Here is the onset I said I was thinking of the other day. I hope it makes sense- I've been in bed with a virus for the last twenty-four hours and I'm not sure if my brain is working properly again yet.
The sofa beneath her back was soft. She lay back, watching the dust circle through the golden shaft of light from the attic window above their heads. She felt incredibly strange, an incredibly strange kind of happiness engulfed her. They had lain down here together all of five minutes ago and she was basking in every moment of it. But she knew her precise concentration on the moment would fail her at any second, and this would be all over far too soon. She let out a quiet sigh. For now, she would have to remain content, while she could; lying here on one of the thick sofas in the attic with Joseph Molesley, in his shirt sleeves, while everyone else was at the village watching the cricket.
He had his arm around her shoulders, and he turned his head towards her as he heard her sigh.
"Are you alright?" he asked her softly.
"Yes," she replied gently, "This is lovely."
When he'd led her up here with a blanket in his hand, she'd been more than confused. She had been surprised anyway, to hear that he hadn't wanted to go to see the cricket. He'd said that he didn't mind too much. He'd led her up to the attic, cast the dust sheet off the largest sofa in there, beneath the window in the ceiling and spread the blanket down on it. She'd watched him, smiling, gathering what he had in mind. Then he'd gone back to the door, closed it behind them and put a chair under the handle.
And now he was watching her, his eyes squinting a little in the bright light, his look gentle and adoring. She turned in towards him a little, resting her hand on his chest.
"Thank you for doing this," she told him quietly.
He blinked slowly, drawing her a little closer and kissing the top of her head.
"It's alright," he replied, "I've wanted to be able to spend some time with you for ages. Some proper time, with no one else there."
"I know what you mean," she replied, her fingers stroking a little pattern on his shirt thoughtfully, "I'm always wishing that we could get more than a moment to ourselves. Hopefully no one will notice we're both not there."
"Who cares if they do?" he asked her in reply.
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Probably Mrs Hughes," she replied, "I imagine she'd have a thing or two to say."
"That's probably true," he replied, looking a little put out.
She hadn't meant to make him worry, she raised her hand to his cheek again, stroking his skin softly, making him look at her.
"It's alright," she replied softly, "I imagine she's probably put two and two together already, and she's not said anything. We'll be alright."
He smiled at her sadly, and she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, it was to raise her hand to his face, gently stroking the line of his jaw.
"We have now, at least," she murmured, pulling him towards her to kiss his mouth.
He nodded.
Once his mouth left hers, he kissed her cheek, her forehead, the top of her head again. Their pace was gentle, unhurried, almost lazy.
"We'd probably stand a chance of keeping this all a secret if I wasn't so obviously madly in love with you," she told him.
By now, all semblance of doubt or discomfort was wiped away from his face.
"I love you," he murmured gently, "I love you so much."
She smiled, kissing him once more.
"I love you too," she replied.
He affirmed it again in a whisper. His arm wrapped around her body, his hand resting gently on her hip. She smiled, snuggling a little closer into him. His face rested against hers. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his eyes closed almost reverently. She grinned a little, a mischievous thought occurring to her.
"When are you going to marry me, then?" she asked him playfully.
He raised his face away a little and looked at her carefully.
"Whenever you like," he told her, completely seriously.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Really?" she asked in reply.
"Yes," he told her, "Of course."
Then, a moment later; "You were joking, weren't you?" he nudged her gently.
She laughed a little.
"I was at first," she admitted, "That doesn't mean I'd say no."
"Right," he replied, "I'll bare that in mind."
She was quiet, and when he said nothing else she snorted with laughter.
"Yes," she told him, affecting a kind of haughtiness, "Do that."
He turned onto his side, his arm still stretching around her. He was looking at her seriously now.
"I know you're winding me up," he told her, "But I would."
Her laughter died down. She bit her lip a little bit, without thinking about it.
"Yes," she replied, looking across at him, "So would I."
A small smile spread across his lips.
"Well, we'll have to see what we can do about that, then," he told her.
"That sounds like a nice idea," she replied.
He leant up on his arm, resting over her a little.
"Good," he replied, leaning down, pressing his mouth to hers, "I'm glad it does."
He kissed her slowly, tenderly at first. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down towards him and their kisses became more intense. Her lips parted beneath his and she groaned softly. It was very warm underneath the glass in the window, and even warmer with his body pressing against her.
"Joseph," she murmured softly, "Take your shirt off."
She realised too late that she would have to stop kissing him for him to do so, but when he lay back down next to her without the shirt and tie it was more than worth it. Her hand roamed appreciatively over his pectoral muscle, back over his shoulder, drawing him closer to her again.
"You're so beautiful," he murmured to her, his eyes watching her closely.
She smiled quietly, sitting up so that she could undo the buttons on the front of her dress.
His hands slipped under her dress, pushing it off her shoulders, touching her skin.
"You're too good for me," he told her quietly.
She shook her head gently.
"No I'm not," she replied.
She pressed her mouth to his again as she felt him touch her breast over the lace of her brassiere.
"I love you," she told him again.
She could feel him smiling against her mouth and she wrapped her arms around him again, pulling him back onto the sofa. His legs nudged gently between hers and she parted them a little further, letting him move in closer. her dress was around her waist and he shifted briefly, allowing her to take it off.
"Come on," she told him, tugging gently at his trousers as she turned back to him, "Get them off too."
He stood up to do so and she sat there in her underwear, watching him admiringly. When he lay back down beside her he was naked. She held her body softly against his, burying her face in his shoulder. His arms wrapped delicately around her back.
"Marry me?" he whispered.
She lifted her head up, looking him in the face.
"You mean it?" she asked, "You're not just getting me back?"
His hand stroked gently down her spine.
"Of course I mean it," he replied.
She smiled.
"Yes," she murmured, "Of course I'll marry you."
He kissed her, pulling her against his body. She could feel him hard against her and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
"God, I can't believe this," she murmured softly.
His hand caressed her shoulder gently.
"Are you happy about it, though?" he asked her.
"Of course," she replied, "Ecstatically."
"That's good," he replied, "That's all I want."
She smiled.
"You're all I want," she told him.
"Come here, then," he replied.
She kissed him with every ounce of strength she could muster. He was touching her breast, gently caressing the line of her hip.
"You feel so good," he told her quietly.
His hand slipped inside her underwear, he was stroking her gently. She groaned happily. She looked up at him, gripping his shoulder a little as he slipped his fingers inside her.
"Are you alright?" he asked her.
She nodded.
"Yes," she replied, her voice deep from desire.
He continued to touch her intimately, stroking her firmly, making her hips rock off the blanket he had lain there beneath her.
"Please," she murmured, "I want you."
He pushed her underwear off her legs and she sat up, unclipping her brassiere and dropping it on the floor with the rest of her things. She smiled at him as she kneeled up over him, straddling his waist, putting her hands on his shoulders and pushing him gently backwards onto the sofa.
She sank down onto him, taking him inside her with one stroke. He sat up again, cradling her back, circling his hips as she rocked against him. Her head fell back with pleasure as he touched her breast. He kissed her neck.
"I love you," he murmured.
"I love you too," she replied breathlessly, taking hold his hands as they rocked together, wrapping their fingers together, "Thank you for this."
end.
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