Lean on Me || Jill Roord

27. Official News

Jill and I sat side by side within a quaint cafe that overlooked the River Mersey in Liverpool, where the sky was a gloomy colour. Luckily, we were sitting inside, where the heater was most definitely on, yet I was still bundled up in my coat. I analysed the snow that covered the ground outside, how it was pushed to the side of the road, and how footprints littered the sidewalk. I guess I'd always loved winter; I loved colder climates in general, which makes me laugh since I was born in Australia.

"What are you thinking about, Caro?" Jill's soft voice snapped me out of my thoughts as I turned my head slightly to face her. I took a breath, ghosting my eyes across her face. Everything about her was perfect in every way, and the last couple of days since New Year's had been an absolute fantasy. We'd spent all of our time together, binge-watching television, training in the gym—well, Jill trained, and I did my rehab, but you get the point.

It had seemed less if I was honest. She hadn't moved back into my apartment, but she practically lived in it again and spent every night in bed with me as she wrapped me in her arms, pulling me impossibly closer. The way we worked with and around each other reminded me of the first month she spent with me in recovery. It was easy; it was what I'd always wanted with a significant other—that feeling of two people working together as one and being so cohesive with one another.

"Caro?" My eyes found Jills now; an amused sparkle was what I found that made the corner of my lip twitch up.

"I'm thinking about the new year," I replied rather ominously.

She raised an eyebrow. "What about it exactly, liefde?" My heart grew at the Dutch word.

"I'm thinking about how I'm going to make this my year in every way, and how I'm not going to stop myself from getting the things I want." Jill's hand had found its way into mine under the table at some point while I was thinking; she rubbed her thumb over my knuckles as I spoke. "I'm also thinking about how daunting the task of rehab is going to be because I know it's going to get harder than it has been. It's already been hard at some points. But I want to go to the Olympics because I know the girls will qualify."

Jill hummed as I finished part of my thoughts; she turned to look out the window in front of us at the scenery. Yet again I got to analyse her perfect jaw line, the one I loved to kiss in the dim light of my apartment, or any chance I got to really. "What are you looking at?" Jill's accent brought me out of my trance once more.

I stifled a laugh, "You." I said simply, earning a smile from her and the slightest blush.

"How was the trip to Germany for Christmas? You haven't talked about it much since you've been back." She changed the subject as she glanced back out the window.

"It's really nice actually; I'm glad I decided to go since I hadn't gone the year prior because of other issues." I paused for a moment gathering my thoughts. "Jack and I shot pucks and did some stick work for fun since I couldn't go snowboarding with him this year. Which was honestly what I'm sad about the most; I haven't been snowboarding in years."

"There's always next year; your acl will be fully healed by then, no doubt." Jill reasoned, and my lips withheld a smile.

"Yeah, and I'll be teaching you how to snowboard," I quipped.

"Oh really?" Jill raised an eyebrow challenging my statement, "What makes you think I'll go to Germany with you on your family trip?"

I couldn't stop the grin that was forming on my face. "I just have a good feeling about this year," I hummed before turning away from her and sipping my tea that had gone just a little cold now. Jill watched me as I drank my tea and set it back down, slipping my hand back into hers as well, where she gave it a light squeeze. If anyone had known better, we'd look like a couple on a date right now.

"Want to walk around now?" Jill asked, rubbing her thumb over my knuckles once more, something I had come to love quite a lot when we held hands. "I want to go look at some of the shops," she explained as she started to get up. I agreed and began collecting my things, and soon enough we were making our way down the snowy street, walking closely together for warmth.

The rest of our afternoon was spent looking in little stores that held antiques and other trinkets that once held value to other people. I loved shops like this; half of my apartment decor had come from stores like these around the globe. If anything, these types of stores were notorious for steeling all my money, and Jill had to stop me numerous times from buying overly priced items that I didn't actually need. I would whine and complain about her stopping me from spending money, but I knew it was probably for the better because I needed to learn to save money.

Though I did end up buying another vintage metal Indian motorcycle sign, that was something Jill wasn't going to stop me from getting no matter how hard she tried. "How many signs does that make now?" Jill asked as we exited our last store of the day.

"I lost track after the numerous signs I bought in Portland last year," I laughed as Jill rolled her eyes. Afterwards, we fell into a comfortable silence as we continued walking down the street, simply enjoying each other's presence. Moments like these that I got to spend with Jill always made me feel warm inside; it made me feel at ease with the world around me. Jill's hand in mine felt right, like everything in the world was aligning to make this moment perfect.

The train ride home consisted of me resting my head on Jill's shoulder as I fell in and out of sleep watching The Office on Jill's phone. The sun hadn't broken through the gloomy skies and probably wouldn't today, but it was still somewhat light out, meaning it hadn't set just yet. When we arrived back in Manchester, darkness had just begun to fall over the city. Jill and I had decided to watch a movie when we got back, ordering takeout because both of us were tired from the day.

"Chinese?" Jill asked from the kitchen as I sat on the couch, sifting through our movie options. "Yeah, that's fine!" I shouted back.

Soon enough, we'd eaten dinner, and Jill was sitting next to me on the couch as we cuddled into each other, pressing play on the remote. Our movie of choice happened to be Ocean's 8, one of my absolute favourites aside from Devil Wears Prada. As it went on, Jill and I shifted into a more comfortable position where she was practically lying on top of me. Her head was placed in the crook of my neck, and her breath tickled my neck from time to time, but it made my heart swell.

My eyes began to grow heavy until I felt Jill's head move and lips on my neck, followed by a hand slipping under my shirt and lying on my stomach. I sucked in a breath, tilting my head unconsciously. Her lips moved to my sweet spot, where she bit down ever so slightly, and I felt myself wanting more.

I felt cold when her lips disappeared from my neck, and I opened my eyes to find Jill's face hovered over mine. She took her other hand, brushing some of the hair out of my face and cupping my cheek as a smile began spreading across her face. "What?" I questioned, unable to stop the smile that had found its way onto my face.

"Nothing." She paused. "You're just beautiful, Caro. I love you."

I searched her eyes for any sign of deception, but I couldn't find any; all I could see was love. My smile grew in size when I realised this. Taking my hand that was around her waist, I took her chin and pulled her towards me, connecting our lips in a searing kiss that held so many unspoken words. Pulling away once more, Jill searched my eyes for something. It was almost like she was debating what to say next, so I took my chance.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am for how I've acted and how much I've put you through, but I want this to work. I want us to work. I want you, Jill. All of you." I cupped her cheeks as I spoke, wiping away the silent tears that had begun to fall. They were happy tears; I knew that. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

She let out a laugh before connecting our lips again. It was slow and passionate—different from any of our previous kisses—one that pulled me deeper into her spell. When she pulled away our foreheads, we pressed together. "Of course I'll be your girlfriend, Caroline." I couldn't have been happier in that moment; I finally felt like my life was headed in the right direction.

The rest of our night consisted of stolen touches and kisses as our movie played softly in the background, neither of us actually paying attention. We were in love, and as I followed Jill into my room with my hand softly in hers, I intended on showing her just how much I loved her.

——

after 27 chapters it makes sense I suppose.

(voooOoooOoooOoOoOote!)