Morning Kisses

Beside Him

The morning came far too fast.

For months Rose had done her best to sleep in the king sized bed all by herself without complaint. She would toss and turn for hours every night while her body tried hard to reach out for her other half. The sheets and pillows all smelled like him which she didn't know if that was a blessing or a curse. It helped her remember what he smelled like, but it also made her heart ache more when he was away.

Now the morning light was seeping in through the windows of the apartment and illuminating the bedroom in a golden glow. She grumbled a bit as her body slowly came to even though she wanted to sleep more. She felt empty sometimes when he was on tour. When they had first moved in together every morning she would roll over to see him sound asleep, snoring lightly from the exhaustion of his work days. He was always right there right in reach of her own body and she had allowed herself to grow too used to it.

Rose huffed as her hazel eyes began to open and then strained thanks to the bright light. She cursed herself for facing the direction of the window and quickly rolled over in the navy blue sheets.
When she did however, she almost cried out in shock.

She was not alone in the bed like she was when she fell asleep last night. There was a bare broad shouldered back facing her that was all too familiar. The sheets covered up to the man's waist line and she could see a thin gold chain wrapped around his neck.

Rose felt hot, happy tears begin to fall down her cheeks and onto the pillow. Jackson was home. For the first time in six months he was home.

She carefully placed a few fingers on his back praying that when she did he wouldn't fade away like in her dreams. He didn't, his back was as solid as she remembered and it was still so smooth to the touch.
She then relaxed her entire hand and rejoiced quietly in his warmth against her skin. Her fingers slowly began to move up and down his spine gently so she didn't disturb his sleep. There was no telling when he got in, she was just surprised she slept through him crawling into bed.

She began to panic a bit though when Jackson let out a groan. He stretched a bit and she felt goosebumps rise on his back. Jackson sighed in his sleep and rolled over. His hair was a pretty shade of chocolate brown now and it was all messy from the pillow.

Rose slowly sat up in bed and rolled up the sleeves of her favorite hoodie of Jackson's so she could smooth his hair.

Often she would go to sleep in the black and grey hoodie that she wore now. It was the hoodie that Jackson wore in the dead of winter when he first told Rose that he loved her. He had asked her out on Valentine's Day almost 3 years ago now and after a year and a half he told her that he loved her. He told her in that hoodie on a wet winter day that he didn't want to date anyone else, he just wanted to have her for the rest of his life.

Rose smiled at the memory and found herself wishing he was awake so she could hear his voice in the flesh. She heard him all the time over the phone but she loved how it sounded in person.

Rose delicately pushed Jackson's hair back from his face and grinned at his sleeping countenance. He had thrown one arm above his head and the other was covering his belly button as he slept. His eyes were closed but she could still see the small bags underneath them. What she loved the most though was the traces of facial hair that were all around his jawline and lips.

Every morning Jackson had to shave it all off before he left for his schedule. The only times he ever skipped a day or two was when he was off for awhile and not making any public appearances. Rose loved the untamed look of him though. He looked unkempt and free when he didn't shave it.

She moved her hand from his soft hair to his prickly jawline. Her index and middle finger danced around his cheeks happily as she felt her heart swell with love. She was more than happy he was here. She was downright ecstatic.

The fact alone that she hadn't woken up from this dream yet thrilled her. That meant that he really was here with her and her mind wasn't playing any sort of tricks.

Rose carried on examining her boyfriend for a few more minutes before Jackson finally awoke. She wanted to let him sleep a bit longer but he probably felt her eyes on him which must have made it hard to sleep.

His eyes opened a bit as he stretched out his entire body. Rose watched as every visible muscle clenched beautifully before he relaxed again. She returned her gaze back up to his face to see that he was now staring up at her.

"Good morning." He said with sleep still heavy in his voice. That phrase alone sent adrenaline shots up her entire being.

Rose didn't even know how to respond. She had questions of course, but for some reason her mouth wouldn't make the words. Jackson blinked a bit in question of her silence and reached over to grab one her hands. He intertwined it with his and gave it a light squeeze.

"Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

Rose nodded quickly and felt tears fall down her cheeks again. She sniffled and tried to wipe them away quickly before he saw them but Jackson was quick.

"Hey," He whispered and pushed himself up to sit level with her. "Hey you, what's wrong?" He reached out and cupped the sides of her face with his big hands and she sobbed a bit.

"These are happy tears." She squeaked and smiled at him. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck in a death grip and sobbed into his shoulder.

Jackson chuckled a bit and locked his arms around her waist as she cried. Rose ran her fingers through the back of his hair as she continued to cry. So this is what it felt like to cry out of happiness. It was a weird feeling to her to feel so much happiness bubbling around in her stomach but the only way she could express it was tears.

"I'm sorry you've been so alone my love." Jackson said to break the silence. "I'm so sorry."

Rose cleared her throat a bit and pulled back. She cupped the sides of his face and ran her thumbs through that stubble she loved so much. Jackson pressed his forehead against hers and smiled sadly.
"I'm a bad boyfriend sometimes I know." He said softly and Rose shook her head.

"No, you're a great boyfriend. The best actually, but you are also one of the most popular idols in the nation." Rose replied and smiled at the slight blush in his cheeks. "Sometimes I just have to share. It's moments like these though that remind me that I'm and head over heels in love with you."

Jackson smiled brightly now and flashed his pearly while teeth. He was such a goofball. Whenever she mentioned that she loved him anywhere he would get that same smile and look like a kid in grade school who just got a piece of candy.

"You love me?" Another thing he did. He always asked her that question as well just to fish for an "I love you".

Rose snickered and pecked his lips. "I love you lots."

Jackson kissed her softly and gave her hips a tight squeeze. Rose loved how safe she felt whenever they kissed or hugged. He always kept a tight grip on her like he was afraid she would fall during the embrace.

She felt her heart rate pick up as he grew a bit more racy with the kiss. He slipped his hands under the hem of his hoodie and began to slip his fingers up and down her spine. Momentarily he pulled back with a sly smile and said against her lips, "Doesn't this just drive you crazy?"

Rose flushed red. He must have been half awake when she started tracing lines on his back earlier. Now she was paying for it.

"God I missed you." Rose said and Jackson smiled again while still tracing lines up and down.

"I missed you too. I was starting to forget which freckle on your face was my favorite." He teased and Rose smacked his shoulder.

Jackson's laugh echoed through the bedroom and he yanked Rose backed down to his lips. Rose knew one thing for certain, this is a morning that she will never forget.