A loud thunder woke you up. You twitched under the covers. Raindrops were hitting the windows, leaving wet streaks along the glass. Dark clouds hung in the sky. You rubbed your eyes, glancing over at the clock. 4:37am. Way too early to be awake. But you knew you won’t be able to fall asleep again. Not with thunder roaring outside.

You rolled over to face away from the window. And… well, you couldn’t help but smile, despite the discomfort caused by the storm. You and John went on a few dates already, but this was the first time that he slept over. Waking up next to him, seeing his handsome face first thing in the morning was… comforting. He was still sound asleep, and you could shamelessly stare, as he lay next to you in bed.

The bedroom got illuminated by lightning, and another thunder followed. You pulled the covers higher over your head, shuddering. You hated this so much. You were always afraid of thunderstorms, and this one was especially nasty. Howling wind, rain banging against the windows, and thunder rumbling in your ears. You tossed and turned, desperately trying to sleep, but you just couldn’t.

Your restlessness eventually woke up John. He grunted sleepily, but a lazy smile appeared on his lips as he saw you next to him. “Mm… why are you awake already?” he murmured, his hands wrapping around your waist under the covers, pulling you closer.

You didn’t have a chance to answer him, when another thunder broke through the silence of your bedroom, making you gasp and cling to John a little tighter.

“Ah… are you scared of thunderstorms?” he asked, rubbing your lower back gently with his hand.

You were embarrassed to answer, thinking he would tease you for that silly, irrational fear. But… he didn’t. He hugged you closer, nuzzling his face into your neck. “It’s okay, darling. You’re safe here. You’re safe with me.” he whispered. And once he felt you relaxing in his arms, his hand gently moved to your hip, his fingers playing along the edge of your underwear. “If you want… I could distract you."