forum Next Steps [Private RP — Closed]

Started January 16, 2019 by @Imperfect_Autumn group

tune

Sterling's POV:

I grinned at the look of utter shock and disgust that Eden's face broke into before I laughed. "Sorry, babe… It was just… too funny! And… your face!"

Eden’s POV:

“Sterling! It’s not funny!” I grabbed a pillow and whacked him with it, the thought still lingering in my mind. My brother and best friend doing… it… Oh, God. I was never going to forget this. Every time I would see them, I would remember this.

Sterling's POV:

I lifted my arms to cover myself, still snickering. Yeah, so maybe I shouldn't have joked about it, but I still think it was worth the look on her face when she realized what I meant.

"I mean, it was kinda funny… It'd be less funny if I was talking about is, though," I stated with a shrug.

Eden’s POV:

I froze, the pillow in the air. Us… as in, me and Sterling. My face turned even redder.

“Of… of course it would be less funny,” I tried my best, but my voice still came out in a whisper.
Of course I knew Sterling wanted it. I wanted it, too, but I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t unless I put that behind me. “I… I’m sorry, Sterling…”

Sterling's POV:

Oh, frick. Stupid… Look what you've done now.

"No, Eden, I– I didn't mean it that way. Well, I mean, I did, but…" I sighed and tore my hand through my hair, glancing away for a moment as I tried to sort out my thoughts. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that I wanted to do that. I mean, I do, and I'm sure you know that I do, but I am more than willing to wait until you're ready for it. I don't ever want to do something that would make you uncomfortable, okay? What I said was completely uncalled for. And I'm very sorry about it. Please, don't ever feel bad about not being ready. There is nothing wrong with that."

Eden’s POV:

I chewed on my bottom lip, hugging the pillow to myself. It wasn’t fair that I was only limiting him to kisses. It wasn’t, and he never complained about it. He’d kept silent and was patient.

“Sterling, I… thank you…” I whispered. “I’m sorry. I—there are still things I need to sort out. I know it’s unfair. I’m thankful that you’re willing to wait for me. I’m thankful that you care so much about me. I just want you to know that I’m trying. I really am.”

Sterling's POV:

I reached out and caressed her face gently. She didn't deserve this. She deserved better than this…

"Eden, please… I love you, okay? And that is not all I care about. All I care about is you and making you happy. Like I said, I am more than willing to wait until you're ready for that. I don't want you to feel forced into it. Ever. Do you hear me? I never, ever want to force that on you. And, please, babe… Take all the time you need. I will wait forever and then some if necessary," I assured her softly.

Eden’s POV:

I leaned into his touch, placing my hand over his.

“I love you, too,” I whispered. I still couldn’t, to this day, figure out what I did to deserve this—to deserve Sterling. How could one be so selfless and patient? So understanding and compassionate? I didn’t understand. “I want to make you happy, too, Sterling… but all I know is that you’re the one doing all of that and I’m… doing nothing. I cling to you all day. You haven’t even made any friends because you don’t want me to be alone. You try to push me into being social and that’s not even working. How do you cope with this, Sterling?”

With him, it was completely different. He’d hang out with me whenever he wanted, came to me whenever he wanted. He didn’t care whether I was alone or not. He thought I could take care of myself because I ‘ruled the school’, so he didn’t bother with any of those.

But with Sterling, it was entirely different. He cared. He pushed me ahead of himself. He treated me like I was worth something, like I mattered more than anything else. I know I shouldn’t be comparing these two, but I couldn’t help it. They were so different. One felt like the unwanted cold and the other was the warmth I couldn’t live without. Yet, I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Why couldn’t I just leave the past? Why was I still hung up over it? I had Sterling. I loved him more than anything, and there shouldn’t be anything holding me back.

So why was there a chain around my legs, preventing me from taking the next important step?

Sterling's POV:

"Hey…" I started softly, taking her face in both my hands. "I am happy. You make me happy. Just being with you makes me happy, okay? It's not the physical intimacy but the intimacy that we have when we just sit and talk like this. That's what I love about us. I love how I can make you blush with a single word, but I love how I can make you smile from a single look more. I love you, not for what you can do for me, but what I can do to make you happy. Because when you're happy, I'm happy."

Eden’s POV:

I melted at his words. He really knew what to say to make me feel better. The words he spoke weren’t just words—they held such emotion in them that it startled me. They were for me. They weren’t just to make me feel better. They were to make me realize that no matter what, he’d always be here for me. He’d always love me, care for me and watch my back.

“I… it’s these things about you that make me happy,” I finally said. “The way you make me smile without even trying, the way even the smallest of contact with you makes me tremble. Even the thought of you alone fills me with such warmth. Sterling, you are amazing. No matter how many times I say it, it won’t be enough. There’s not even enough words, in every language there is, to tell you what you mean to me. You give me strength when I feel weak, you pick me up when I’m down. Even when I’m like this, you never hesitate, you never turn your back on me. You’re my king, Sterling, and without you, I’d just be an empty queen only in names.”

Sterling's POV:

I smiled at her softly, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to her lips. "And you are my lovely queen. I was a silly prince before you came around, but now I'm happy to be your king," I murmured, kissing her again. An idea popped into my head, causing me to smirk a little. I moved my hands from her face and wrapped them around her waist like I was just pulling her into an embrace. Instead, I attacked her sides with tickles, grinning widely.

Eden’s POV:

I smiled brightly when I felt his hands wrap around me. I wanted to be embraced by him, but what he did next completely took me off guard.

His hands dig into my sides, moving up and down mercilessly. I screamed, laughter bubbling out of my throat as I tried to get away but failing.

“Sterling!” I broke out laughing, trying to wriggle out of his hold but it was strong. He only increased the intensity of his attacks, tickling me harder as I flailed around, tears gathering at the corner of my eyes as my stomach started to hurt from laughing. “Ster—Sterling! Stooooooop!!”

Sterling's POV:

"What's the magic word~?" I singsonged teasingly as I continued my attack. She was so ticklish that it was hilarious. Honestly, I don't think I have met anyone who's as ticklish as my girlfriend.

Eden’s POV:

No, no! Why did he have to attack my weak point? Why did I have this weak point in the first place? Oh, God, I’m dying. I’m going to die. This would be the worst death ever. Eden McArthur—died from being tickled.

“Please!!!” I shrieked, laughing, trying to pull his arms away from me. “Sterling—!!!”

Sterling's POV:

I laughed and stopped tickling her. Instead, I pressed our lips together again, but only for a moment. She still needed to catch her breath, after all.

"There. You're freed," I told her, my voice still holding the laughter from moments earlier.

Eden’s POV:

I rolled on my side, my jaws hurting from smiling too much. I panted heavily, trying to catch my breath.

“I will…” I took another deep breath, glaring over at Sterling playfully. “Take my revenge… you…”

Sterling's POV:

I raise an eyebrow at her, giving her a challenging smirk. "Oh? And how do you plan on doing that, hm?" I wondered.

Eden’s POV:

I glared at him harder.

“I don’t know,” I admitted hotly, pulling myself up to sit as my glare intensified. “But I’ll think of something. I promise you, my king, you’ll regret torturing me like this.”

Sterling’s POV:

I chuckled a bit and quickly leaned forward to peck her on the lips. Yeah, I’m sure she would find something, but I don’t know how long it would take her to do so.

“If you insist, my queen. But I’ll have you know that I know many of your weaknesses,” I reminded her with a wink.

Eden’s POV:

I fell back on my back (lol), still trying to catch my breath as I glared at Sterling.

“Like what?” I knew it was a terrible idea to challenge Sterling. He did, in fact, know almost all of my weaknesses. Yet I couldn’t help myself as I maintained a stubborn eye contact.

Sterling’s POV:

“Well, tickling you, for one,” I chuckled, leaning closer. A playful smirk tugged at the corners of my lips as I looked down at her. “And for another… When we’re kissing, and it gets a little heated, and you think you can be in charge of it, but then I bite down on your lip… That’s another.”

Eden’s POV:

I trembled from underneath him. My breath hitched in my throat and the longer I looked at him, the harder it was to breathe.

The smirk on his face made my heart squeeze and act like a professional acrobat. It was a confident look, one that knew whatever he was talking about was true, that I lost this argument because I couldn’t say anything in my defense to turn the tables on him.

And he was right. He was so right.

“Well, that’s two,” my voice was strained, coming out in a hushed whisper. It wasn’t like me knowing what weaknesses of mine he knew would help my case. If he wanted to dominate me, he could do it easily, zero resistance from me. Probably about 1-5% percent resistance, actually, but useless. “What next?”

Sterling’s POV:

Gosh, this girl… I may be confident in my actions, but it came purely from being around her. She was my weakness…

“Next? Next would be simply me in general, sweetheart,” I told her, my voice low and rumbling in my throat. I knew the effect I had in her, and I found it incredibly hard to refrain from doing this to her.

Eden’s POV:

I swallowed thickly, my throat parched and dry. It was like my brain froze over—I could not think about anything else other than the fact that Sterling was so close, he was so close and he was doing this to me so easily. His voice sent shivers down my spine and I curled my toes, biting my bottom lip in the process.

I opened my mouth to speak, to shoot back a remark, to try to turn the tables in my favor but the only thing that came out was a weak, barely audible, “r…right…”

Sterling’s POV:

With another deep chuckle, I leaned in and kissed her softly before pulling away. “I think we should start getting ready for class, now.”

Eden’s POV:

My mind was still hazy and I was unable to register his words, especially after that kiss, but once I did, I sent a glare in his direction.

“I hate you,” I muttered. How could he tease me so easily? How was this even possible? He did it like it was the easiest thing in the world! And then he would change the topic like it was the simplest thing to do.

Still, I pushed him away as I poured and set my feet on the floor.

“I’m going to make toast,” I said to him fiercely, refusing to look at this teasing male.

Sterling’s POV:

I chuckled and followed after her quickly.

Whelp… I was doomed. She would certainly be getting me back for this.

“Hey. You know I love you,” I reminded her as I trailed after her.

Eden’s POV:

I pouted, crossing my arms. I knew it was childish to be upset over something like this, but I couldn’t help it. He couldn’t just tease me like this!

“Nice,” I replied, opening the cabinet and taking out bread before putting it in the toaster. I opened the fridge to take out butter while I waited for the bread to toast.

Sterling’s POV:

“Babe, c’mon… Look, I’m sorry for teasing you,” I said, walking up behind her. Resting my chin on her shoulder and wrapping my arms around her.