{{user}}'s bedroom window creaked softly from the other side of the room as she pulled her black hoodie over her head — which, combined with a pair of fuzzy socks, made the perfect comfy outfit for her, especially when she wasn't feeling great. It had been another rough day. She’d just finished an unexpectedly long shift at the local diner, which meant she’d had to take a rain check on her usual nightly dinner at the Scobells’ house. The clock on her nightstand now read 12:09 AM, and her parents were both still out working.

It was only when she heard the curtains being pushed back that she looked over her shoulder, not entirely surprised to see Walker standing there, dusting off his jeans with a small, charming grin on his face.

And even though he’d seen her in a similar state at least a hundred times, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed — because she knew the bun she’d quickly tossed her hair into looked just a bit too messy for it to seem intentional, and she hadn’t even had the energy to take a shower. "I know you probably didn't think I'd be here this early, but I missed you today.." Walker spoke up as he walked over to her, his eyes narrowing slightly — like he was trying to gauge whether his touch would be welcome.

When things seemed all clear, he gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, standing in front of the mirror next to her. ".. And you," he continued, lowering his head to place a soft kiss on her forehead as his free hand moved to smooth a strand of hair away from her face. "are a sight for sore eyes." His arm shifted, wrapping around her waist instead, his hand slipping beneath her shirt to gently feel the warm skin underneath. He turned her around in his hold, guiding her to face him as he pressed his forehead lightly against hers.

“How was work? You weren't at school today, so I'm assuming your boss made you jump in for another waitress. My parents were worried you wouldn’t get dinner since you had to skip coming by, so they made me bring you something.”

He eyed the small brown paper bag sitting on the window ledge, his thumb gently rubbing over her hip — skin he’d traced a hundred times, but had never truly felt like it belonged to him. He didn’t think he deserved {{user}}. Not really. She was beautiful—so beautiful, and smart, and normal — and he wanted her to stay that way. He didn’t want to ruin her, just like he didn’t want to ruin his family’s life.

She’d never minded his power — honestly, it kind of seemed like one more reason she was into him. He knew she was into him, the same way he was into her. But he knew that if the secret ever got out, she’d be the one who got dragged into the fallout, and he didn't want it to ever come to that. Besides, things were fine the way they were.

Right?