15 - everyone needs lipgloss

                                    

                                          
Caroline's POV
The sun once again made its way through Kate's curtain-less windows. I opened my eyes to a still asleep Kate. She's beautiful even when she's sleeping. I wrapped myself around her, taking a deep breath to take in her scent. She even smelled perfect. 
"Good morning my girl", she said with the cutest sleepiness in her voice.
"Good morning my girl", I said as I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
We stayed in bed for the next few minutes before Kate popped up, "I'm starving. You want pancakes?"
"Of course I want pancakes!" I follow her into the quaint kitchen of her 1 bedroom apartment as she gets out each ingredient and begins to cook. 
She slides a plate of perfectly golden, fluffy pancakes in front of me. "Oh my gosh, Kate, these are the best pancakes I've ever had", which is 100% the truth. 
We finish breakfast and decide to go ahead and get ready for the day. I throw on a graphic tee, a pair of jeans, and my Dunks. 
As I'm fixing my hair and applying some light makeup, I can see Kate in the mirror. T-shirt, denim shorts, and some sneakers.
"You almost ready?" She asks, wrapping her arms around my waist while I apply some lipgloss. 
"Yep, except I think you're missing something", I say turning to face her. I plant a soft kiss on her lips, "everyone needs lipgloss."
She shook her head and bit her lip, "you sure are something. I'm not usually big on lipgloss, but I'd wear it everyday if that meant I got it from a pretty girl like you. Let's go hot stuff", she said grabbing my hand and leading me out of her apartment. 
****
Driving through Las Vegas is so beautiful. Between the natural scenery and hustle of the city, there's so much to take in. Our first stop is The Sphere, which was an incredible experience. We stopped for a quick lunch at a pizza place, and spent the rest of the afternoon walking in and out of stores on the strip. One thing I'm noticing about Vegas, is that it is incredibly hot. 
Kate's POV
"Ooh jewelry!!!" Caroline says as she drags me into a crispy clean jewelry store. It is so nice in here, we've made it to the luxury section of the strip. 
About 80% of the items in here are presented with an 'omg so cute' or an 'ooh' by Caroline. We stumble on a section of the store where you can handwrite messages onto jewelry, which of course prompts an "oh wow!!" out of the brunette, who looks like a kid in a candy store. 
Handwritten jewelry at the store on the strip. Noted. 
We make our way out of the store and walk the rest of the strip, going in and out of stores. Caroline bought a few outfits and I did too. I could use some new pregame tunnel 'fits.
The sun was starting to set over the busy Las Vegas skyline, casting a glow on Caroline's face. She looked like an angel. We stopped to sit on a bench and watch the people and occasional street performers. Something about watching her simply exist was mesmerizing. I could see her observe every other person that walked by and could sense her contentment. 
"Hey, thank you", Caroline said as she turned to look at me, with her hand above my knee. 
"For??" 
"Everything. Being you. I never thought I would date again after my ex. I thought that was it for me. I isolated myself and moved away from everything I've ever known. I put up walls that I thought were impossible to break down. You didn't even see any walls. I've never had a single doubt about you, Kate. You treat me beyond better than anything I thought was ever possible. So thank you."
Feeling myself choke up and my face flush, I pull her into my side. "There's no reason to thank me. You're easy to love... and anyone who has ever done you wrong is an idiot."
We sat in a moment that felt like we were the only people in the world, until Caroline broke the comfortable silence. She looked up at me with a small tear in the corner of her eye, "I already miss you and I haven't even left yet."
Don't even get me started. I'm dreading taking her to the airport in the morning. 
"I know, I do too. But let's not think about that. How about we stop at Target and grab some snacks and a Lego set? We can take it back to my apartment."
"You're full of good ideas, Martin", she said as we made our way back to the parking garage where my car was parked.
I should've known that a quick stop at Target was going to turn into looking through every square inch of the store. Not complaining though. More time with my girl. We did get what we came for, which were snacks and a Lego set. Well, we ended up with 2 Lego sets and a bag full of other random things. Anything to make Caroline happy. 
Back at my apartment, we got settled in the matching fuzzy socks Caroline insisted that we needed. I set up the assortment of snacks we both couldn't leave without, and Caroline opened up the Legos.
We spend the next hour or so talking about our childhoods, what we were like in high school, and other random topics as we assemble both Lego sets. It's getting late and I can tell Caroline is getting tired. 
"Hey, why don't you go put your pajamas on and I'll clean all of this up. We've gotta be up early to get you to the airport", I suggest as I look into Caroline's tired but beautiful eyes. 
She lets out a yawn, "don't remind me", followed by a cute little pout. Goddamn this girl is going to be the death of me. She got up from the barstool she was sitting at and made her way to me. I pull her into my lap as she wraps her arms around my neck. 
"I love you so much", she said as she comfortably fell into me. She fit right into the empty space of my body. 
"I love you forever, pretty girl."
Caroline's POV
I hop out of the shower and throw on some shorts and the sweatshirt Kate let me borrow in New York. This has become a staple in my wardrobe. Kate's scent has started to wear off, so I figured bringing it to Vegas would give it a little refresh. By the time I finished my shower & skincare, Kate had already shut down the rest of her apartment for the night.
"Aww my sweatshirt, it still looks way better on you", Kate said, hopping up from her bed and wrapping me in a hug. I've never been too keen on physical touch, but something about Kate's touch made me crave it. It made me crave her. 
She took a quick shower before coming back out and getting right back in bed. 
"I'm going to miss sleeping next to you", she said as she pulled me close to her. 
I didn't say anything. I just held on a little tighter and buried my head in her chest, trying to hold on to every bit of Kate Martin.