And Your Girl Can Sing

Chapter 73: Day

I woke first, gently roused by the noon light shining through John's window. He lay close beside me on his stomach, one arm wrapped around me, deep in sleep, moving slightly with every breath.

    Something small made me almost move away from him, but then I remembered last night and his promise to me. I gently sat up, careful not to wake him, but he opened his eyes and said, "Cora?"

    "Hi," I said.

    "Hi."

    He seemed to realize he was staring too long and looked away almost like he was ashamed. "You hungry, love? Do you want breakfast?"

    "Look at me," I told him, my lips barely moving. His gaze flitted to my face. "Last night, I made the choice to trust you again. And I want with all my heart to believe that you'll be true to me. I also have to think about the things that I told you and work them out, but for now, I want to put everything that happened in the past few weeks behind us."

    He squeezed my waist and hesitated. "I wish the past few weeks never happened. I just wish it was like before, and I wasn't so idiotic, and—"

    I stopped him. "John, it's all right. It's over now. It's like a dream sequence now."

    "Having you has been like a dream," he whispered. "A magical dream, like the ones I used to have when I was smaller. You're just the kind of girl I've always wanted." I couldn't help but let a smile escape. He looked down and hesitated again.

    "You can kiss me," I said after a moment of thought. What good was it, making him squirm a bit. He mirrored my small smile and leaned over to kiss me, giving me one slow, deep kiss, getting us both tangled in his sheets. 

    "You taste so good," he mumbled.

    "Liar. I probably have morning breath."

    "All right. But even so, you still overpower that with your wonderful delectability." He leaned back to sit against the wall, his arm still touching mine so gently. "Shall we go check on Martin?"

    "Martin—! Yes, oh, let's do." I hopped out of bed and he followed me towards the room in which Martin was sleeping. I half expected him to be gone; it would be so like him to stay for as little as possible. He didn't like imposing on other people. But as I turned the doorknob and opened the door I saw him curled up against the wall, breathing deeply.

    "He's still here," I said.

    "Well, where'd you expect him to be?" John asked. "Ta, he slept even later than we did." At that moment, he shifted and sat up slowly, gazing at us for a few seconds before giving a start and immediately sitting up. "Ah!"

     "Morning, Jones," John commented calmly from the doorway.

    "Sorry, Lennon, I didn't mean to stay this long," he said, his cheeks going scarlet. His hair was standing up on one side. He looked different without his glasses, and I saw his facial expression change with remembering what had happened last night. I bit back a giggle as I too remembered John playing "Till There was You."

    "Breakfast, Jones?" John asked. "Ye stayed over, might as well eat with us." Martin looked unsure and then finally gave in to reason, getting up quickly and making the bed, then disappearing into the bathroom, leaving a room behind which looked like he was never there.

***

    Mimi didn't look surprised to see us, but didn't look to thrilled either. All that was shadowed by the breakfast for three she had prepared on the dining room table.