Morning After...
The early morning sun filtered through the linen curtains, casting golden stripes across the tangled sheets. Emily stirred awake first, her arm instinctively tightening around Alison's warm body. Alison lay with her face buried in the crook of Emily's neck, hair a mess of blond waves, lips slightly parted, breathing slow and even. She looked annoyingly perfect, even with sleep-creased cheeks.
Emily's POV
"Are you awake?" I asked as I pressed a kiss into Ali's hair. She groaned a little.
"Unfortunately." I chuckled.
"You weren't complaining last night." She tilted her face up with her eyes still closed.
"That's because I couldn't breathe between rounds two and three."
"But round three was your idea."
"Lies," Ali mumbled. "I was seduced. Ruthlessly." I rolled my eyes and shifted to lay on my back, pulling her halfway on top of me. Skin against skin, lazy warmth pooling between us. For a long moment we just laid there. No words. No rush. Just a quiet of a shared morning punctuated only by the soft chirp of birds outside and the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock.
"Do we really have to get up?" Ali asked, breaking the silence.
"Not right now, but eventually we have to get up and eat." I said as I ran my fingers down her spine. She shivered a little before burying her face in the crook of my neck. After a long pause Ali sighed and spoke softly.
"You make me feel like I can breathe again." I smiled and kissed the top of her head.
"I love you Alison." She raised her head with a smile on her face and kissed my lips.
"And I love you Emily." I pulled her into my chest and wrapped my arms around her.
"Let's stay like this a little longer."
A few hours later
The house was silent. A rare, sacred kind of silence - the kind only possible when the kids are spending the weekend with the grandparents, and the world has decided to press pause. Emily shifted under the covers, her body pleasantly sore, skin still humming with the memory of the night before. Her arm curved naturally around Ali's bare waist, fingers tracing lazy circles against her soft skin. Alison stirred, lips brushing Emily's collarbone.
"Did we actually sleep...or just took a break?" She murmured. I laughed a little under my breath.
"You needed a break. I remember you begging for one." Alison opened one eye and raised an eyebrow.
"I was being dramatic. For effect." A blush crept up her neck.
"You were limp. That wasn't acting."
"I was emotionally overwhelmed." Ali deadpanned, then smiled against my neck. "Also, your stamina is terrifying."
"Not terrifying. Impressive. Let's go with that." I said as I ran my fingers through her tangled hair. Alison didn't say anything at first then eventually she lifted her head and stared at me for a moment - the kind of stare that used to make me nervous, years ago, back when Alison's affection felt like a flickering match in a windstorm. Now it felt like the sun: steady, constant, inevitable.
"I love you." Alison whispered, her voice barely audible. I smiled and kissed her, slow and deeply. The kind of kiss that didn't lead anywhere because we weren't in a rush. Not today. We had hours.
"I love you too." I said against her lips.
"Let's stay in bed forever." Ali said as she laid her head on my chest.
"Deal," I murmured. "We'll survive on room service and sex."
"We don't have room service." She said with a laugh.
"Then just sex." Ali grinned.
"You drive a hard bargain Fields."
Outside, the sun climbed higher. Inside, time didn't matter. There were no diapers to change, no school lunches to pack, no early-morning swim meets or PTA meetings.
Just skin. Breath. Warmth.
And the king of love that had taken years to grow - through pain, forgiveness, friendship, and finally, something unbreakable.
