Act Two

XIII

Delicate and slow hands work their way down the cascading blonde hair, twisting and pulling strands together. The hands make their way across one side of the man's head, in the middle once his conscious comes out of deep slumber and his eyes open. The tips of her fingers brush past the fibers, sending a comforting sensation. "Good morning, Lilya." The man whispers once remembering where he is, who is with him, and why. "Good morning, Yasha." The woman next to him answers with a voice as smooth as honey. Said woman sits up, propping against her left elbow, gazing down at him with a growing smile. "Sleep any better?" He asks quietly, looking back up at her. The sun still sleeps in their hemisphere at this time of morning but he can envision a perfect halo outlining her figure.

He swears he is looking at an angel.

"I did, thank you." The brunette answers, scanning his facial structure. A handsome man like him only comes around so often. With a strong jaw, cleft chin, sharp, narrow eyes, and high cheekbones, he could make any woman's knees buckle upon eye contact if lucky. He has quite the genetics. It only makes her curious which of his parents he looks more like. A man like him could have any woman and he chose her. Lilia is definitely lucky to be the one he gives his personal time to.

How was he single again?

"Lilya, are you okay?" Yakov reaches for her shoulder, gently shaking it. "Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, Yasha." Lilia looks down with a small smile. "You sure? I asked you a question and you didn't say anything." Lilia's smile fades and she makes a different expression. "Sorry, what was the question?" She lays back down on the bed, head resting between his arm and chest. "What are you thanking me for?" The man mentions, moving his arm to lay his hand on her upper arm. "Oh. I thanked you because that was the best sleep I have gotten in a while." Lilia glances towards him, leaning closer. "A little concerning but I'm honored. Now, why were you spaced out with a goofy grin?" He teases. Lilia's cheeks heat up, not wanting to admit why she was staring. "Um... okay, I just think you're very handsome." She musters the courage to confess, waiting for the embarrassment to come from it. However, it is not the outcome she receives. Yakov is more flustered than her, surprised to hear a thing. "T-Thanks, Lilya." He grins nevertheless.

The lady chuckles and moves over to face him. "Why are you so surprised?" She hums, leaning against him. "I don't receive those kinds of compliments from partners." Now Lilia is the surprised one of the two. "Really? That's shocking to hear. You're a handsome man who was single and you never got called handsome?" Yakov blinks then shakes his head. "No, I was always the compliment giver. Should I have been receiving compliments?" Yakov asks, genuinely sure that he got this all wrong. Going into his first relationship, he thought that kind of thing was equal. However, after it ended, he figured only the woman gets compliments and she does not give them back.

"Yasha, that makes me sad. You deserve a lot more, you know." Lilia's statement reminds him of himself. Yakov has never realized how much of a hypocrite he is when it comes to feelings. He always tells others they deserve the world then never takes his own advice. Does he deserve more than he allows himself? "I know you act all big and tough for me, Yasha but I hope you know that I will be doing the same for you. My handsome man." The blue-eyed man meets her gaze with a soft smile, appreciative of her affirming words. "That is very sweet of you, Lilya. You don't have to do that though I appreciate it." Lilia smiles back at the man, leaning down to kiss his forehead. Before she can do so, his arms wrap around her waist to pull her down and smother the gal in small but quick kisses. "Yasha!" She exclaims, laughing as his kiss attack tickles her neck and cheeks. Lilia can hardly breathe over the "unattractive" laughing, trying to shove him off. "Y-asha quit! It tickles! Stop!"

Stop.

The man underneath her immediately pulls back to stop upon her request, looking up at the woman who is only centimeters away. "Sorry, are you okay?" Yakov asks, watching as the woman's laugh ceases, working to catch her breath. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine." She nods, smiling down at him with sore, flamingo pink cheeks. Dark hair drapes around her face, tickling the man. The woman sweeps it out of the way with her hand, however, it falls back to its original state. "Okay, I just wanted to make sure." The blonde replies, rolling over to look down at her while she gasps for air. "God, Yasha... you're evil." She whispers once able to speak more clearly. The man over her grins, taking in the sight. Her chest quickly rises and falls, taking short breaths with a racing heartbeat. Her pretty face is still flushed, lips parted with every intake of oxygen. If he closes his eyes, this could be taken completely out of context but he doesn't want to be weird. "Are you sure you're okay?" He double-checks, his weight resting in the heels of his palms, the springs under him popping with every fidget. This time, Lilia reaches up to gently pull his face down. Her lips brush against his, pressing forward before speaking up. "I'm sure, Yasha." She whispers against his lips, smiling as she lays her head back on the mattress.