Ashley wakes up in a familiar bed, in a loft that is now very much home, and there is only the soft sound of an inhale… and then an exhale… and then repeat.
It is the sweetest lullaby.
And it lulls Ashley right back to sleep.
*
Rooms are meant to be filled and chairs are meant to be sat in and floors are meant to be walked upon and Ashley doesn't know how much time she has spent doing just that – taking up space and moving around without going anywhere.
But now, she knows what it means to be present and she knows what it means to be swallowed up by love… and to live to tell the tale… and to dive right back in.
It is the sweetest lesson.
And it teaches her something new every day.
*
Spencer smiles, watching the world shift outside the window, and Ashley smiles, watching Spencer.
Half-eaten salads and pizza and many cardboard boxes of stuff, but Spencer sees the streets and hears the sounds and keeps on smiling… and Ashley sees Spencer, sitting on the balcony with bare feet and with one hand on Ashley's knee…
And Ashley leans forward just as Spencer tilts her head – the perfect symmetry of lovers – and they kiss.
They kiss until no air is left in either of them, stretching out against the wooden slats, on top of one another and pulling at clothing.
Until they are naked and shivering – cold floor and hot skin – and they are gasping, they are groping – places where tongues do dwell and feast – and they are undulating, rippling and elemental like a wave.
It is the sweetest moment.
And it breaks and it builds Ashley every single time.
*
END