Esteemed Malevolence

XXVII: A Morning Person

Waking up to the palpable smell of cinders - which were still lightly smoking from the pit of the fireplace - was a strangely welcomed occurrence to Sweeney Todd.

Waking up with Eleanor Lovett's limp, bare body clinging to him, was also something he was more than comfortable with.

The two of them must have fallen asleep together, even though he couldn't recall ever closing his fatigued eyes the night prior. Nor could he remember her hugging her limbs around him, or sprawling herself out on top of him...

Nevertheless, he was secretly glad of the warmth she encapsulated him with.

Due to the light rays bursting in through the gaps within the heavy parlour drapes, he was sure that it was well into the day... in that case, they'd more than overslept - but given their activities the night before, that was no surprise.

Eleanor's face was still snugly using the skin over his heart as a pillow... causing him to be incapable of sitting up or else he'd wake her. He cautiously lifted his arms up from their draped positions by his sides and stretched them up, tensing them in order to relieve his slight frustration.

As his arms slowly came back down, he raised his head away from the arm of the settee to press a kiss into her locks of hair - he questioned why he did this, but just decided it was best that he ensured it never happened again...

Like he'd instantly forgotten what he'd just taken note of, his toned arms disobeyed his mind and slid over the back of her, hands meeting at the base of her spine. He kneaded her there gently, unable to resist burying his face in her hair.

He hoped she didn't wake. He loved her like this, all quiet and peaceful...

He closed his eyes for a moment as he felt her shifting slightly, but she only did so to sink herself further into him. Her mouth had parted slightly, her lips grazing over his torso's skin with every breath he took in, or puffed out.

If this had been a few months prior, Sweeney knew he would have pushed the woman off of him completely... then he was sure he would have scorched himself for being so foolish.

A part of himself was scolding him then. Telling him he was ridiculous for carrying on with such a laughable act...

But he snorted in the face of that cowardly side of himself.

He was well aware that their voluptuous tryst had awakened something within him. His lust for her was ever-expanding, its arms were definitely branching out to snatch at new feelings to accompany it. He was adamant he felt something for her. He cared deeply of course, but he'd known that already.

After the night before, he knew he could trust her without any hesitation. Spur of the moment, she'd answered him honestly, without a single smidgen of doubt in her eyes.

Certainty had flowed through their pleasure.

And certainty had remained, even as she slept against him then.

It was strange, now the barber thought about it, how it had taken him so long to be sure about what role she played in his life.

She'd always been his friend, and admirer.

Yet he'd never forgotten those eyes of hers on that day... on that day he'd finally returned to her after years of solitude. Brown eyes that were full of gleeful surprise. Full to the brims with temptation... not that he'd noticed at the time.

From that moment, it should have been clear to him that she didn't just want to be his friend. Or his land-lady, neighbour, business partner or attractive accomplice, for that matter.