Valerie P.O.V.

His hands found their way to the small of my back, softly caressing up and down my spine. I welcomed the touch almost too eagerly. I pulled back from our hug as we got lost into each other's eyes.

If you asked me what my favorite physical part of him was, it would have to be his unique eyes. They were hazel, but leant towards a more golden shade with small streaks of green and light brown, and a dark rim around the edges. They were always so warm and captivating, unlike the stark coolness of my cloudy blue-grey ones.

His eyes flickered down towards my lips and back up again to meet my gaze. I licked my lips subconsciously as I anticipated what was to come next. He carefully leant forward, giving me enough opportunity to back out if I wanted to. I closed my eyes and the gap remaining between us.

A thousand stars came alight in the sky as our lips touched.

Two weeks.

That was almost the same amount of time we were intimate for, until we had stopped due to obvious circumstances. I think Carter felt this too, because he almost immediately pressed harder into my lips and pulled me closer to him. I was intoxicated by the feeling and the strong urge that pulsed through me. I pushed forward, filling the hunger as I crawled over the top of him, whilst he slowly leaned back onto the couch.

❗️

He grabbed onto my hips, squeezing at the sides before running a hand under my top.

"I missed you," I murmured in between kisses on his neck.

"I missed you too baby," he said huskily, flipping us over so I was pinned underneath him. I slid my hands underneath his t shirt as I traced over the fine contours of his body.

"How much?" I whispered longingly.

"God," he murmured placing a kiss on my shoulder, tracing it along my collarbone and down to the tops of my cleavage. "So fucking much." His lips found mine once again as we kissed each other senselessly.

Weeks of repressed feelings came pouring out as we clawed at every single part of one another, fuelling the need that had been starved as of late. His shirt came flying off within seconds, followed quickly by mine.

I wrapped my legs around his torso as his hand peeled back my bra and rubbed the mounds, igniting an aching frenzy down to my centre. He swiftly picked me up from the couch and slammed me down on the dining table.

"I feel like doing a bit of defiling, how about you?" He whispered seductively. Like I could say no to that handsome devilish face.

"I have sanitiser." I bit my lip in response.

That was all he needed. He removed his pants as I wiggled mine off, before he ripped off my underwear.

"How much have you missed me?" He murmured placing two fingers against my core, spreading the pooling moisture.

"Oh Carter," I gasped at the pleasure.

He smirked, pleased with what he found between my legs. He shed himself free of his boxer briefs as I swallowed breathlessly at the sight of him. I flickered my gaze from his member to his eyes, watching them darken drastically. He pulled one of my legs up to rest against his shoulder as he traced a kiss along my calf.

He grabbed his cock and manoeuvred it to my core, dragging the head up and down the folds teasingly. I was absolutely quaking with desire.

With an unexpected push, he entered me. I almost lost it then and there.

"Ugh yes," he groaned as he began to thrust in and out. I gripped onto the edges of the table tightly as he began to move at a steady pace.

"Oh god," I moaned as his cock freely sank into me. He pulled my other leg up and held on firmly by the ankle as he thrusted harder.

I was going to orgasm soon, and quick at this rate.

"Carter," I cried in warning as I clutched onto his forearm.

"Come baby," he grunted as he slid the full length of his manhood into me repetitively, building up the speed and tension. "You have me."

The heat low in my bellow was reaching its boiling point. My muscles clenched and the ends of my toes curled over as I reached my climax.

"Ohhh yes!" My back arched off the table as I let out a scream of ecstasy.

"Good girl," Carter panted gruffly, as he pounded into me, chasing after his own release. Within a few moments he groaned loudly, slowing down his pumps as he came.

He pulled out before leaning over the table to circle his arms under my body and brought my lips to his. I snaked an arm around his neck as he kissed me tenderly.

We just had makeup sex.

And it was hot.

"We have two weeks to catch up on," he murmured as he carried me bridal style, back into my bedroom.

"Then let's get started," I murmured in return, placing a kiss on his chest.

After thoroughly reacquainting ourselves, Carter and I had a well-deserved nap together. I can't believe we had gotten through it all, without ending in completely destructive disaster. It was something I wasn't used to with my ex.

I was wrong about everything. I can do this.

I'm different.

Carter's different.

We're strong.

I woke up in a daze- yep I'm definitely back in my dreamland state. Except the one key thing here, was that this was also my reality.

"Hi," I giggled as I ran my fingers up his back, giving him a few tickles.

"Mmm," he smiled dreamily into the pillow. "Hi angel."

"Hungry?" I asked, feeling famished from all our rigorous morning activities.

"Starving. I can order postmates? I don't wanna get out of bed," he chuckled.

"Okay, sounds good." I grinned. "But I'm going to quickly uh, clean up our mess outside... Ell is scary when she wants to be." I remarked with widened eyes.

"Oh good idea," he nodded quickly. "Want some help?"

"No," I shook my head with a smile. "Stay in bed baby." I kissed him on the forehead, before grabbing a shirt to slip over my body.

I collected our scattered clothes and wiped down the dining table twice with kitchen surface cleaner and a spritz of sanitiser.

There we go. No trace of anything. Not guilty whatsoever.

I answered the door and collected our Chick-fil-a and Starbucks drinks. Unhealthy, I know, but we were having a very indulgent day today.

"Ugh you're the best." Carter exclaimed as I came in holding our late afternoon lunch meals.

I winked as I dug out our food to begin the mini feast.

Yum.

After satisfying the hunger, we settled for lying in bed and catching up on what we had missed in each other's lives.

I told him I got invited to a shoot coming up in a few days. Carter was so excited and proud that I had been getting recognition. He told me that they started making the merch, and promised to take me to come see samples. I was so excited and proud of him too.

This is what it's like to be in a positive and healthy relationship. Being supportive of each other's dreams and being able to celebrate each other's accomplishments. We could talk about anything, and we loved doing almost everything together. It was awesome. I'm going to try my hardest not to lose it, and cherish it for what it's worth. I've learnt that lesson now.

~

"Hi, Valerie!" Hanna from I.X. The label came over to greet me as I made my way to the studio shoot location.

"Hello," I waved shyly.

"We're all so excited to have you here and work with you!" She exclaimed as she led me into the workspace.

We quickly went through an NDA, to say I wouldn't copy or leak any of the designs before it would be released, as well as a short work contract for today. It was all very professional. After that, Hanna introduced me to the models, photographer, makeup artist, hair stylist and assistants before bringing me over to assess all their clothes.

"So this is our new collection dropping in two weeks. It's a very powerful, feminine collection, really highlighting what it's like to be a modern woman, you know; strong, sexy, a go-getter." Hanna explained, "But dressed in fabulous clothes!" She winked as we went through the pieces. I nodded with a grin as I took in her words, letting my mind go off on its own ideas and images of what I could do with it all.

"I love it. It's got very clean lines, but I love how you also included accents of tassel and beading work in the statement pieces." I praised the designs.

"Thankyou! The creative directors had a great vision for it all."

"Definitely." I nodded. "And these are accessories?" I asked pointing over to where another table was set up.

"Yes! Let Ariana know if you need anything else in particular to complete a look, she can run and go get it if possible." Hanna smiled.

"Sounds perfect," I grinned, excited to get my hands on all the little bits and pieces, arranging them all into something aesthetically pleasing.

"Let's get started with our first look shall we?"

"Yes! Let's." I nodded with a big smile.

We moved through assembling different looks together, changing hair and makeup as we went along. It was so fun to let my creativity reign free. I put some of my ideas out on the table, feeling more comfortable in this space as we dived into it. I couldn't wait to see the fully finished photos.

"Keep an eye out on our Instagram, we'll be posting sneak peeks soon!" Hanna came over to say goodbye with a hug. "This is for you as well," she handed me an envelope.

I accepted it graciously. "Thank you so much for having me today. I had so much fun! I definitely will be watching the release."

"You're welcome, you lived up to our expectations and more, so thankyou!"

After a full-on day of working, I came home completely exhausted, but pleased. I loved the fast paced atmosphere, and the collaboration between Hanna and I was so fun to do. I think we definitely hit the nail on the head with the vibe of their collection. The clothes looked absolutely stunning. A few accessories here and there, and the designs were brought to life on the models. I felt empowered even just by looking at the beautiful clothing. Creating something that changed how you feel when you put it on, was just such an interesting notion to me. And for one of the first times in my life, I started to feel like I belonged, like I knew what I should be doing in this world. I wanted to create.

~

Carter P.O.V

All's well that ends well.

I felt like a total idiot waking up in the morning to find out I was dressed in next to nothing, lying in light pink and cream sheets, with a familiar fresh and floral scent lingering in the air that could only belong to one girl.

Valerie.

Fragments of last night came rushing in one after another as I sat up.

Great.

I pretty much remembered everything, albeit the visions were sometimes blurry, they were still there.

Fuck me.

I clutched my forehead as a dull throbbing pain made itself present in the back of my head. I definitely drank too much last night.

For the first time in my life, I felt a little embarrassed? For turning up here drunk. In the moment I was so happy she hadn't turned me away, she had taken care of me, and it felt normal for a second. She was such a nice girl.

Although I wanted to forget my actions last night, in the end they actually served me well. It seems that Valerie had a lot to think about in the time we had apart, and we managed to sort through our little tiff. This girl went through so much with her ex, but her heart was still so beautiful. I was amazed by her strength and tenacity, allowing me to come into her life even after everything. It cemented my already incredibly strong and deep wealth of feelings for her. I love her. So damn much. I never wanted to lose her again. She quickly snuck up on me and became a part of me and my life.

We're gonna be just fine.

~

As promised, I took Val with me to see the production of the merch.

"Okay! Open your eyes!" I grinned, unveiling the hoodies and t-shirts in the office of the warehouse we were visiting.

Her jaw dropped. "This is amazing!!!" she gushed, running her fingertips over the material and the logo. "Wow it's so soft!"

"Yeah the team worked really hard," I agreed proudly.

"Oh my gosh!" Val exclaimed as she turned over the hoodie to see her sketch of me on the back. "That's so cool."

"You did amazing." I swung an arm around her shoulder.

"Thank you," she beamed.

"These are the phone cases too." I picked up our two designs to hand them to her. She turned them over, inspecting it as her eyes ran along the product.

"I love it, Carter." Val pressed a kiss to my cheek. "This is really awesome, I'm sure your fans are going to love them. You've worked so hard."

"Thankyou, I hope so," I smiled.

She then grabbed a baby powder blue hoodie and slipped it over the top of her body. "What do you think?" She asked me cheekily, striking a little pose.

I raised my eyebrows amusedly. "Damn, that looks good," I nodded in appreciation as my eyes scanned over the outfit. She looked so snuggly, I just wanted to pick her up, throw her over my shoulder and spend the day with her in bed. These hoodies would be great in the cooler months, or during any chilly summer night. "You look super cute Val. We better take that one home with us," I chuckled.

"Really?" She perked up.

"Hell Yeah! I'm gonna take a couple of extras to give to everyone as well. Pick what you like." I said, grabbing a box to fill up with an assortment of clothes and sizes.

"Woah it's like Christmas," Valerie joked. "Thanks Santa," she laughed, tapping a finger on her chin as she gazed off into the distance, no doubt picturing me with a white beard and a red suit.

I shoved her on the shoulder playfully. "Well then you'd be Mrs Claus."

"Would I now?" She crossed her arms, raising one eyebrow.

"Yup." I popped the P. "A sexy one." I began picturing her in a skimpy little red outfit.

She laughed out loud and shook her head. I loved that she always mildly disapproved some of my naughty little statements, but I knew by the faint dusting of colour in her cheeks and the way she bit her lip after in thought, that she liked it deep down. So imma keep doing it.

"You know we should make some cropped hoodies too." Valerie said, flipping through some of the other items. "They would be cute. It's very on trend with the athleisure style that's currently popular."

"We?" I asked stunned.

"Oh, uh I mean you." She stuttered, perhaps embarrassed at the fact that she just nonchalantly added herself to the project. I didn't mind. I liked that she had unconsciously done that. Thinking of us as a team.

"No," I shook my head. "I like the sound of we." I smiled. Truth be told, I wanted to rip up any of the contracts with her, but alas it was there just as a precaution. We might have to draft up new versions.

"Yeah?" Val asked timidly, biting her lip.

"Mmhmm," I nodded, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Let's keep working together."

She was smart and she knew her stuff when it came to style and clothes. Plus she was good at sketching, even if she said she wasn't. She was a good asset to the brand, it made sense. The bonus thing is that she's also my girlfriend.

Her lips tugged up at the corners, soon spreading into a beaming smile as she gazed at me in awe.

I'm taking that as a yes.