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bluebayousblog · 5 months

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RUMOR HAS IT (pt. 18)

(Drew Starkey one-shot)

Plot: in which drew and isobel address a false rumor in the most abstract of ways

Setting: Christmas Morning

Disclaimer: Isobel is an OC, 18+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PART SEVENTEEN

Drew didn’t want to let go of Isobel, and he meant that in so many ways. When he was fourteen he laid eyes on her for the first time, and hadn’t expected to like her as much as he did—his entire family liked her. She was so shy with them all in the beginning, but he still managed to be enamored by the fraction of her she presented to his family within those first few weeks of them meeting. He knew she was special and it was easy for him to want to treat her as such because in his head doing that meant she would stick around, it meant she would open up around them.

When college came around they ended up at the same university, so he never had to consider parting ways with her in that regard, it was when she began dating Grayson that he experienced what it felt like for her to be slipping away from him. He didn’t register the feelings as jealousy, no it was more like a discomfort he felt about her being in a relationship. A discomfort that he chalked up as him being protective because that is what made sense to him at the time. He couldn’t stop her from dating, so he learned to live with it—learned how to share Isobel with another man who didn’t deserve her—until they broke up three years into their relationship. And though she returned to him heartbroken and not quite the same happy girl she was before he’ll always remember the relief he felt.

The last two years of college he spent probably annoying Isobel beyond lengths but that’s how he got his fix. He enjoyed walking her to class when he could, no matter how brief, it was always enough for him to see her face and hear her sweet voice. When weekends came he invited her to his parties because it was an excuse to have her around without having to worry about her wellbeing somewhere else. And at those parties he couldn’t help but give most if not all of his attention to her when he wasn’t entertaining some random girl. How could he not when she was in the same room as him, it was close to impossible for him to ignore Isobel’s presence.

Drew had been with so many women in his life, and never once had he felt that pull he did with Isobel after simply realizing he could be attracted to her. After years of knowing each other he’d kissed her once and had been overcome with the need to have her to all to himself. He’d always felt this way but having her in such an intimate way made it so much clearer. Being with Isobel created a fear within Drew because although he felt for her in the capacity that he did, it didn’t mean she felt the same way for him.

And just because Drew had fallen in love with Isobel didn’t mean she would ever fall in love with him.

Isobel let him hold her in his arms after he told her he loved her, she rolled over and hid her face in his chest instead of running away from his confession. He felt whole with her in his embrace, the way she relaxed with him made him feel like she would never leave him, so it scared him when he had to slip away to the bathroom to clean up and discard the condom. The mere thought of the bed being empty when he returned making him linger in the bathroom a little longer just to brace himself.

He eventually couldn’t help but go back to her, holding his breath as he approached his bed, and when he saw her body still resting there on his side of it, he exhaled.

“You took my spot, Izzy Bear.” Drew stated with a smile as he slipped himself under her body, and he melted when her soft hand ran up his stomach so she could wrap an arm around his torso.

She looked so adorable under him, her long hair framing her face, her soft skin bare, and her brown eyes warm with unspoken emotion that made his grip on her hip tighten, “Your spot was warmer than mine.”

He could only smile in response as their eyes remained locked, it felt completely different than before and they both knew it was because what had just transpired between them. Isobel hadn’t expected having sex with Drew to leave her feeling so needy. She hadn’t thought about what it would be like after, and now she was feeling so many confusing emotions all at once. She felt scared of his feelings—of her own—but she didn’t want to leave him. Isobel had already done that, and it only hurt them both. So she clung to him and silently thought of everything that had happened tonight. The unnecessary fighting followed by intense sex followed by his confession.

“You love me?” Isobel whispered with her lips moving against the arm her cheek was lying on, and she couldn’t ignore the twinge of hopefulness that was buried deep in her tone. Only someone who desperately wanted to hear the emotion could distinguish it beyond all of her layers she put forth, but she had a feeling her body knew Drew was exactly that—desperate for a part of her no matter how minuscule. She wanted to look away before he answered her, not in fear of him not saying yes, but the fear of simply looking him in the eyes as he answered her.

“Yes.”

Her face immediately heated at the short response that despite its conciseness had her heart pounding inside her chest, and despite her internal transgressions her eyes couldn’t help but find his blue ones. It was unbelievable how one or three words could mean so much—could make her feel so much. She’d once felt this way before with someone else, she’d also ran away from this feeling, but it still managed to find her and still knocked the breath out of her. She knew her cheeks were red when he swept his thumb across the warm skin of her face, “When did you realize it?”

It was like Isobel was in front of a mesmerizing flame she shouldn’t touch, but couldn’t help but stick her fingers through. Although, the closer she got to him, to the heat, the fire wasn’t so scary anymore—like it wasn’t even really a fire to begin with.

“Isobel, I think I have always loved you.” Drew settled on an answer after thinking it over. He didn’t want to overwhelm her, but it also felt impossible for him to keep what he was thinking to himself. It was like when she gave herself to him he couldn’t hold in his feelings for her any longer.

And If he was being honest he couldn’t remember not loving Isobel. The time from when they were only family friends to when they hooked up for the first time felt like one convoluted memory of Drew falling for her without knowing it.

Isobel had no idea what to think, someone had fallen in love with her and he’d done it so easily—so effortlessly. And it melted all of her resolve considering the fact that he’d told her on a holiday she held so close to her heart. She was going to remember his devotion to her every Christmas thereafter.

“I don’t know what to say, Drew.” She shyly admitted, now looking away from his gaze. He just sounded so sure from the first ‘I love you’ as he dropped down on the mattress beside her after he rolled off of her, and it was his certitude along with his admission that stole the air from her chest.

She didn’t want to hurt him because of her own reservations, but she also hadn’t come to terms with her own feelings for Drew like he had for her. The last thing she wanted to do was compare what she had with him to her past relationship but her trauma made it hard to distinguish the two. Though, Isobel knew better because the way Drew made her feel wasn’t comparable to the man she had before. Even the way he told her he loved her was different, there was no flood of expectancy—he just wanted her to know but still she couldn’t help but wonder if her silence was disappointing him.

Because despite all of her fears, something that remained consistent for Isobel was that she believed his word.

“I don’t need you to know what to say, Isobel, I’m sorry I couldn’t help it.” Drew swallowed, wanting to do everything he could not to scare her anymore than he already had.

Isobel’s heart melted at his words, he was being so vulnerable and honest and it only made her want to tuck herself further into his arms, “You don’t have to apologize, Bear.”

He looked so handsome staring down at her with that same glimmer she always saw in his blue eyes, but now she knew exactly what he was feeling behind them. She couldn’t help herself as she leaned up to press their lips together in a gentle kiss, hoping it conveyed everything she couldn’t say because though she couldn’t articulate her feelings for Drew, it didn’t mean she didn’t feel anything at all.  They kissed slowly like time was infinite for them, reveling in the feeling of their lips against each other, and each slow peck eased her nerves. She felt how intentional he was with his kisses like her mouth was made for his own, like he’d found something he’d been always looking for, while Isobel just tightly held on.

Never did she think she’d be in Drew’s bed as he sensually kissed her lips after telling her he loved her on the early hours of Christmas morning. It was unimaginable at one point, but in the moment it made perfect sense. The feeling of his wet lips, the warmth from his body against her own, and the idea of Drew falling in love with her—for the most part.

Isobel suddenly pulled away and looked into his eyes, looking for the answers to the questions she was afraid to ask, the questions she thought may make her look weak in his head. She hated letting her insecurities show, but they would only continue to haunt her if she kept letting them choke her until she was rendered silent. It was easy for Isobel not to be a burden to her friends and family, but what she hadn’t realized was just how silent it made her that she became sort of nonexistent.

And for once she didn’t want to feel that way with Drew.

“You won’t get tired of me?” She quietly asked, forcing herself to keep their eyes connected as she waited for him to speak. Isobel could confidently say that was one of her biggest fears, someone getting tired of you loving them because she’d experienced it first hand. And though it came out like a question, it was more of a plea.

Drew’s eyebrows creased at her question. Not only because the possibility could cross her mind, but at how raw and vulnerable her voice sounded as he listened to her. It was crazy how you could spend an abundance of time with someone and not know how bruised they are, then they let you in and you don’t understand how you couldn’t have seen it all before.

“I could never get tired of you” he stated with emphasis like the thought was rudimentary, he said it with a gentle force like it was truly impossible, and he promised it to her with sincerity because he could never reach that point. He wanted from the depths of his being for her to understand that she had nothing to fear because Drew tiring of Isobel simply could not be.

Drew never thought he could ever be frustrated with Isobel until he fell in love with her. He was frustrated with her for things she couldn’t help, frustrated at things that happened to her, and frustrated that he he’d taken so agonizingly long to realize just how important she was to him that she’d found love in someone else and been burned because of it.

“You promise?” She gave him a gentle smile, but he saw right through it and he knew just how important it was to give her what she needed.

Reassurance.

God, he just wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her entire body until she understood him and all the doubt in her mind was no more when she looked at him, touched him, and simply thought of him. But this was Isobel and while he did want so badly for her to trust what they had, there was also a part of him that wanted to see her slowly heal no matter how long it took because he was coming to find out, to truly know Isobel was to love her for the sides of her she allowed people to see while also loving the hidden parts of her that weren’t invisible—they were just barely on the surface.

“I promise, Izzy Bear.” He whispered and when she smiled, a real smile with her teeth on display just for him to see, the frustration he’d just been feeling felt so insignificant to the warmth currently inhabiting in his chest, “Give me a kiss.”

“I don’t think I heard you, Bear, can you say it a little firmer?” Isobel smirked.

She leaned her body on his chest and brought their mouths so close their lips brushed, barely keeping a slither of space between them. Her smirk grew into a full grin when she felt his arm wrap around her lower back and squeeze her upper thigh in his hand.

“I said give me a kiss, Isobel.” Drew looked unamused as he stared into her eyes while his hand wandered upward to rest on her ass.

Isobel didn’t listen as he repeated himself just as she asked, instead she moved her lips to his neck, running her mouth across the contours of it, his skin salty on her tongue. She couldn’t tell if the increase in his breathing was because her defiance was pissing him off or turning him on, but she didn’t mind either, “Hmmm I don’t think I feel like kissing you right now.”

“You always feel like kissing me.” He gritted through clenched teeth as she laid a full kiss on the center of his throat making her giggle. Isobel knew he was referring to just how pathetic her attempt was to keep things platonic between them for the holidays. How she’d cracked within days, no within minutes and hadn’t been able to keep her mouth off of him since. God, did she love having her lips on Drew.

Isobel chose not to respond as she continued to plant kisses down his neck and chest, every peck deliberate in her wake as she made her descent. She wanted to show Drew that she felt for him just as intensely as he did for her even if she couldn’t put it into words. This was the only way she thought to herself, atleast that’s how it worked for her in the past. Then Drew’s hand found her cheek and she froze before he pulled her back up his body so she was back where she began—chest to chest, nose to nose, and just slightly brushing his lips with her own.

“You don’t have to do that, Baby.” He mumbled as he pressed their foreheads together, staring into her brown eyes as if he was really trying to make sure she understood him, to remind her that he knew her.

Isobel’s eyes widened as she stared back in a sort of disorienting realization at the sincerity in his eyes and how she’d thought she’d loved before when really that hadn’t been what it was at all because what she was seeing in front of her in this moment was incomparable to anything she’d witnessed before.

“I want to kiss you.” She voiced her thoughts, it came out naturally like Drew was meant to know everything she was thinking.

“Then kiss me.” He barely finished before her lips were covering his in a gentle kiss.

One of his hands immediately found her jaw, squeezing her face as he pulled her further against his mouth. He could feel her as she immersed herself in the feeling of them being connected like she was wordlessly giving him another piece of herself that only he could interpret. Drew couldn’t help but release a deep groan at the intensity of it all, at how packed full of emotion this all was. His hands slipped down her jaw onto her throat before sliding to the back of her neck so he could bring her closer, desperate for all she was willing to give to him.

They kissed until they were out of breath, until Isobel was panting for him and desperate for his touch. His tongue massaged carefully into hers as he took his time tasting her. Her lips were starting to feel swollen and bruised but every time he released the pressure on her neck she kissed him deeper so his grip would return. She whined against his mouth when he disconnected their lips and looked up at the ceiling obviously drowning from his own arousal. She didn’t know where to go from here as she stared down at him, his eyes tightly shut and trying to control his breathing. Here she was in bed with a man who didn’t need her to prove herself to him, and she was completely and utterly lost in it all, “You’re making me feel things I don’t think I’ve ever felt before.” Isobel whispered as low as she could and rested her chin on the warm skin of his chest .

His eyes remained closed, but when she felt the rumble of a groan travel up his throat she knew he’d heard her and she smiled.

Isobel then couldn’t help but wonder if he’d let her tell him she loved him with his eyes closed, but she knew that’s not how she would want it, she couldn’t imagine it that way. In her head, when she let herself hope, she would say it when she wasn’t afraid to look him in eyes as she gave him her heart.

But for now she’d whisper it in riddles with his waiting stare hidden behind his resting eyelids.

She fell asleep comfortably in his arms and woke up to Drew staring down at her that Christmas morning. They’d obviously switched positions during the night as she was now tucked into his warm body as his back shielded her body and he leaned on his side, putting all his weight on his right arm, “You always wake up at this exact time on Christmas Day.”

Isobel didn’t have to look at the time on her phone to know it was seven in the morning. Her parents were most likely awake and lounging around in the den downstairs while she was cuddled up with Drew in his bedroom instead of waking up in her own. In just thirty minutes they would be listening for her descent down the stairs because that’s how it went every year they spent Christmas together, but things were changing to her dismay.

“How do you know? You usually don’t wake up until breakfast is ready.” She poked his side and giggled when he jumped at the feeling.

Drew couldn’t help but smile at the years of memories from all their holidays spent together, “For some reason I always wake up the moment you walk past my door to the stairs.”

If she already wasn’t a puddle from how sweet he was to her last night, she would’ve melted further into the mattress.

“You sure you weren’t feeling me two years ago, Bear?” Isobel joked though they’d been spending holidays together in this cabin for far longer than two years. Meaning he’d been feeling for her for so much longer.

He wrapped both of his arms around her body so he could pull her into him, he was getting used to his days starting with Isobel’s, especially on one of her most cherished.

“What did I say to you last night, Is?” He breathed and brushed her bare hips with his hand.

‘Isobel, I think I have always loved you.’

The more she heard him say it the more she wanted to hear it, like a song you didn’t quite understand the first listen but as you absorb the melodies, the words, and meaning you can’t help but want to hear it on repeat.

When Drew saw Isobel bite her bottom lip as her dark eyes glazed over in thought he swore he felt his heart rate drop before it began pounding in his chest. He loved this about her, how her body betrayed her and revealed exactly what she was feeling. Drew just loved when her guard was down with him. His grip tightened on her hips as if it would slow down the thumping in his veins.

“I have to get dressed.” Isobel released her lip and pouted knowing her mom would come check on her if she didn’t come downstairs soon, especially since she played sick yesterday to avoid the man she was under at this very moment.

“Okay.” Drew could only watch in a trance as she slipped from under him. He was mesmerized watching her leave the bed and stand before him with nothing covering her body. His tongue swiftly poked out to wet his lips when she swiped her pajamas off the floor and began to slowly get dressed—knowing his greedy eyes were watching, “Come here Isobel.”

She was working on the first button of her top when he interrupted and she wasted no time before walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed so she was facing him. When his big hands took over what she’d been doing, she let him as he buttoned up the silk pajama top just as slowly as she’d planned on doing. Although, with his fingers grazing and nudging the curve of her breasts as he made his way up to the last button it had a very different outcome.

“I’ll see you down there, baby.” Drew wiped his mouth with his thumb as he darkly glanced at her breasts through the red satin then back up to her pretty eyes. For some reason Isobel couldn’t help but grin in amusement at how boyish he was being, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was always that way in the morning.

“Maybe you should come downstairs a little earlier than usual?” She suggested and cursed to herself for not wearing any slippers when she decided to come here last night. When she got to the door she turned and gave him a soft look before having to go back to reality, a reality she wasn’t sure she wanted to maintain anymore.

“I’ll be right behind you, Isobel.”

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bluebayousblog · 9 months

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RUMOR HAS IT (pt. 14)

(Drew Starkey one-shot)

This is not a full on story but if you want more l'll be happy to add on upon request

Plot: in which drew and isobel address a false rumor in the most abstract of ways

Setting: isobel and drew go into town in the mountains

Disclaimer: Isobel is an OC, 18+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PART THIRTEEN

Drew’s heart thumped in his chest as the silence made the unspoken tension that was festering between them feel as if it were swallowing him whole. He wasn’t thinking straight, he hadn’t been for what had been going on almost a month, and it was all because of Isobel. He knew better than to kiss her for the first time all those weeks ago given their complicated circumstances with there families, and now he knew better than to get sucked in by her beautiful eyes and lose all of his good sense while said family members were roaming around downstairs on the floor below them.

She hadn’t uttered a single word since he confessed how much his body and mind ached for her. Drew knew he probably was overwhelming her but he couldn’t help what he was feeling—and her silence did nothing to deter him in the slightest because everything she wasn’t saying, was swirling around in those pretty brown eyes of hers. That gleam she had in them when she peered into his own was promising, and just one glance could make all of his fears nonexistent. Drew felt fearless around her and that instilled a sense of boldness within him that just made the thought of getting lost in her with no restraints that much more difficult to resist.

It had always been hard for Drew to deny Isobel, and it seemed as though she was always wordlessly pleading for him to make a move to show her that he wanted her. She was doing it now as she she stared up at him with her back against the bedroom wall, and she’d done it that day in his truck after they drove back from university. Declaring that they put a pause on their physical relationship while they were home for the holidays, but giving him that longing look in her eyes like she wanted him to steal a final kiss from her pouting lips—that look killed him. It struck like a bow piercing into the center of his racing heart and the worst part was that he wasn’t sure she was aware of it.

His eyes darted to her pink lips as she poked them out in a small pout, and he licked his own at the tempting sight. The taste of grapefruit immediately graced his taste buds from her chapstick transferring over during the quick kiss they shared minutes ago and he snapped.

The thought of Isobel staining him, leaving a mark on him, had him hungry for more of the sweet taste and crashing his mouth onto hers. His greedy tongue immediately dipped into her waiting mouth connecting with her smaller one as he close to devoured her seconds into the kiss. Isobel just whimpered against him as she relinquish all control to him, letting his tongue invade every corner of her mouth between their lips smacking together while creating the most crude noises. Her strokes of his tongue were lazy against his harsh ones, but he helped her keep up with his hand gripping her neck just below her jaw so she stayed steadied against him. Isobel was a delicate woman, she didn’t come off as someone who was rough around the edges and he would think he was being too aggressive with her if her soft hands weren’t gripping the forearm that belonged to the hand he had placed on her throat as she pushed herself onto her tiptoes to press their hips together.

He groaned at all of it, the way she tasted, the chapstick he could feel being smeared all over the bottom half of his face, how she felt locked under his body as she still found someway to gain control with just a roll of her hips against his own, and the fact that it was Isobel he was doing this with.

“I need to breathe, Drew.” She gasped as she managed to break away from his hungry lips. He didn’t, air was the last thing he needed when all he wanted to do was kiss her until the feeling of her lips were branded onto his own and he could still feel her for the rest of the day even when hours had passed from spending time with family.

Drew somewhat relented, letting her breathe but still placing messy pecks on her lips like he couldn’t get enough and that was all the space he could give her.

Isobel only allowed herself a couple of shallow pants before pulling him back in, she couldn’t stay away when his blue eyes were dark with obvious want with his lids sitting low as they seemed to glaze over each time their lips touched. And when he looked down between them where they were connected while groaning that was when her resolve snapped.

Drew immediately returned the kiss, not caught off guard in the slightest. She sighed in satisfaction as his tongue slipped into her mouth like he’d never left and completely took over. He was fucking everywhere, his tongue treading her throat with every swipe, one hand still encasing her neck as she harshly swallowed and the other gripping her hip like he thought she would disappear.

Despite where they were they didn’t slow down, he just grasped her throat tighter as if he were trying to kiss her harder than he already was and lowered his other hand to the flesh of her ass, squeezing her there just as tight in a tormenting grip that brought the two closer together. Isobel was sure she was going to pass out from lack of oxygen but she didn’t want stop. Her breath only shallowed all the more when his hand began to slowly trail down her neck until he was tickling her panting chest with the pads of his fingers in passing and continued down until he blindly found her left breast and gently squeezed. She gasped at the feeling, accidentally breaking the kiss, but he didn’t seem to care as he moved his mouth to the corner of her lips. Pleasure from his kneading hands coursed straight down to her belly as her hips lurched further against the hard flesh that was most definitely being suffocated in his pants. Her head knocked back causing a loud thud to sound throughout the room from it hitting the wall.

“Oh shit, Baby.” Drew whispered like talking in a normal voice would get them caught. He hoped they were the only ones who heard the photos that were hanging outside her room rattling on the walls from the impact. “That kind of hurt.” Isobel winced as she slumped forward against him and pushed her face into his chest.

Just as Drew reached to cradle the back of her head like his touch could stop the pain she was feeling, a knock sounded on her bedroom door. They’d definitely gotten a little carried away and by the look of shear panic that was now present on Isobel’s face he didn’t know whether to stay put or hide because he had a feeling whoever walked in would think they both looked guilty.

Isobel forced herself to snap out of the frozen state she was in and reached up to wipe Drew’s lips to with her thumb and she swore she saw his eyes get darker before she turned away to pull the door open. Catherine was standing in the hall holding a laundry basket up on her hip with a content smile on her face, nobody enjoyed cleaning more than Drew’s mother, “Hey, honey, I just came up to get your bedding.”

“Okay, let me help you get it off.” Isobel offered, ignoring the fact that Catherine’s son was standing in the room with them.

His mother’s eyebrows furrowed at his presence, and Isobel’s hearted pounded as she braced herself for her to make some kind of connection as to why they would be alone in her room together, “What are you doing in here, Bear?” Catherine asked as she moved to the bed to help with the comforter, but her words were light, no convictions in her tone whatsoever.

“I was just helping Isobel bring her stuff up.” Drew smiled at his mother as he told her an half truth like a kid, and like clockwork she swooned at his words.

Isobel doesn’t think she’s ever seen Catherine mad or suspicious of Drew a day in her life and she’d known them for years. All he had to do was smile and his mother would forget his behavior, similar to all the girls he toyed with back at school, but the difference was that he loved Catherine. Isobel wasn’t sure where she fell in those two categories.

“You’re my sweetest boy, Drew, but don’t tell Chandler I said that.” Catherine mused while taking the fitted sheet from her hands and throwing it in the basket.

Drew really was sweet, she had just as many memories of him being sweet to her as she did him being annoying. The thought of it had her speaking out loud in adoration, “I didn’t even have to ask him.”

Her eyes snuck and found his blue ones as Catherine bent down to grab the basket, and the wink he gave made her lips spread into a toothy grin just before she lifted back up with the laundry basket back on her hip, now facing Drew.

“You know if you treated girls as well you do Isobel you would have a girlfriend by now, Bear.” She mindlessly stated with a light pat to his chest, “Now come on let’s give her sometime to unpack.”

Drew stiffly obeyed and trailed behind her to the door knowing he didn’t have a reason to stay in the room with her without raising suspicions, “Not every girl can be Isobel, Mom.”

He knew Isobel would probably tear into him for saying that in front of his mother later on, but he wanted them both to know that she wasn’t like any other girl he’d been with before, not even in the slightest. Catherine didn’t reply, they walked out in silence until Drew pulled the door closed and the latched clicked.

“You have a little crush on her don’t you?” She accused when they reached the top of the stair case with a saccharine smile gliding onto her lips.

For the first time Drew was seeing his mother speak of Isobel and him in a somewhat romantic light, and she seemed to like the idea of it from the look on her face. It made his chest fill with pride that at least she would support him, but he still denied them because that’s just how things had to be for the time being.

“What? No.” He tried to lie, but even his attempts to try denying his want for Isobel were becoming harder to make believable—luckily with his mother he usually didn’t have to try as hard as he did with his father.

But his words seemed to go right over her head as she continued to speak, “Do you think she would ever go for you, Drew?”

He could practically see the gears turning in her head just from the tone of her voice as she continued to ramble and the wild look in her eye. Catherine Starkey lived for two things: match making and gossip—and worrying about his relationships fell into each of those past times.

“Mom!” He whispered shouted, interrupting the come apart she was having and grabbed her shoulders like it would make her really understand what he was about to say, “I do not have a thing for Isobel, you can’t go around assuming things like that you’re gonna make people uncomfortable, especially her.”

The pout that appeared on her lips was immediate as her shoulders slouched in his hands like he’d just crushed all of her dreams, “I knew it was a long shot, you’ve just been so attentive to her recently I thought you’d come to your senses.”

His heart squeezed in his chest at her words, his mother’s gut feeling about him were usually always right but he wasn’t about to confirm it. It was amazing to him that even when he was hiding this physical relationship they’d established together from their families the other aspects that had unexpectedly developed —that weren’t supposed to exist—were the most blaring.

He wondered how they would be if things were different, if his feelings would still feel so suffocating as if they bursting out of the seems if he could express his emotions for her in front of everyone. As he considered the thought his mother continued speaking.

“-I guess Isobel would go for someone different than you, that girl has always been extremely selective with everything.”

Her statement immediately caught his attention as his eyebrows furrowed in displeasure. He already knew he wasn’t worthy of Isobel, especially not with his track record with women, but he’d hate for his loved ones to think that as well. The thought of Isobel with any other man also just irked his nerves like no other girl had been able to do, “What do you mean someone different?”

“Meaning you’re an easy man, Drew.” Catherine bluntly stated with a bored look in eyes like what she just said was common knowledge. She must’ve saw the look of shock cross his features as she moved closer to rub his back with her free hand to alleviate the blow of her words, “Your father was the same way until he met me, it was like he did a full 360.”

Drew didn’t bother responding, he couldn’t when his mouth was void of any moisture, Catherine was obviously done with conversation as she descended down the steps while humming a tune, any suspicions of him having a crush no longer on her mind. ‘A full 360.’ That’s exactly how everything felt with Isobel, like his whole world had been flipped into an alternate universe where all of sudden he craved a friend he’d known for almost a decade. A world where he’d kissed a girl, and now she was the only one he wanted for the foreseeable future.

He’d never felt so locked down on something, on a person, while also feeling liberated.

Isobel finally accepted Drew’s invitation to go into town to see all of the Christmas lights later on in the day when he brought up her purse that she left in her father’s truck. He didn’t even mention it again, it was just the sight of him purse in hand that she hadn’t even realized she left and one look into those stormy blue eyes that her confirming her attendance.

Their families never really did anything the first day after having to drive up and do all the cleaning so they most likely wouldn’t be missing anything. Lora and Catherine both had the cabin looking spotless, and pizza from their favorite pizzeria was the perfect way to cap off the night. Isobel knew she and Drew could’ve eaten while in town, but she figured they should stay and enjoy a meal with family before they went off together.

They sat around the kitchen island and conversed about random things until everyone started migrating over to the front den as they finished their food to watch whatever Christmas movie was playing. Their parents were indulging in the wine they had stocked in the pantry while Chandler scrolled on his phone with his head lying on Catherine’s arm when Isobel and Drew made their way to the front door to leave. Isobel found it cute how the younger Starkey always found himself cuddling their mother without even realizing it.

“I’m going to take Isobel into town to do some last minute shopping.” Drew announced, stealing everyone’s attention away from the television.

This was normal for the two of them, Isobel didn’t drive so Drew often times had to take her places, and whenever they did come to the cabin he took her into town at least once during the trip. Except before he’d never cherished the alone time he was getting with her in the years prior. He wanted nothing more than to see her standing under the varying lights with snow falling all around and being able to just take in the sight without anyone watching.

“I wanna go with you guys.” Chandler eagerly said from across the room.

It took Drew all of his restraint not to let a look of annoyance pass over his face. Chandler had been acting like an irritating fly that wouldn’t go, and the worst part was that Isobel found it entertaining. The girl was currently looking down trying to hide the smile on her face as she snickered to herself, and he knew she wouldn’t have the heart to tell his little brother no.

But before he could come up with an excuse to keep Chandler from tagging along his father was already speaking, “You can go with them another time, you’re helping me cut the firewood tonight.”

Charles’ eyes stayed trained on the movie playing even with Drew’s eyes boring into his head.

“You want to cut firewood in the freezing cold at night?” His little brother’s tone was bored yet incredulous, like what Charles was insisting was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard.

“It’s always cold up here no matter the time of day, Bud, plus we have the heater out back, it’ll be fine.” Charles got up from the leather couch and stretched his long limbs, “Come on let’s go get started, Drew make sure you bring Isobel back in one piece.”

Drew rolled his eyes at his father’s insistence reminding him to take care of Isobel. That was never something anyone had to worry about even before things changed between them.

“We can go again tomorrow I promise!” Isobel assured as she assessed the pout on Chandler lips, both brothers were annoying but she had soft spots for both of them, “Bye Mom and Dad...”

She trailed off at the sight of her father knocked out on the reclining chair with his mouth cracked open as little snores escaped his lips. One thing you could always count on Richard Cooper to do was fall asleep whenever a movie was put on. “Bye, Sweetheart be careful.” Lora gave her a big smile before taking another sip of wine and going back to whatever gossip Catherine was probably telling her over her wine glass.

After a few more goodbyes and watching Chandler begrudgingly stomp off to bundle up to help Charles, Isobel and Drew were finally alone on the front porch of the cabin. As soon as the door was locked she was running to the passenger seat of the truck to escape the frigid temperatures that still managed to have her shivering beneath the multiple layers of clothes she was wearing. She probably looked ridiculous with the giant puffer and thick scarf wrapped around her neck and mouth, but this was the only way she could take on the cold weather.

“Quit running you could slip and fall, Isobel.” Drew warned as he carefully followed behind her to avoid just that.

Isobel ignored the fussy tone in his voice and yanked the door that didn’t open to her dismay, “Just unlock the door Drew before I go back inside.” Isobel whined as her teeth violently chattered in her mouth.

Drew immediately obeyed, reaching past her body to pull the door handle open and helping her into the truck that doubled her in height. He quickly ran over to the drivers side and turned the heater on the maximum setting as soon as the engine roared to life. He hated seeing her miserable, but he also found it extremely adorable seeing her all bundled up and fidgeting around to find any type of extra warmth beside him while he drove them into town. She didn’t utter a word in the short ride over, and by the time he pulled into a parking space her teeth had seemed to stop chattering.

“You alright, Izzy?” Drew tried to suppress the smile threatening to appear on her lips—not at her discomfort, but just at the moment they were sharing together in general. This was reminding him of the night they shared outside the library when their desires were still so fresh, but this was simple yet still as memorable. He longed to have many more nights like this in the future.

“Yes.” She replied and shuffled her body around to face him, “If we get out of this car I’ll have to go through that whole process to warm up again.”

Isobel wanted more than anything to see the lights, but she was always hoping he wouldn’t make her get out. Though, she knew that wasn’t an option, they’d driven all the way here after all. Drew just sat there and chuckled at her words, his eyes twinkling in admiration. He just looked content and relaxed as he gazed at her, nothing similar to when he basically had his tongue stuck down her throat earlier in the day. “You know there’s heaters everywhere, just stay close to me and you’ll be fine.”

“Alright, come and get me, please.” Isobel complied with a sort of nervous looking smile on her lips.

Drew waited to turn off the ignition when he got out of the truck and jogged over to her side. He knew keeping the heater on a little longer would stop her from complaining. He swung the door open causing the cold air to hit her face and she was immediately wincing at the impact. Drew shook his head at her before stepping on the footboard to lift himself inside so he could lean his body over her smaller one to cut the engine. As soon as the hot air stopped blowing she clung tightly to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling their bodies together. She felt the chuckle rumbling deep in his throat against her cheek that was attached to the warm skin of his neck. He quickly had to step down from the footboard onto the pavement of the parking lot so they wouldn’t fall leaving her staring down at him with his chest still tucked closely against her body. Drew eventually grabbed her waist and helped her down, their bodies sliding against each other as he lowered her to the ground, and Isobel being the menace that she is pulled him into a kiss.

Their little pecks were slow, but also ended sooner than she would have liked. That’s how it always felt with him, like she could never seem to get enough of his lips on her own. She just wanted nothing more than to make up for the kisses they missed out on when they were pretending not to want each other. Drew squeezed her hips, and she emitted a bratty moan when their lips disconnected with a lewd smack.

His hands moved to her back before running down to her ass and squeezing the flesh, and she didn’t even gasp, she just smiled up at him. “What was that for, Isobel?”

“Just keeping warm, Drew.” She innocently stated and stayed attached to his side as they begin walking to the entrance.

The Christmas lights were beautiful this year, they were hung all throughout the little village in the most intricate displays that never failed to leave Isobel in awe. Drew had never been one to find entertainment in the blinding bulbs, but he could watch the amazement on her face for days on end as the lights reflected off her skin.

They did a plethora of things the town had to offer for the holidays. There were so many foods and desserts to try, but they settled on a pretzel that Isobel hogged most of. He bought them both a hot chocolate, wanting to stay on top of his promise to make sure she didn’t get cold, and eventually an hour had passed and she hadn’t mention the temperature at all.

Still, she stayed glued to his side.

“Let’s do the photo booth before we head back.” Isobel excitedly suggested.

Drew had no plans on objecting, but it still seemed he had no choice as she tugged him behind the curtains—not that it mattered, he would do anything she wanted, she was freezing her ass off for him after all “Whatever you want, Is.”

Her eyes found his as an unreadable look passed over her face at his words, he just knew she was staring at him with so much emotion he couldn’t do anything but just silently gaze back. He knew what he just said meant so more than what it did in the moment, but it was never his never his intention—him making these declarations he knew could scare her away.

A flash from the camera broke the tension, and Isobel looked forward to see the session had started. She was pointing at the camera with a smile as the flash went off snapping another off guard moment between the two, “Drew come on we only have two poses left.”

When she turned back to him he was still looking at her from before. His eyes drifting down to her lips as she spoke. The flash then caught him grabbing the back of her neck before pulling her into another sweet kiss. His kisses were so disorienting for her especially when he initiated them. Time just seemed to stop as she forgot where they were.

“Are you guys done? People are waiting out here.” An older voice asked from the other side of the curtain.

Isobel ripped her lips away from his with gasp, her cheeks immediately heated in embarrassment. The two rushed out of the booth in haste to find an elderly couple waiting with an amused smile. “Sorry guys.” Isobel apologized while discreetly pulling Drew away who looked to have no shame at all.

“Don’t forget your pictures.” The man called out to them before they got far. They both walked back over to grab the strips as Isobel peered around his arm. “You guys make a beautiful couple.” Said the lady before she disappeared with her partner behind the booth.

“Do you think we look like a couple?” Isobel asked with a small laugh to cover up the awkwardness she was feeling.

“I don’t think it was us ‘looking’ like a couple as much as it was the photo of us kissing, Izzy.” Drew smirked down at the photo strip. The last two snapshots were the two leaning in and then her head against the wall of the booth with their lips pressed together. He had no idea what part of the kiss was captured before the couple interrupted.

“That is so humiliating, who knows what they thought we were doing in there.” Isobel groaned and took one of the strips from his hand.

Drew’s heart warmed as he visibly saw the embarrassment fall from her face as a small smile replaced it while assessing the pictures. His phone buzzed in his pocket, Charles’ name lit up the screen and he accepted the call, letting Isobel continue to marvel.

“What’s up, Dad?” He greeted which finally caught her attention.

“Hey, it’s about to start snowing pretty bad in about an hour, go ahead and get Isobel home.”

Drew agreed before they hung up, he still hated his father’s lack of faith in him when it comes to Isobel, but he could appreciate how much Charles cares about her.

“What did he say?”

“It’s about to start snowing, we gotta go before the roads get crazy.” Drew answered, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

When they got back to the truck he opened her door, made sure she got in alright, and hopped in on his side to start the engine. It didn’t take long for it warm up to her pleasure, but for the majority of the short ride he was going back and forth on whether he should tell Isobel about his father. They’d had such a good night, and of course Charles found a way to cap it off and somehow get into his head.

Though, it wasn’t exactly his fathers fault he was keep things from Isobel.

“I had fun tonight, Drew.” Isobel looked over from the passenger seat with a smile plastered on her lips, “You really are sweet, it makes sense why your mom calls you ‘Bear.’”

“Yeah?” He rasped and placed a hand on her thigh.

She hummed in response, “Yeah, sweet like a honey bear, I think I’m going to steal it from her.”

Drew put the car in park when they pulled into the driveway, thankful they’d made it the whole way without hitting any ice patches. The thought of Isobel wanting to give him a nickname set his chest ablaze, and the fact that she was getting it from someone he loved so dearly only made the feelings he wasn’t supposed to be having twist in his gut.

“Okay, Izzy Bear.” He smirked, Isobel playfully rolled her eyes and reached for the door handle to get out before Drew stopped her, “Wait, I need to tell you something.”

Her hand froze as did her whole body. Her mind immediately thinking the worst, silently rethinking every moment they shared today to possible brace herself for what he was going to say, but nothing stood out. That’s how things always were with guys like Drew, them turning your world up side down then leaving you to pick up the pieces.

Drew took her silence as opportunity to just bite the bullet, “Charles knows.”

He didn’t want to tell her because Charles knowing came with a lot. Realization that this secret they’d been trying to keep wasn’t such a secret anymore. His insistence on Drew telling Cooper, which she didn’t even know about yet. The fact that she was going to have to come to terms with a lot of things she probably wasn’t ready to accept just yet.

And he hated that he felt like he had a part in potentially making her feel as such.

“Oh.” Was all she said until she eventually turned towards him and met his eyes, “How?”

Everything about her seemed so small in this moment, her voice, her clipped words, her shrinking presence. It was as if he could see her pulling away right in front of his eyes, and it made him feel desperate to grasp onto the parts of her that were still there. Still willing.

“He just figured it out, Isobel, I don’t even know how to explain it. It was like he knew from the day we got back into town.” He was pleading to her, though he wasn’t sure she realized because she remained silent, so he continued, “I denied it, I still haven’t exactly told him but he’s set on the fact that we’re together.”

His heart pounded for Isobel for many reasons today, the sweet kisses they shared, the simple glances she directed his way, and the smiles on her face but now it was pounding at the blank stare she was giving him.

“So you were dealing with this the whole time and didn’t tell me?” Isobel was freaking out inside, yet all she could do was give him the bare minimum in return.

“I thought I could handle him, but it seems like I’ve just made it worse.” He mumbled and she winced, it was the most emotion she’d showed in the last few minutes and it was her bracing herself for the impact of his words, “He wants me to to tell your dad.”

She dropped her her face into her hands. She’d been wishing for any source of warmth the entirety of the night, but now the heat blasting through the vents felt suffocating—so suffocating she could run out of the truck into the freezing cold at the moment. She dryly laughed, in need of some sort of outlet to get rid of the pent up emotion building in her chest.

“I can’t do this, Drew.” Isobel whispered, not able to look at him.

She could feel his stiffness as the weight of her words remained stale in air. “What do you mean, Isobel?”

His voice sounded like it hurt to speak, and the sound alone made her stomach wrench. Never did she expect to hear him ever sound so gutted in regards to her pulling away from him. It made her realize just how much their feelings were actually involved, which made her want to run even more.

“It’s too much, I just can’t do this.” She reiterated as if she explained herself anymore, but she’d never been good at that in the first place—saying how she felt.

Isobel pushed the door open to the truck and carefully hopped down before slamming it shut behind her then went straight for the front door of the cabin. Drew was right on her heels, but she already had the door open before he could stop her and get her to talk to him—to tell him what she was actually thinking—to tell him what she was scared of.

“You guys are back, already? Did you have fun?” Isobel glanced over toward the den, not settling on any particular face but recognized the voice as her mother’s.

“Yeah.” She stuttered despite her trying to come off as unbothered as possible, “I’m gonna go get ready for bed, see you guys in the morning.”

Isobel didn’t wait for any responses before she was jogging up the steps to the second floor. The whole way up she could feel the gaze of a particular boy she hated that she recognized on her back, and slammed the wooden door behind her. Running the first chance she could as the photos they took together burned a hole in her pocket.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

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