After tossing and
turning for at least an hour, she finally gave in and dragged her
blanket into the living room. Curling her body onto the sofa, she
gazed out the window at the lights of her beloved New York, thinking
of everything and nothing in particular. This was the time of night
(well, morning) when she began to feel philosophical, especially in
the past couple of months. She thought now of how her life had
changed since Christmas, going from that of a lonely street performer
who gave away her love whole-heartedly in the hopes of having a
fraction returned, to a life of being loved as completely as ever she
had loved in the past. It was awe-inspiring. She couldn't think
how she could have possibly been luckier. A while later, she heard
soft rustlings from the bedroom and then a creak from the loose
floorboard near the bedroom door, and finally, soft padding footsteps
approaching. She didn't turn as her lover slid behind her on the
sofa, slipping his legs around her body, pulling her into his
embrace; she just leaned back into his arms with a contented sigh.
Neither spoke for a long time, just sat together drawing warmth and
love from the other's proximity. Finally, he pressed his lips to
her temple and asked:
"What are you thinking of, babe?"
"You."
"Really?"
"Yeah, of course.
Why?"
"I dunno. I just wonder sometimes what's going on
inside your head."
She laughed softly "Why
should anything be going on inside my head?"
"Oh c'mon
Angel, you've always got something brewing in that mind of yours."
"Nope, not now. I'm just thinking of how lucky I am to have you."
"Baby, I'm the lucky one." He squeezed her tighter and kissed the top of her head, loving, as usual, the feel of her own soft hair. She moaned softly in simple joy and snuggled down deeper into his arms. He gazed down at her for a moment, then back out the window.
"Ang, look."
"Oooooh, it's snowing, you know what that means!"
"I do." He answered; anticipation in his voice. She turned around to face him and he gently cupped her cheek, pulling her closer. He kissed her sweetly, almost chastely, on the lips, but she pressed closer, hands on his chest, deepening the kiss and the emotion between them, flicking her tongue on his lips until he opened his mouth to admit it. They kissed until it seemed neither had ever been separate from the other, and then finally they needed to break the kiss and get a breath. Panting softly, she looked into his eyes and smiled the kind of smile which said she was up to no good. He allowed her to lay him back on the sofa and undress him slowly. He tried to help, but for his efforts, he received only reprimands and soft slaps.
-----
Before long, she was lying asleep in his arms. He smiled down at her, thinking as he always did in these moments how beautiful she was, just like this. No makeup, no wigs, no sassy clothes; just Angel, without artifice.