you take me the way i am

you take me the way i am by ssaarah

I kicked off my heels, uncharacteristically leaving them strewn in the entry way before falling into my couch and letting my eyes shut. I'd had a shoot today, plus a test at school, followed by a fitting for a runway show this weekend. I was exhausted...then again I wasn't sleeping much either. Tristan and I had agreed to take things slow, one step at a time and I was happy. Then again I was getting laid by a sex god. Seriously, the man could fuck like no one I'd ever met. The only difference between that and every other guy I'd been with? After we were done we'd stay wrapped up in each others arms, talking about our day, or our families or anything really. Or I did. He mostly just listened. He was a really good listener. I'd never just talked to a man like that before. Ever. Except maybe Ben and that didn't count. I checked the clock on my wall and sighed. I had thought I would be home an hour before I was and I had told Tristan he could come over for dinner right about-there was the knock at the door now.

"Hey." He grinned and leaned in to kiss me, the feeling shooting warmth and adreneline shooting through me no matter how tired I was.
"Hi." I whispered against his lips. "I just got home, I didn't have time to cook." I winced.
"Oh so you can't really do it all.....I think this might be a deal breaker for me." Tristan said, clearly trying not to smirk. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Careful Williams, more talk like that and I won't be putting out tonight." I rethought that and then shrugged. "Or I'll only put out once tonight." I ammended.
"Such awful threats. I think maybe we could order some food what do you think?" I nodded, pulling out the menus from a few places around my apartment I kept on me and handing them over to him.
"How was your day?" I asked, enjoying the way his hair got a little messy as he ran his hand through it, the way his forearm flexed with his dress shirt rolled up to the elbows. If I'd figured I'd get used to how hot he was? I was wrong. Every day I found a new part of him to be obsessed with.
"Long..." he trailed off, looking like he was thinking more but saying less. But that was him. I frowned, wondering what was making his face scrunch up like that when he looked back at me and smiled. "But things are starting to look up. I have a good feeling about tonight." I smirked and looked down at the menus I'd handed him.
"Have you made a decision yet?"
"Nope," he replied and tossed them back onto the counter, before grabbing my waist and pulling me into his hard body before he pressed me against the wall next to the kitchen table. He leaned in and kissed me long and slow making me melt into him. I pulled back before I could get too carried away and bit my lip as I set my head against the wall.
"How about we skip dinner and go to bed early instead?" He grinned but before he could reply the doorbell sounded and he gave me a look.
"I was leaning towards Italian. Maybe someone read my mind?" he joked, letting me past him to get through to the door, knowing very few people had access to my building. I looked in the hole and frowned.
"My mom's here... and she has Gabe."
"Oh?" he said, looking about as lost for words as I was. I opened the door knowing that I was going to get one million questions as to why he was here. My mother looked stressed as she looked back and forth between us, Gabe looking bored and annoyed at her side.
"Well hello!" She smiled at Tristan before pulling me into a quick hug. "I hate to interrupt this... date, but there's an emergency with grandmere and I was watching Gabe tonight for Ben and Cami, I honestly -"
"Stop and take a breath mom," I cut her off with a smile, Gabe's eyes bouncing back and forth between us. "I'll watch the little monster. Just go take care of grandmere. Is she okay?" Mom sighed and shrugged. Grandmere was known for dramatics but then that ran in the family.
"You know how my mum is... stubborn. Everything should be okay and I'm sure the home is just overreacting, but -"
"Go mom. Gabe's in good hands," I cut her off and ushered my nephew inside before saying goodbye to my mother who rushed out the door. I admired her for taking such good care of her mother when I knew she hadn't taken care of mom the same way.
"Hey kid. You know Tristan, right?" I said after kissing his little face. Gabe nodded and flung his backback on the ground, sitting down beside it and then going through the contents as if he was on a mission.
"He's my friend," He said matter of factly. "I'm hungry Aunt Chloe. Can we have pizza?"
"See? Someone read my mind."
"What's a date?" Gabe asked, wide eyes looking up at me. I laughed and shrugged as I thought of a good way to explain it.
"It's what you do when you have a crush on someone." Was what I settled with but instead of taking that for what it was Gabe just blinked at me, then looked at Tristan.
"Why didn't you tell me you had a crush on Aunt Chloe?" He asked, looking as if Tristan had betrayed him and it was so cute I wasn't sure if I could keep in the laughter.
"Because I'm shy and I didn't know if she liked me too." He said, looking like he two was about to start laughing.
"But she does?" He asked, looking between the two of us again.
"So far." I teased, sending the order in for the pizza on my phone.
"Yuck." he decided, taking a coloring book out of his backpack with a bag of crayons. "My maman and papa are on a date." He said idly as he colored a page of transformers.
"That's nice." I smiled.
"They're getting married!" he said. "Papa said I can wear a fancy suit like him called a tux!!!"
"Oh you'll look so handsome." I grinned. "I wonder if the best man gets to wear a tux?" I grinned, smirking over at Tristan who winked at me.
"You know I bet he does."
"Are you the best man?!" He asked.
"I sure am."
"So I get to match you and Papa!?" He exclaimed, looking like this was the best news he'd ever heard. Kids were so cute. I couldn't wait to have a ton of them.
"So many handsome guys at that wedding." I teased, and tilted my head. I'd seen Tristan in a suit of course, he was wearing one now, but there was something about a tux that was even better. Not that he didn't look delicious in everything.
Gabe wrinkled his nose, "I don't want to be handsome."
"Too late," I grinned, sitting down on the couch behind him. "You're the most handsome boy I have ever seen!"
He shrugged his shoulders, "Maman says my papa is instead. She told me that I'm adorable."
"You're that too," I laughed and ruffled a hand in his hair, smiling at Tristan as he sat down beside me. "And I think she meant that your dad is the most handsome man... not boy." He ignored me in favor of flipping the pages to find a new picture to color. "What did you do today?"
"I went to school," He said simply and looked at us. "Did you know that I'll have a sister soon?" Tristan laughed but I blinked wide at my nephew, not knowing anything about that.
"Cami is pregnant?!" I asked in a louder voice than I'd intended. He shook his head.
"No! They're ordering a baby!!!" I blinked back at him again as Tristan laughed harder, seeming to be in on a joke that I didn't understand.
"Wait, what?" I said slowly and Gabe sighed as if I was the kid and he was the adult explaining all the rules of life to me.
"They will need someone to carry the flowers at their wedding since I'll carry the rings," He explained slowly. "Papa said he will put in his order for a baby girl."
"And how does that work?" Tristan asked with a serious expression, leaning forward towards him.
"It's like ordering a pizza," He shrugged.
"Is it?" I asked, widening my eyes. I'd heard a lot of stories about how couples got babies, I think my parents told us something about a baby fairy and I was the one who actually told Ben the truth. But ordering one? That was great.
"Yes, and she's going to have brown hair and brown eyes like Mama and she'll like Barbies." He nodded.
"Huh. Did you order her off a baby catalouge?" I asked. Gabe scrunched his face up as he thought about it.
"No I think the internet." He said finally. Tristan and I couldn't hold it in any longer, we started cracking up.
"You should get a baby too!" He said excidedly. "If you have a boy then I'll have a friend but he wont' live with me and steal all my toys!!!"
"Ahh, maybe some day little buddy." I rumpled his hair. "For now I like just being the worlds best Aunt." I winked. "Especially if there's a fed-ex delivery of a little girl on the way." I winked at Tristan.
"She should be here soon." He agreed and then hopped up. "I have to go potty."
"You know where the bathroom is." I nodded and he ran across my apartment, almost flying over there with his cute little kid steps.
"They told him they're going to order a baby?" I laughed.
"From what Ben tells me he puts in orders almost daily." Tristan laughed at his own silly joke and I rolled my eyes.
"Gross." I shook my head and leaned into him, reaching up to kiss him long and hard since with the little one our plans had to be much more PG than I'd planned. He moaned into my mouth and held me tighter, sliding his fingers into my hair and pressing me up against the door right before someone rang the buzzer to my apartment downstairs.
"If that starts happening everytime I want to make out with you I'm moving." I said seriously, making Tristan make a silly grin. I'd always known he was part sex god, even before we'd started sleeping together. What I didn't know? Was how unbeliveably adorable he could be too. I didn't tell him that though. Much.
"Ask him if he also runs the baby delivery." He teased me as I went to go pay for the pizza.
"Who knew you were so funny?" I asked, rolling my eyes.
"Tristan want to play with me?" Gabe asked, grabbing the box of toy's I kept for him at my place.
"Food first!" I said, pulling some plates from my cabinet. "What do you want to drink little man, juice, milk or water?"
"JUICE!" He said excitedly, loving my place because I always had his favorite drinks stocked. "Then soda!"
"Deal." I laughed, grabbing Tristan a beer and pouring myself a glass of wine.
"This is my favorite beer." He said, looking over at the Australian label it had taken me forever to locate.
"Yes I guessed because it was the only thing in your fridge." I teased.
"Mama hates beer but she says one day I'll like it." Gabe said, sliding me an empty glass. "If it tastes like juice I think I like it now. More please!"
"En francais?" I asked, knowing that his knew school was French immersion and they were trying to get him to speak both at home the way Ben and I had when we were younger.
"Plus sil vous plait!" He said happily.
"Bon travail" I grinned.
"Can I have another slice?" Tristan asked me while I was already up. Good god men ate fast.
"En Francais!" Gabe chastised him and I laughed.
"Tristan ne parle pas francais." I teased, though I had started texting him translations...though they were all dirty.
"Pourquoi?" He asked with wide eyes.
"Because I'm so good at english." He grinned, his Aussie accent making everything sound kind of like it had an r sound at the end.
"I'm good at both." Gabe said seriously, sounding so much like Ben at his age I cracked up. All Gabe needed was a tiny wide eyed brunette girl to follow him around for forever and he'd be an exact replica of his father.
"You sound just like your dad," I toled him seriously and grinned as he beamed at that, always wanting to be more like Ben. I wonder how long that would last.
"Maman tells me that all the time!" He said before taking a big bite of his pizza, only half closing his mouth, which would make Cami wince but I thought it was cute. "When I finish this piece, I'll have another one. Just like Tristan!" He announced, working fast to prove himself.
"Are you excited about your parents getting married?" he asked.
He nodded and frowned, "I am, except that I can't go on the honeymoon to paradise."
"Paradise, huh?" I grinned at him and he nodded once more.
"Yeah," He said slowly, really drawing the word out. "I'll be staying with grandma and grandpa instead."
"Why don't you sound too excited about that?" I asked, pouting over at him.
"I am, I just hate missing my maman and papa," He replied, looking down at his empty plate. "Can I have another now please?"
"Sure cutie." I grinned, handing him a smaller piece and watching as he ate it like it was the best thing he'd ever tasted.
"Can I sleepover here sometimes when maman and papa go to the paradise place?" He asked, his eyes bright.
"Of course!"
"Do you have a room here?" Tristan asked, knowing that my guest room was set up for Gabe.
"Yes, but when I stay the night here we make a big fort with blankets and pillows and sleep in the living room!"
"Oh" Tristan grinned. "That sounds awesome."
"Aunt Chloe maybe you should let Tristan sleepover someday." Gabe said seriously. I laughed again.
"Maybe." I winked at Tristan, who was grinning pretty wide himself. His smirk did things to me but this genuinely happy smiling man? Did even more things. He was hands down the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen.
"Aunt Chloe is so fun. I'm glad you have a crush on her." Gabe finished his juice and Tristan looked over at me.
"I'm glad you approve." He said, though Gabe wasn't really paying any attention anymore.
"Let's watch a movie!!!! Do you have the avengers?" I groaned inwardly. Not that I didn't enjoy a few hours with Chris Evans befriending Chris Hemsworth as much as the next girl, but it was the only movie Gabe wanted to watch lately and I could probably quote it by now.
"Sure." I nodded, pointing over to where I had my DVD's stacked next to my big screen. "Go find it." He slid out of his seat and started for the movies, making a mess while I groaned again. I loved him, but sometimes I didn't know how Ben and Cami did it.
"You're going to clean that up, right?"
"I will," he said, looking through the pile of DVD's on the floor.
"Not a fan of superheroes?" he asked, wiping his hands clean on the napkin after finishing his final piece.
"They're hot and save the damsels in distress. What's not to like?" He smirked before nodding towards Gabe.
"You didn't sound to eager to watch The Avengers."
"It's his current favorite and we've seen it about 100 times. At least. And within the last month," I said as he leaned over to kiss my nose. "What was that for?"
"You looked too cute, I had to kiss you," he said seriously and I quirked a brow at him.
"Will you stay over tonight?"
"If you're lucky." He shrugged and I felt my mouth fall open before I shot him a look that I knew killed him.
"I want to get lucky and that's why I'm asking,"
"You should've opened with that and my answer would've been yes a hell of a lot sooner," he grinned at me.
"I want to kiss you so bad right now," I said seriously and Tristan leaned closer as I waited to feel his mouth against mine but instead I felt it on my forehead. He was being adorable again. "Not enough." I grinned.
"We'll make up for it later," He promised. I pouted.
"You're lucky I have such a crush on you." I grinned.
"If I recall correctly, you had a crush on me first." He pointed out, that cocky smirk back on his face.
"Oh please, you wanted me too, you'd just never admit it." I grinned to myself as he shot me a smile and shrugged, grabbing a piece of pepperoni and eating it without taking his eyes off me.
"Allez vien!!!" Gabe called out. "It's movie time!! Thor is my favorite today." He grinned.
"Mine too little guy." I agreed, sitting on the couch next to him as Tristan took the seat next to mine.
"Thor huh?" He asked with a brow raised.
"I think Tristan is your favorite instead." Gabe said, always surprising me with how intuitive he was.
"Maybe." I grinned, kissing him on the head. He made that cute wrinkled face and shook his head.
"Your favorite after me of course!" He clarified. I nodded and faked a serious expression.
"Oh, of course!" He settled back against the couch and sighed. "What's on your mind little guy?" He shrugged his shoulders then slumped them a bit,
"Maman is your friend and she is marrying papa... What if I have a sister and her friends fall in love with me?!" He asked, his eyes full of such genuine fear that Tristan cracked up and I bit back my laughter.
"It's bound to happen," I agreed with him and wrapped an arm around him.
"But I don't want a girlfriend!!" Tristan laughed again before shooting an attempt at a serious face.
"That's what I used to say, but hey, it's not so bad." I let my mouth drop open and I turned to him, elbowing him in the side.
"Not so bad?!" Tristan grinned and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, kissing me on the cheek chastely.
"It's great instead. I'm the luckiest man alive. Better?" he grinned wider and I rolled my eyes.
"Luckiest man alive?" I laughed. "You sound like Ben."
"My papa!?" Gabe asked with a grin. I nodded and ruffled his hair.
"That's the only Ben I know." I replied.
"There's a Ben in my class, but he's always getting into trouble." Then he was absorbed back into the movie.
"Comparing me to your brother? Really?" Tristan whispered and I chuckled.
"I'd think you'd take that as a compliment." I teased, knowing how close they were.
"Still."
"You were being cheesy, that's Ben's specialty." This time he was laughing under his breath before Gabe shushed him.
"I dunno, I actually feel pretty lucky." He said sighing as his fingers grazed my neck softly. I smirked, thinking how different this night was than most of my nights out partying living the model life. This was so much better.
"Me too."