Eternal Longing ✓

35. Calls, Cookies, And Kinks

JAYA

The time has officially come.

We're at that dreaded point of the semester when professors decide to forfeit everything and unleash complete destruction upon their poor students.

That's the thing about school. It does not give a damn about your circumstances.

Oh, your entire hand is cramping? Your cat just died? You're going through a legitimate depressive episode and feel too anxious to do anything beyond sleeping the day away?

Well, that is so sad for you but the assignment is still due by 11:59 pm tomorrow. No exceptions.

So even though my evening took an unexpected turn with a short yet unwanted visit to the hospital, after a delicious dinner, I find myself tiredly completing work.

I type one more word, watching the cursor on my document flicker five times, the steady movement slowly lulling me to sleep, then I shake my head and delete the entire sentence because it doesn't sound as I want it to.

I try to start another sentence, but my eyes refuse to remain open, so I just end up blinking rapidly several times as the one measly paragraph I've written taunts me.

Completely over it, I push my computer off my lap and push myself down the bed. "Ughhh! I'm so tired!"

I lay my head on Fin's lap, not giving a damn if I'm disturbing him.

He's been working so diligently on his laptop for the past two hours, getting to work quickly after dinner, and I'm simply not sure how the hell he's able to keep such concentration when there are many more fun things to do besides dreadful work.

Fun things such as sleeping.

"You've only been doing homework for thirty minutes, Jaya." He lays a hand on my cheek, giving me the attention I so desperately crave.

"But I'm tired!" I pout up at him, grabbing his arm and clutching it to myself as my eyes close once again. "And your bed is also so damn comfortable. Maybe I'll take a quick nap?"

He leans forward and picks up my laptop to look at my progress. "Focus for just a little longer. It sounds really good so far."

"No." I snuggle tighter with his free arm. "I'm done."

"Jaya."

I'm already half asleep, the outside world inconsequential at the moment when I hear Fin set our laptops on the side table and extract his arm from my clutches.

"Fiiiin," I whine sleepily at the loss of his limb. "Give me back the arm."

He chuckles at my brattiness, and I open my eyes when I feel him moving me up gently so he can slide down the bed next to me. With one open eye, I watch him take off his glasses and get comfortable underneath the covers.

"Come here, sweetheart."

He barely let the words out and opened his arms for me but I'm already nestling against his warm body, my face against the crook of his neck.

"Nap for fifteen minutes then we'll get back to work, okay?" he murmurs in question, his arms closing around my body tightly.

"Thirty minutes," I mumble.

Sighing, he lays a kiss against my forehead, staying there for a long moment before agreeing, "Fine. Thirty minutes then you finish the paper and let me finish my work."

I smile against his skin because he can never say no to me. "Then you'll bake me some cookies?"

"Yes, brat. Then I'll bake you some cookies."