The early morning winter sunlight streaming through the window gradually made Liz's eyes flicker open. She was instantly aware of how cold the room was. Much colder than when she'd gone to bed. She strained her ears for the sound of the radiator.
Silence.
Great. It was broken. Again. She'd have to call the landlord.
Ninety percent of her body was warm, snugly tucked into bed. She didn't want to get up. But the sooner she called, the sooner the heat could be fixed.
She sighed and carefully shuffled the blankets away, a frigid blast of air hitting her bare skin as she began to slither out of bed. Goosebumps popped up immediately and she shivered.
Before she could fully disentangle herself—one foot dangling over the edge of the bed—a warm hand lazily reached out, falling to rest on her hip.
"Don't go." The voice was husky, a mumble tinged with sleep.
Liz's head turned back and she smiled at the mess of curls peeking out from beneath the blankets.
"The heater's broken; it's freezing in here," Liz explained, scooting an inch farther off the bed.
The hand slid forward, thin fingers grazing Liz's abdomen.
"It's warm under here."
Liz playfully rolled her eyes and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "I know it is, but if the heat's not fixed we'll never get out of bed."
Samar's eyes popped open, barely visible amongst her sleep-tangled nest of curls. She smirked. "That doesn't sound like such a bad thing to me."
The hand slid up Liz's side, over the swell of her breast, and onto her shoulder, and then it began pulling ever so gently as it moved slowly, slowly down her arm.
The cold air having worn her down, Liz gave in, scurrying back under the blankets and cuddling close to Samar's body heat.
"Oh my god, your skin is freezing," Samar laughed as Liz settled against her.
"Hey, you're the one who asked me to come back to bed," Liz replied, moving even closer, draping one arm around her. She grinned, relishing the happiness twinkling in Samar's eyes, then nuzzled her frozen nose into the soft curve where shoulder becomes neck.
Samar flinched, but as Liz's warm breaths began to hit her skin, she hummed in contentment, her eyes momentarily drifting shut.
Liz smiled again, pressing her lips lingeringly to Samar's collarbone. "You smell good, you know that?" she mumbled, her entire body relaxing into Samar's.
"Oh, really, huh?" Samar asked, a huff of amused laughter escaping her. "What do I smell like?"
Liz nuzzled her nose deeper, her cheek pressed warmly against Samar's shoulder. She took a deep breath, then let it out with a satisfied sigh. "Like safety. You smell like home."
Samar's heartbeat sped up in her chest, and she knew Liz could feel it, but she chuckled anyway in an attempt to pretend those weren't the sweetest words ever spoken to her. "No need to be cheesy, Elizabeth," she teased, embarrassed, trying not to smile.
Liz unburied her face from Samar's neck so she could look at her. As soon as she did, she noticed the wobble of emotion interrupting the tight line of Samar's lips, and knew instantly that she was trying, and utterly failing, to play it cool.
"I beg to differ, Samar." A grin broke across Liz's face, her dimples pronounced; she knew the effect her next words would have. "I like being cheesy when I'm in love."
Samar couldn't hold back her smile then, joy tugging at her lips, the corners of her eyes crinkling. She slid her hand to rest in the curve of Liz's lower back, staring into her blue eyes, never wanting this moment to end.
Liz smiled in return, her hand wandering sleepily up and down Samar's spine, and then leaned in until their lips were only a breath apart. "Are you sure you don't want me to call about the heater?" she whispered.
Samar nodded, lost in the tiny dark blue flecks that were only visible up close, and whispered back, "I'll keep you warm."