The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers)

“Sophs, wake up.” Arry’s voice draws me out of sleep, along with the ungraceful shaking of me he has going on and I literally smack him in the face with a rogue hand as I wake up in alarm. I groan when I catch him over the top of me, cheerfully awake and annoyingly chirpy. I blink at the dazzling light of day and realize we probably slept for most of the morning.

“Whaaatt?” I groan out slowly, pushing his face away as he starts biting at my neck and ear in the most annoying way known to man. He has obviously recovered a lot, while right now I’m in my ‘not a morning person. Go away’ state of semi awake.

“Get up, beautiful… Up, up, up!” He pulls me down the bed with him and meets my struggling limbs of refusal as I shield my eyes from the torture of rude awakenings.

“Why? I’m sleeping… What do you want?” I lift my legs to try and dislodge him from my lifeless body, but his arms are already around me and lifting me up to prop me at an ungodly high height around his waist so that I slump over him like a dead doll and flake out.

“I hate you.” I sigh, giving up the fight and let him deal with my deadweight in the way I had to deal with his.

“We both know that’s not true… You love me more than shoes. We’re going to have ourselves a date. Come on, baby, it’s almost noon and we’ve slept most of the day away.” He is way too chirpy a guy when he wakes up, it’s one of his most serious flaws and makes me want to stab him in the head with anything to hand.

I completely forget all my woes and worries from earlier when he is like this. Somehow Arry being this way makes me feel like I’m just worrying myself for nothing and we don’t really have anything to talk about concerning us. He’s fine, we are fine. I’m just over thinking and getting affected by loneliness and long months of living somewhere that makes me miserable. We’re fine… We are.

“We could just sleep some more, then have sex, and sleep again.” I breathe out, exhaling heavily with the realization he has revived his batteries and is raring to go. He’s like the Energizer bunny sometimes, just plug in a new power pack and boom.

What was I even worrying about?

“Or we could go out to eat, wander around the city of love, have sex somewhere exciting and new… Have ourselves a little trip up the Eiffel tower then come home for a sex marathon to tire us out for tonight. We still haven’t visited Notre Dame.” He smacks my ass a little vigorously and I lean up to scowl at him. It’s clear he’s been on the porridge or something as he is far too zingy for a guy who spent eight hours on a flight after a full day’s work at his office.

“What kind of food?” I ask, homing in on one of the very few things that ever make me more receptible to missing out on sleep.

“Any kind you want, anywhere you want. Wear something pretty, suns out.” He slides me down on my own feet, completely naked, while he’s shower fresh and wearing chinos and a button down already. He’s shaved, looks refreshed and smiling, way too much. He looks like my normal, happy, and chilled Carrero. In a way it’s comforting, because god knows I need to see this version of him right now. It’s been absent for way too long.

“Are you on something?” I ask suspiciously, aware that my half-baked boyfriend of two years hasn’t been this happy and bouncy in six months of life here. I have no clue why he is this upbeat today.

“I’m happy as hell to be back here with you. We need this… Some time for us, to relax, and spend it chilling out today. I miss my girl and I realized this morning that you have only one month left of school and we’re done! We can go back to being glued together on the daily in no time at all.” He leans in and smacks his lips on me, hitting me with a passionate kiss that almost winds me, but I push his face off and screw it up at him. Ignoring the pounding wave of guilt that punches me in the gut at his mention of school. I try to deflect before he sees something is seriously up.

haven’t even brushed my teeth you weirdo.” I giggle when he dives at my neck and jawline instead, kissing and nibbling as tickling

would kiss you even if you just licked the floor, Sophs… I am that hot for you.” He laughs too as I try and poke him in the face, right in those sexy dimples and run for the bed as cover when

to pull me across the bed by one foot,

feeble attempts to fight him off. He’s in playful mode, my favorite kind and I try

I smirk at him, turning away when he leans in to kiss me, trying like crazy to fight him off by bucking my hips,

this…” He leans in and runs his mouth and tongue up my throat from collar bone to ear slowly and my body almost explodes with the sudden intense tingles that catapult through me. One thing Arry knows how to do, its press every one

breathlessly as I try not to close my eyes to the sensation of his breath on

mouth finds mine again and this time I clamp my lips shut and shake my head at him, trying not to smile until he gives up and goes back to sitting up to stare at me. Holding his weight over me

I point out with a very serious and snotty tone and get the full force

you to the bathroom and stick your toothbrush in your mouth.” He plants a chaste kiss on my mouth, despite my protests, ruffles my hair and hauls me up once

smitten kitten even after almost two years of rollercoaster life with me. I shouldn’t worry about us, let all the insecurity and missing him so much eat me up, but it’s hard.

the best moods he’s been in a while and I think he probably needed the nap more than he realizes. He always tries to put it off when he comes home through the night, which is generally always when he gets back. He tends to catch night flights as soon as he is done in the city, so he can get here before I

just exhausted, nothing else.

Totally fine.

heated rack for getting out. The bathroom is one of my favorite rooms in this apartment. It’s modern and huge, always so sparkling clean thanks to Janetta our housekeeper who comes by at noon daily. It has a huge tub in

money and gorgeous buildings and Arry did really good in finding us both a pretty large, yet modern apartment, penthouse. He’s a born New

yet has a hint of French design in the detailed coving, sash windows and ornate fireplaces in every room. It has a vibe of old world in the building itself, yet with our combined taste in modern décor and muted tones, after I applied my touch. It’s modern and homely. It’s not like

fluffy towels and make my way back to our bedroom adjoined by this door. The other door leads to the lounge in the other side and I always found it odd

handedly opening one of them, completely oblivious to my presence. He is on his cell to Amanda, his PA, and I hear him tell her to book

feel my insides sink. I hate knowing that’s all I have of him this time and for god knows how long. It’s already Tuesday, that means he leaves me in three days. It’s not

dissipates rapidly, pushing down the knot of tears and aching disappointment and remind myself that in one month, term will be over for Christmas. Four more weeks and we get an entire holiday where I can come home with him and shadow him like I did in the short summer break. That was

I don’t respond, staying deadpan as I make my way to my wardrobe and pull

it or

in the season. I pull out some sweaters and long boots to go with a thicker dress and throw them all on the nearby chair, trying to focus on only

Arrick comes up behind me, sliding his arms around my waist gently and nuzzles my neck from behind, making me tilt my head so he can gain full access, uncaring about my wet hair. Like the traitorous wench she is, my body gets the immediate surrendering sag of muscle and bone