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Don't be a ghost reader

It shouldn't be like this.

Astrid shouldn't be curled up in his lap, her eyes glazed as she took in his features. Eyes darting to each light freckle on his cheek or fingers grazing along the stumble on his chin.

She liked his stumble, it made him look older in a magical way. He looked sophisticated like he was just a normal guy with a normal job. Like he didn't spend his nights streaming Minecraft to a large audience.

It was nice to look at, but he'd shave it anyway. He'd found out rather early that she didn't take kindly to the feeling on her cheeks, or other places, it frustrated her skin.

It was a thing that people in a relationship did, change things about themselves to make the other happy. Not big things, no personality changes or anything like that, but small things.

Like how she realised he preferred her in silver jewellery so wore it, and made a point to wear dangly earrings because he was always so fascinated by them. Or, how George would spray an orange-scented air spray because she had once mentioned how nice it smelled.

It was the little things that made them work. But they shouldn't work this way, they shouldn't be remembering the little things.

They should see each other only as hookups, not as somebody to make happy past that.

Her hand rested on his neck, softly, her thumb rubbing back and forth in a way that she knew he liked. A smile tinged on his lips, his eyes flickering to meet hers before swiftly going back to the monitor speaking softly into the mic.

His voice had decreased since she joined him, to not scare her. At first, he had thought she fell asleep, her soft breaths and light touches lulling him into a tired state himself. But he knew she wasn't sleeping due to her wandering hands.

Not in a provocative way. Just fingers dancing along his arm, hairs standing on end, rubbing at his jawline and drawing shapes over his clothes chest.

"Shut up" he spoke softly, a laugh in his tone, she heard laughter from his headphone, noticing the way his smile got wider, his face contorting to shyness in a way that made her laugh.

He often made this face on stream, his lips pouting and eyes scrunched. When flustered or done out by being teased just a bit too much. She found it adorable.

A giggle escaped her, quiet but he still noticed her body shake. His hand, which rested on her back - rubbing in soft circle, pulled her closer, moving to rest on her arm instead.

She relaxed more, her body melting into his, their warmth shared, but she was still cold. Her uncovered legs feeling the breeze. That was one thing she'd learned early, George loved to keep his heating as low as possible. It was nothing about saving money, God knew he had it, he just preferred the cold, how he was going to live in Florida she didn't know.

She, however, was cold even in the warmest environment so being in George's house was always trouble. He'd complain when she pressed cold feet to him but still refused to turn the heating up.

His other hand left the desk and rested on her knee, squeezing twice before quickly rubbing against her once he noticed how cold she was, looking down at her with a questioning look.

"Hang on guys, I need to grab a blanket" he gave her a pointed look as he spoke, pushing the chair back so she could run and grab the fluffy grey blanket from the bottom of his bed, he's got it on her review, after she's sent him a picture of the blue one she'd bought.

With the blanket now round her she returned, falling back into his lap and wrapping it over both of them.

"Shut up, it's England, it's cold" he defended himself to the people in the call, shaking his head at her with a teasing look as if to say 'look what you've done now'.

But she only smiled back sweetly, a soft kiss pressed to his jaw before her head returned to his chest, eyes closing as his voice lulled her to sleep.

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Written: 1st May 2022

Published: 3rd May 2022

A shorter kind of naff chapter but oh well I'm just trying to put off an essay by writing this instead,,, anyways pls comment it makes me happy