edge of the earth
summary - the off campus house is having a party but you're not feeling it. luckily your boyfriend lives there and so you retreat to his bedroom (your safe space)
pairing - garrett graham x reader
word count - 3.7k
You let out a snicker as Garrett kissed your neck.
Both of you were cuddled up on the sofa of the off campus house - Garrett’s all-but suffocating yours.
“You know, it deflates a man’s ego if you laugh when he’s trying to be romantic.” His face was buried against your neck, making you giggle even more as his breath tickled your skin.
You knew he was only messing with you, but for the sake of his ‘man’s ego’ you tried your best to compose yourself.
“Sorry.” You smiled.
You reached your hands to cup his jaw, bringing his face up to meet yours. His gaze darkened as he looked at your lips.
“No you’re not.”
Garrett’s body sunk into yours as he kissed your already fucked-looking lips.
His body was hard against yours, your clothed chest pressing against his in a way that made you wish you weren’t wearing anything. Yet, it was best to be clothed in a house full of guys because you never know when they might walk—
“Hello lovers!” Dean announced as he entered the front door, Allie in tow.
Garrett groaned with annoyance as he stopped kissing you and resorted to burrowing his way back into the crook of your neck.
“Hi Dean.” You answered for both you and Garrett.
“Looking very cosy.” Dean said, hopping over the couch and landing his ass on top of Garrett’s - causing you both to wince at the added pressure.
“Dean!” Allie tutted.
“Fucking prick.” Garrett mumbled, holding you tighter to protect you from his wild best friend.
The comfort of Garrett’s arms around you was second to none. You loved feeling coddled and safe, like the world was not as scary when you were wrapped up in him.
“Dean you’re too heavy. Get off.” You whined.
“I literally weight less than Garrett.”
“And yet I have you both on top of me.”
“Well tell Garrett to get off instead.”
“No fucking way.” Garrett’s head revealed itself from your neck, showing Dean the annoyance he was feeling. “Get off.” He swatted Dean.
“Boys will be boys.” Allie laughed, sitting on the other side of the couch.
Dean shortly left you two alone and over to his girlfriend.
You and Garrett remained laid down, even though you were aware you took up an entire length of the L-shaped sofa. Your boyfriend was too happy cuddled up against you and you didn’t really have any reason to move.
Garrett’s head remained on your chest this time, giving up on trying to kiss you or bury himself deep into your neck - his safe space.
One of your hands run through his curls - something you knew he loved the feeling of. He couldn’t help the fact he was a man whose love language was physical touch.
“Did you use my shampoo this morning?” You asked quietly, as Dean was preoccupied bickering with Allie.
“Mm.”
“I can smell it.”
“At least it smells good.” He gave a slight chuckle.
“It does.”
“Reminds me of you.”
You kissed the top of his head, inhaling the smell of almond butter and something fruity.
The front door opened again and Hannah, Logan, Grace and Tucker came in. Everyone greeted each other, and fortunately no one was rude enough to jump on top of you this time.
“So what time is everyone getting ready?” Tucker asked, sitting down on the edge of the couch next to Allie with a bowl of crisps.
“Ready for what?” Grace asked, curled up besides Logan.
“Party tonight. Here.” Dean answered for her.
“Another one?” Allie threw her head back with a sigh.
“It’s fun, Allie Cat.”
“Bite me.”
You could feel the sexual tension dripping off them both from a mile away, let alone sat just across the room from them.
Instead of giving Dean the opportunity to make some gross joke, Logan chimed in. “I’m only going to take a quick shower. So… In, like, an hour Tuck?”
“Quick shower that turns into an hour long makeout session with your girlfriend.” Dean rolled his eyes and laughed when Logan threw a pillow at him.
“He does have a point.” Garrett’s voice vibrated against your chest as he spoke.
“Says you, G.” Logan scoffed.
You chuckled through a blush, noting Garrett’s own smug smirk.
“Well us girls are getting ready together. You guys are on your own.” Allie announced, making Logan pout and Dean dramatically cry out.
Garrett protests by tightening his hold on you, keeping you in his strong hold beneath him.
“Coming, Y/N?” Hannah asked.
She held her hand out to you, ready to help you escape your boyfriend.
You gripped her hand and she tugged with as much force as she could, but it barely made you move an inch. No thanks to your - as established by Dean - boyfriends heavy weight.
“Save me!” You joked.
“Noooo.” Garrett grumbled.
“I’ll get him, you get Y/N.” Dean walked along the sofa and hovered over Garrett’s body, ready to physically remove him from you.
The rest of the room were either laughing-on or filming. Allie came to stand beside Hannah, holding out her other hand for you to take.
“Ready?” Hannah laughed, “3, 2, 1…”
“Heave!” Dean shouted.
Your body moved from underneath Garrett’s more easily as Dean lifted him up. Garrett was trying to bite back a smile, but ultimately he was pissed that you were being dragged away from him - literally.
Your body slid over the side of the sofa. Your top half was on the floor, whilst your top half was still on the sofa.
“Piss off.” Garrett said, trying to struggle against Dean.
“Boys?”
Dean called the other guys over and the helped raise Garrett off you completely.
After you were cleared of Garrett - feeling surprisingly cold without him near - you hugged your girls hello. It had been a long week and you were happy to get to hang with them now. Even if your boyfriend hated the distance.
Garrett (8:08PM): I miss you.
Garrett (8:08PM): Like a lot.
“God, you two are so disgusting.” Hannah laughed as she read the notifications on your phone. She was helping you with your makeup as the messages from Garrett came through.
“Hey… rude.”
“I mean, you’re also stupidly cute together.” She shrugged her shoulders, applying more highlighter to your cheekbones.
“How are things going with Justin?” You asked her, leaving Garrett on delivered (so needy).
“Okay, yeah. We’re taking it slow.” She smiled.
“Slow’s okay.”
“Yeah. I’m not sure he agrees though.”
“Well that’s shitty of him. You deserve happiness on your own timeline.”
Hannah smiled at you with her kind eyes. She gave you a hug at that comment and you squeezed her tight.
“Love you.” She said.
“Love you too.”
Allie and Grace walked into Garrett’s room then, which you had all taken over to get ready together. Garrett had been allowed to grab some clothes and cologne, but after that he had been banished.
They walked in with two drinks each.
“What are we cuddling for?” Allie asked, placing one drink on Garrett’s desk for you - Grace doing the same for Hannah.
“Love.” Hannah smiled.
“Oh I can get in on that.” Grace laughed, pulling herself around you and Hannah. Allie joined next.
“Ugh okay. Let’s get drunk!” Hannah escaped the hug, forcing you all to disperse.
“Hell yeah!”
“Aye!”
The next half an hour was spent doing finishing touches on makeup, hair and outfits.
Allie had borrowed clothes from Hannah’s closet. Grace had borrowed Allie’s makeup. You stole some of Hannah’s jewellery.
This was what girlhood was about.
You were wearing your own high waisted, black, pin-stripe trousers along with a ridiculously flattering burgundy corset top from Hannah’s wardrobe. Your shoes were your platform Doc Martens.
After you’d taken a fair amount of pictures with each other, as well as some solo-shots, you decided that you were finally ready to join the party.
Technically the party had started at 7PM and it was now almost 9PM, but no one ever turned up this early.
The girls left Garrett’s room and you told them you’d be there in one moment, because you almost forgot to put back on the necklace that your boyfriend had bought for you. You’d had to take it off whilst getting ready, at risk of it getting damaged.
You were stood by your overnight bag, watching out of Garrett’s window as party-comers arrived, and fiddled with the clasp of your necklace to secure it.
When Garrett’s arms melted around your waist you didn’t panic, because you knew it was him.
His lips kissed your neck, causing you to automatically lean away for him to have better access.
“Stop.” You laughed.
“Stop?”
“Yes, I’m trying to put my necklace back on.”
“But,” He kissed your neck again, “You’re,” Kiss, “So,” Kiss, “Beautiful.” Kiss.
“You’re intolerable.”
“Maybe.” He kissed you one last time, before taking his arms from around your waist and bringing them up to help you clasp your necklace together. “Or maybe I just love you.”
With your necklace secured, you turned around to face him.
His eyes were darkened as he looked down at you - genuinely, probably, undressing you with his eyes.
From this distance you could smell his cologne and it was so delectable. You subtly breathed him in and tried to keep calm over how feral it made you.
He was wearing a forest green sweater, with a white t-shirt peeking from underneath and his classic gold chain on show.
“What?” You smiled, blushing.
Garrett didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to.
His hands came to cup your cheeks and tilt your face to an angle where he could kiss you better.
You melted like butter as he kissed you.
It was only a safe peck, but one that you could get lost in for a moment. You could tell he knew that you’d be mad if he messed up your makeup at this point in the night.
He pulled back an inch, with a smirk, only to lean back in and kiss you again because he really couldn’t get enough of you.
“You taste like cherry liqueur.” He said.
“Allie made us do shots.”
“Sounds about right.”
Garrett’s hands dropped from your cheeks down to the waistband of your trousers, looping his finger into the belt holds.
Your own hands slid up his chest, scrunching the material there.
Both of you stared at each other for a few moments. A silent conversation passing between you both with nothing but sparkling eyes and breathing tempos to go off.
“Ready to go downstairs?” You asked.
“I mean… We could just stay in here..”
“That’s not an option.”
“So there is an alternative to going downstairs?” He raised an eyebrow.
You shook your head, “I promise I’ll be in your bed at the end of the night, Graham. Just not yet.”
You leaned up to kiss him one more time, but before he could get too into it and completely make you ignore what you’d just promised you broke away from him and walked over to his open bedroom door.
“C’mon.” You held out your hand for him.
He made a sound somewhere between a scoff and a laugh, before pretending to be reluctant in joining his hand with yours and head downstairs.
There are surprisingly more people downstairs than you thought there would be.
Dean and Allie are already on the makeshift dance floor. Tucker and Logan are doing shots. Hannah and Grace are chatting to some new people.
Garrett holds your hand as he leads you down the stairs, looking back every so often to get a glimpse of you. He's always had a hard time keeping his eyes off you for more than five minutes at a time.
"Want a drink?" He asked.
You both walked into the kitchen area. "Not yet." The drinks you'd had upstairs with the girls kind of felt like your limit already.
"Okay." He kissed your forehead and let you go so he could grab himself a beer from the fridge.
You looked around the room as Garrett took a long drink.
There were some people here that you knew, through friends, hockey or another reason, but there were also so many people that you didn't know. Like the crowd of girls that were sat on the sofa and shamelessly ogling your boyfriend.
“Garrett Graham, holy shit.” You could hear them from over here.
You looked down at yourself then, tugging at the bottom of your top to cover the slither of skin that had started to appear on your waistline.
Garrett's hand slunk around your waist moments later, pulling you close to his side.
Your gaze lifted to his, smiling when you realised he was already smiling down at you.
"G! What's up?" A guy shouted as he entered the kitchen area.
Garrett smiled, his hand leaving the comfort of your body to give the guy a bro-hug. "Hey, man. You know Y/N, right?”
"Yeah of course." The guy nodded at you, before moving onto the next guy to greet.
Garrett's hand came back home to land on the small of your back, watching carefully to make sure no one bumped into you whilst they were greeting one another.
You watched on as Garrett keep greeting new people, but always keeping you close.
He would kindly introduce you to everyone you didn't know, even if most of them never stuck around long enough to actually learn anything about you. There were only a few things guys at parties ever really wanted to talk about; hockey, sex, and girls. Since Garrett no longer participated in conversations about two of those things, people tended to drift away pretty quickly - especially when they realised his girlfriend was standing right beside him.
As Dean came over and started talking about some inside joke, you noticed that Garrett was hanging on to every word his best friend was saying.
This was a good moment for you to let him have his fun with the guys.
“I’m gonna go find the girls for a bit.” You said.
"Okay baby.” He smiled and kissed your forehead.
You walked out of the kitchen area feeling weird.
Like the second you stepped downstairs, the party had stopped feeling like Garrett’s home and started feeling like everyone else’s territory instead.
You smiled politely at someone who walked past you, rubbing your arm subconsciously as you weaved through the growing crowds of people to your girls.
As you spotted the girls jumping up and down, whilst simultaneously grinding on each other, you overheard a couple of girls voices on the sofa in front of you - the same ones that had been ogling Garrett before.
"Wait, that's his girlfriend?"
One girl had her phone open on Garrett's Instagram, looking at a photo from a charity hockey ball of the two of you. She clicked on the photo, bringing up your tag and clicked on it to bring her to your page.
"Y/N." The other girl said, "Doesn't she work at Malone's?"
"Yeah."
"Got Garrett Graham as a boyfriend and yet still has to work a side-job? Yikes."
Your gaze focused back on your friends having a great time with each other, but you couldn't find it in your heart to go and join them now.
You were becoming so aware of yourself in that moment. Your clothes suddenly feeling wrong and you don't know where to stand.
Before you could overthink it, your feet were already carrying you back toward the stairs.
Back to Garrett’s room.
Back to somewhere that felt familiar.
"Ready for another round of shots?" Dean asked, causing a chorus of cheers from the surrounding guys in the kitchen area.
Garrett laughed to himself, sipping on his first and last beer.
He looked towards the makeshift dance floor, looking for you but his eyes could only pick out Allie, Hannah and Grace from the crowd.
Garrett's eyebrows furrowed as he pushed off the counter he was leaning on to get a better view. His hand reached for the phone in his trouser pocket, checking to see if you had messaged but there was nothing.
Perhaps you had gone to the toilet.
“I’ll be back,” he muttered to Dean before moving through the crowd toward the girls.
A hand on his sweater tugged him away from the direction he was going and he turned around instantly, thinking it would be you, but his gaze only darkened when he realised it was a random girl he had hooked up with years ago.
"Hey Garrett."
“Hey,” he answered politely, already trying to step around her.
"Do you want to, maybe..."
"No." Garrett interrupted before she could even finish asking. Garrett sighed, not unkindly, just distracted.
"But..."
"I have a girlfriend."
"What she doesn't know won't hurt her."
Garrett stared at her for a second like she’d said something genuinely confusing. “Yeah, not really how this works.” He walked away from her before she could even reply.
The girls cheered when they spotted him approaching, but Garrett barely reacted.
He felt as though he wasn't completely right without you standing next to him.
His hand felt lost without having a place to hold against you. He shoved his beer-less hand into his trouser pocket for something to replace the feeling of yours.
“Where’s Y/N?” he asked immediately.
"I... don't know." Allie's expression visibly softened when she realised that Garrett was concerned.
"I haven't seen her since she came downstairs." Hannah said. "Why?"
"Doesn't matter. I'll catch you in a bit." He nodded at them in thanks.
As Garrett migrated his way through the house, he tried checking every corner of the room. People were constantly greeting him, but he was only focused on finding you.
After he had done a couple laps of downstairs and outside and still hadn't found you, his eyes drifted towards the stairs.
Garrett handed his half-finished beer to some random person before ascending the stairs.
You were laying on Garrett's bed when he came in.
"There you are."
You watched Garrett's eyes soften when he saw you. He closed his door behind him, locking it too, but not once taking his gaze off you - at risk of you disappearing again.
"Hey." You smiled.
"Hey."
He climbed on his bed, laying down next to you but slightly angling his body towards yours. One of his hands picked up one of yours to hold, his other softly brushing some hair off your forehead.
“Been looking for you.”
To anyone else, having Garrett Graham hovering just above you and focusing on nothing but you might be really intimidating, but to you there was no place you felt safer... or seen.
"Sorry. Just needed a minute."
You can tell your struggling to convince Garrett that you're okay, no thanks to the avoidance of eye contact and the fact you'd started rubbing your thumb against Garrett's hand anxiously. He didn't make any move to stop you though.
There was no way that you could hide how you were feeling for too long.
Garrett knew you too well.
There was no doubt that he could see the tension in your body and the way your smile hadn't fully reached your eyes.
"Talk to me, baby."
Garrett waited patiently beside you, thumb still brushing slowly over your knuckles. You focused on the movement, otherwise you were going to fall apart sooner than you wanted to.
“I don’t know.” You admitted quietly.
“You don’t know?”
“I just…” You huffed softly through your nose, staring somewhere near his shoulder instead of at him. “I suddenly felt weird downstairs. Like everybody else just… fit there better than I did.”
Garrett moved a little, rolling his neck slight, "“Did somebody say something to you?”
“Not really.”
"Baby... Help me understand." You focused on him then, and you could see his heart break when he noticed the pools of tears in your eyes. "Hey..."
"I'm sorry." Your lower lip wobbled. “It’s so stupid.”
"No, no. Don't do that. If you're upset, it's not stupid." He furrowed his eyebrows, desperately trying to understand you.
"I'm sorry I'm ruining your night."
"You're not, baby. At some point Dean is going to do a shot out of Beau's belly button and that will ruin the night."
You laughed at that, your chest raising up and down that let Garrett know it was a real life. He smiled at the sight, relieved to see the sparkle in your eyes come back to light.
“There she is.”
Once you stopped giggling over his Dean comment you felt ready and comfortable to let him in.
"I just didn't feel like I fit in down there. And it’s nothing you did. Or the girls. Or the guys. I don’t know. I sound insane trying to explain it."
Garrett shook his head softly.
"Sounds pretty human to me." He said.
"Garrett..." You scoffed.
"Y/N..." He returned the sentiment.
"I just zoomed out and felt uncomfortable being there. Just wanted to be somewhere else. Somewhere safe."
"And you chose my room?" Garrett made the moment sound so sweet.
"Of course." You nodded and Garrett’s expression softened so completely it almost made your chest ache.
“Baby…” he murmured. He stopped holding your hand, so he could cup your cheek gently, thumb brushing beneath your eye. Your throat tightened immediately. “I don’t want you feeling alone in a room I’m standing in."
"And I don’t… I didn’t feel alone. I think I just got in my head. It's probably that time of the month." You brushed it all off, feeling silly now.
"Not for another 13 days."
You gave Garrett the side eye with a knowing smirk, "13 days huh?"
"Precisely." He smiled, "So whatever you felt tonight was still okay to feel."
Garrett leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead before pulling you against his chest. You melted into him easily this time, the tight feeling in your chest finally beginning to loosen.
Downstairs, the bass still rattled through the floorboards and Dean’s voice echoed loudly through the house - no doubt doing that belly shot.
But up here, wrapped safely in Garrett’s arms, the noise didn’t seem so overwhelming anymore.
