A/N: Again, inspired by a song (of the same name) that I heard recently, that brought back some very happy memories for me, from a LONG time ago. Thanks again to my fabulous beta, Rae D Magdon, who helps me to sound better than I actually do! I hope you enjoy this fluffy little tale :) It's what the world needs, right? (Not the story, but lots of fluff... lol)
Razor-thin shafts of golden light peak through curtains, warming the room. She hears quiet but steady breathing as she draws open an eye.
As sunlight fills the room, she opens her other eye and they slowly begin to focus. She sees the rays of light coming through the curtains as she casts her eyes around the simple, yet tastefully decorated room.
She breathes contentedly as soft cotton sheets caress her naked form. She feels a warm body against the front of her own. Eventually, her eyes begin to focus on a bare shoulder in front of her.
Her eyes move down the shoulder, along a naked arm, to see her own arm, draped over the warm body's waist. She smiles as the warmth radiating off the body spreads through the front her own.
She lifts her arm and gently plucks out the sheet that has bunched between their bodies.
She feels, for the first time today, heated skin on heated skin. She tucks her body closer, so that the tops of her bare thighs press against the bottom of the warm body's powerful thighs. Hips gently cradle hips. With each breath she takes, her abdomen pushes against the heated, toned expanse of flesh in front of her. Her chest pushes into angled shoulder blades. Pleasurable warmth begins to build and spread throughout her entire body as she nuzzles her nose into the inviting neck in front of her. Breathe. She breathes deeply, the sweet scent of fulfilment overwhelming her senses. Her arm returns, to pull the warm body closer, a perfect fit for the narrow waist in front of her.
She listens again as she focuses on the warm body's rhythmic breathing, her arm rising and falling slightly, in time with the rise and fall of the abdomen and chest of the person in front of her.
She pulls her head back to her own pillow, eyes roaming over a sensual neck and a bare shoulder.
She swallows lightly as she brings her arm up away from the warm body's waist. With feather-light fingertips, she begins to trace languid circles over the well-developed deltoid muscle of the shoulder. Pausing momentarily, she moves her fingers down. Soft, fine, transparent hairs tickle the pads of her fingertips as she grazes them up and down the arm, from elbow to shoulder and back again.
She silently prays that this doesn't wake her companion, as she indulges in this quiet time to herself, without distraction, with only the sound of breathing filling the spacious room.
She watches her own scarred hand as it moves gracefully back and forth over toned, cream-coloured flesh. The past three years quickly flash through her mind, the joys, the sadness, the triumphs and the traumas. And now, after everything, after experiences that probably would have broken most people, she lays with her body and heart wrapped around the form in front of her. She breathes, as if for the first time, as if her life has just begun.
A glint catches her eye.
She watches as the sunlight dances across a brilliant gold ring that hugs her third finger, as she moves her fingers up and down the arm. She looks, curiously, at the antique claddagh ring. She observes how the ring stands out against her tanned, rough, bony fingers. She remembers being told about the significance of the claddagh ring, an ancient Irish tradition, the reason they were chosen. Let love and friendship reign forever. She smiles as she looks at the fine gold ring, the delicate crown pointing down her long finger. Two hands hold a solid gold heart, with a small, gleaming diamond set squarely in the middle.
She breathes again, feeling the love that is contained in this simple ring. She was once frightened of this, of her feelings. She has had them for so long that she can't even remember when they started, and she used to be mortally afraid of them. Her paranoia and hesitation about her feelings had almost driven them apart. This paranoia had almost overtaken her entire life, before coming to a screeching halt one fateful day. A day when the cold, hard outer mold of her life cracked like dried clay and shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, leaving her open, raw, and surprisingly unafraid.
She breathes again, allowing the love from this ring to permeate through her entire body. For the first time in her life, she feels at peace. She feels safe. Despite her initial reluctance, her fight against these feelings, she knows that this is actually where she was meant to be all along. In this moment, she feels nothing but pure, honest, unadulterated love.
Carefully, she moves her hand down the full length of the strong arm, to her partner's abdomen. She feels a warm hand, and gently lifts it, tangling their fingers together. Her ring finger entwines with another ring bearing finger, and the cool band presses into her flesh, below her own ring.
She moves her head, nuzzling her lover's neck and inhaling the familiar scent. Soft tears begin to well in her eyes, and she closes them and presses her lips against a pulsating neck.
She breathes, sighing, as she feels her heart fill with love.
She whispers, smiling into her new bride's neck, before drifting back into slumber. "I love you, Maura".