Sarah Brown was not a night creature. Sky Masterson was.
Opposites attract, she thought as she lay in her bed, listening to the gentle sounds of Sky's breathing.
She had woken up for some reason unbeknownst to her in the middle of the night. Her left arm was tucked underneath her pillow while her opposite arm was lying on top. In the inky darkness she studied the silky curtains that hung in front of her window, looking like a drab gray instead of the pure white they usually did.
The previous night Sky had taken her to some nightclub; although it was fun to watch him dance and get lost in the upbeat music, it was also a bit intimidating. She had never been to a place like that before. It had taken a little while for her to loosen up, following Sky's reassuring smile. It was nice to see him in such a natural position, instead of the usual dry air he wore.
Sometime after Sky had gotten her grinning widely and swaying back and forth the band slowed. Sky stopped dancing to adjust his jacket, holding out an arm when he was finished. She took it, feeling a little nervous again but a small smile remained on her face.
Sky's arms were stronger than they appeared. He grasped her hand in his, starting to rock back and forth. She followed him, eyes closing and bodies pressing closer together as time went on. She felt her heart beat quickly in her chest as Sky kissed her ear slowly, moving down and kissing her cheek next. His thumb was caressing the back of her hand as he pulled away to kiss her chin. She felt the way his body moved to stoop down and kiss there; she responded by putting her lips on his when he lifted off again.
The song ended with their hands entwined, lips locked together in an affectionate display. As the new song started playing, she suddenly remembered everybody else and grew embarrassed, pulling away from her husband.
"What's wrong baby?" he asked gently.
"They can see us," she whispered.
"So?" He gave another compassionate kiss against her temple.
"I'm tired," she murmured.
He lifted his up, a skeptical look on his face. "It's only nine o'clock."
"I'm tired," she said again, firmer.
He gave a soft laugh. "Okay, we'll go home."
After a silent taxi ride home with an amused look on his face and her watching the city pass through the window, she went straight to bed. She lay motionless on the bed in her frilly white night gown, listening to Sky move around in the kitchen. A small smile appeared on her face; he was always so restless. She remembered all those times his hands were agitated, touching her tenderly while kissing her.
It wasn't for another hour when he came into their bedroom, throwing off his clothes and putting on the bottoms he usually slept in. She had tried getting him to wear pajamas, but he insisted he got too hot. Not that she minded, she thought rather lustfully.
"You're not asleep," he said climbing into bed.
"Mm?" she hummed sleepily.
He responded by kissing the side of her face again intimately, arm draped around her waist.
"You sure like to kiss," she murmured, rolling over on her back.
"And you sure like being kissed." He crushed his lips against hers before exploring her face hungrily, rougher than normal.
She accepted the affectionate gesture, lips slightly parted and eyes closed as he gradually kissed around her face. His chin brushed across her skin a few times, and she felt the coarseness of growing stubble. She shivered as his lips touched her nose, moving down for another light kiss on her lips. "Good night," he murmured, moving off of her and laying down on his side of the bed.
"Good night," she said back, half-asleep.
He had dozed off faster than she had, a feat quite unusual. Regularly, she went to bed around ten but he stayed up, reading the newspapers she bought while walking through the city. It wasn't until much later he followed her same routine, but by then she was most likely asleep. Sometimes he felt the urge to wrap his arm around her, rousing her from her sleep at his touch. She only looked over her shoulder and smiled at him when such a thing happened, falling back asleep quickly.
But tonight was different. The only other sound other than Sky's soft exhales was the faint ticking of a clock on a nightstand by him. She wished she knew what time it was, but she didn't want to wake up her husband.
After what seemed to be hours, she finally came to a resolve and decided checking wouldn't hurt. Slowly lifting the covers off of her, she got on her feet and went around the bed, kneeling in front of the clock.
"What are you doing?"
She jumped at the sleepy voice. "Did I wake you?"
He looked at her, appearing disoriented, eyes narrowed and hair tousled. "Don't worry about it," he said after a moment.
"I'm sorry," she said sincerely.
"You're fine," he reassured her. "The only thing I want to know is why you were over here."
"I couldn't sleep. I just wanted to see what time it was," she explained.
"Couldn't sleep?" He sat up, the blankets resting on his lower back slipping down further. "I can fix that." His hand patted the mattress next to him, signaling her to come rest by him.
She looked at the clock quickly. "It's three AM."
"So?" He smiled at her, looking more alert now. "I hate going to bed early anyways."
"Then why did you?" she asked, climbing into bed.
He shrugged. "I was lonely." He wrapped his arm around her as she settled down, giving her a smile.
"You don't seem to lonely all those other nights when you stay up."
"I do. Tonight it was just particularly lonely." He kissed the top of her head.
Sarah shook her head. "Sky Masterson, you are an enigma."
"Whadya' mean by that?"
She looked up at him. "Well... first of all, you take a bet to win a thousand dollars and end up marrying me."
"That's no mystery. You're a beautiful and wonderful doll."
She sent him a doubtful look. "Not to guys like you."
He took his arm off her shoulder, holding it up in feign shock. "Well excuse me."
"I didn't mean it like that," she said quickly.
"Relax, I'm teasing." He hugged her shoulders again.
She brushed over it and continued, "And then there's the fact that only your arms get hot and not your legs."
"A lot of people are like that."
"You act like you're a big shot when you talk to others but you're nothing but a sweetheart when you're with me."
He rolled his eyes. "Please," he said teasingly.
She gave a tiny smirk. "And other than being a sweetheart, you just love to touch me. You're a complete romantic at times."
He gave a small snort.
"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about," she told him.
He continued looking away, a skeptical look on his face.
"Oh stop it," she said lightly.
His face broke into a smile, turning back and kissing her forehead again. "Oh, don't act like you're so high and mighty. You fell for me like that."
"I wasn't saying I was better than you," she answered. "And I didn't fall that fast."
He laughed. "Whatever you say, Sarah." He kissed her again, this time sweetly on the lips.
She grinned at him, rolling away from him and lying back down on her pillow. "Where are you going?" he asked her.
"To sleep."
"It's almost 4 AM. You know that's my favorite time of day."
"Well, you'll have to spend it alone. I'm going back to sleep." She closed her eyes, back turned to Sky.
"Aw, Sarah, you hurt me."
"You'll get over it," she murmured.
He chuckled, leaning over and kissing her cheek. "I love you, Sarah Brown."
"Sarah Masterson," she corrected.
"Sarah Masterson," he repeated, a half-smile on his face. "Sarah Masterson."
He grew quiet. She was half asleep already when he felt his arms slip around her waist, hugging her to him. Her eyes opened and she turned her head around to see Sky's messed-up hair and calm face. She smiled. Perhaps it wasn't such a different night after at all.