the day I drove you home, during that storm.”
“Ah, I see…” Eden hummed, leaning over to rest her head on Sterling’s shoulder as comfortably as she could. “That day, huh…”
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“Yeah… I don’t know what it was about it, but I think it was partially seeing you hurt. I hated that. I hated not being able to do anything,” Sterling muttered, gripping the steering wheel.
Eden felt her heart flutter at the tone of his voice. He really cared about her, didn’t he? She felt her eyes sting with unshed tears, but she didn’t dare let them spill.
“I hadn’t wanted you to see me like that,” she admitted. “I really didn’t. Especially not during the thunder, or that… nightmare.”
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“Hey. You should know I don’t think any less of you for that. If anything, I think more do you. You’re strong, Eden. You’ve been through so much,” Sterling breathed as he pulled up to the apartment building.
Eden fell silent at that, still feeling the shame in her gut. He didn’t even know more than half the story and he still thought she was strong. He still thought that she had been through a lot.
“Don’t ever leave me,” Eden pleaded quietly. “Whatever I do, no matter how many times I make you angry or frustrated or just tired, please don’t ever leave me.”
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Sterling parked his car and turned to Eden. He took her hand and pressed a soft kiss to the palm, looking up at her softly. “I’m here for you. Forever and always. Okay?”
Eden nodded, unbuckling her seatbelt to nuzzle his cheek.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “So much.”
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Sterling turned his head to connect their lips gently. “Anything for my queen,” he murmured before pulling away. “Let’s go inside, yeah?”
Eden nodded, eyes opening. “Yeah, let’s go.”
She stepped out of the car and gently closed the door behind herself. She didn’t wait for her boyfriend—was he her boyfriend? He hadn’t asked her out yet—as she walked to her apartment and unlocked the door. She leaned back and waited for Sterling to join her before she entered.
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Once they were both inside the apartment, Sterling scooped Eden into his arms. He held her gently and kissed her head.
“What are you doing Saturday?” he murmured into her hair. “We should do something. I’ll take you out. It’ll be our official first date.”
Eden stifled an exclaim when Sterling scooped her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him, her face buried in his chest. Her heart beat rapidly, nervousness flowing through her, but at the same time, she was at peace.
"My plan was to be miserable on Saturday, but a date sounds perfect," she murmured, already wanting his lips on hers. "Where will you be taking us?"
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Sterling hummed and kissed her forehead. “Lunch? The park, maybe. We could eat and then go for a walk,” he suggested, kissing down the bridge of her nose.
Eat. Eden's least favorite thing to do. What was the point when it was all going to come out, anyway? It did her more bad than good, but Eden didn't let the discomfort show.
"Walking sounds fun," she responded quietly. "So Saturday it is."
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“Good. First date is set for Saturday, then,” Sterling murmured as he continued kissing her face. “You know, I’m really glad we’re dating now. That just means I can kiss you like this. And like this.” He pressed their lips together, drawing her even closer.
