While you were Sleeping

27. My girlfriend

Valentina blinked heavily as she slowly opened her eyes. She frowned when her eyes focused on the unusual light fixture hanging crookedly from the ceiling. The tie-dyed paper lantern looked home-made and she wondered if Juliana had blended the pastel colours herself.

She smiled as she looked down at her sleeping girlfriend. That would take a while to get used to.

Juliana was snuggled against her, her head resting on Valentina's shoulder. Soft puffs of air ghosted their way across Valentina's skin, a trail of goosebumps erupting along her chest with the cool exhale, contrasting with the hot and heavy arm that was draped possessively over Valentina's abdomen.

Valentina placed her hand on Juliana's back, the pads of her fingers gently caressing the skin between her top and shorts. She smiled as she remembered the last time she'd found herself in this position. Having a sleepy, cuddly Juliana pressed against her like this was a great way to wake up. Maybe she should get a t-shirt labelling herself as 'Juliana's personal pillow'. Juliana would get a laugh out of that. There was one major difference though. The rules had changed. This time, Valentina wasn't afraid. This time, she could touch and kiss Juliana. And more importantly, this time, she planned to do exactly that.

She slowly glided her other hand along Juliana's tanned forearm, her fingers light as they skimmed across her soft skin. Juliana shivered at the feather light touch, her leg sweeping over Valentina's as she tightened her hold on Valentina's waist, snuggling closer. Valentina had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing as she continued her trail up and down Juliana's arm.

"Hmm," Juliana hummed as her body rocked a little, trying to get comfortable again. "What time is it?" she mumbled.

"No idea." Valentina's other hand made its way into Juliana's hair. Her fingers gently threading through the dark strands as she placed a kiss on Juliana's forehead.

"Hmm... that's... nice..." Juliana trailed off, her breathing deep as she fell asleep again.

Valentina assumed she was referring to her touch, she continued to play with the silky dark locks, her fingers burrowing beneath them to softy caress Juliana's scalp.

Last night, after their awkward conversation, they had settled into bed, an invisible barrier towering between them as they lay on their backs staring at the ceiling in the dark room.

Surprisingly, it had been Juliana who broke the silence. Secrets began spilling out into the darkness. Valentina had turned onto her side to give Juliana her undivided attention, listening carefully to everything she said. Juliana talked about her mother and how wonderful it was to see her so happy. The loss of Juliana's father had left Lupe heartbroken for years, and according to Juliana, her mother hadn't gone on many dates since. She told Valentina about the times they had struggled to keep themselves afloat, especially when her grandparents became ill, but they had stuck together and always pulled through. Their relocation to Mexico had been scary, neither knowing what to expect but thankfully everything had turned out even better than they hoped.

Valentina couldn't imagine how difficult it must've been for them financially, but she did understand loss. She shared stories about her own mother, the family holidays they enjoyed together and even a few funny stories involving Eva. She often thought about her mother but it was nice to talk about her, even if she got a little teary.

There was one benefit to crying though. The invisible barrier, that had prevented her from reaching out to touch Juliana, completely vanished when Juliana moved closer to comfort her. Soft caresses and hand holding, led to comforting cuddles and long kisses. She had fallen asleep in the safety of Juliana's arms.

She glanced down at their tangled limbs and smiled. They must have moved around in their sleep because this was not how she had fallen asleep. The bedsheets lay crumpled and unused at the end of the bed. If the temperature had dropped during the night, Valentina hadn't noticed. If she was Juliana's pillow, then Juliana was her blanket.