Kristen was woken to the bright light of a lamp shining in her dark, sleepy eyes. Scowling, she cracked them open a small bit. How early was it? Her alarm was set for eight, but it wasn't going off, and it was almost completely dark out of the window. Suddenly, Mathias's face appeared six inches in front of her, his bright blue eyes with light circles underneath. She nearly fell out of her bed in surprise, but it was far too warm in the covers to allow her to do such a thing. "Mathias! What are you doing? It's…" She looked over at the clock to check the time, but he finished her sentence for her.
"Five-thirty AM, I know. But the sun is about to rise." He was comparable to a puppy with his eager, lopsided grin, ruffled blond hair sticking out in four hundred directions at once, and eyes bright like sapphires. Even though it was Five-thirty, his effortlessly handsome appearance made her heart skip a beat. She attempted to ignore it, though, so she could go back to sleep. "There's a sunrise every day, Mathias. We can see it some other time." She pulled the comforter over her blonde, tangled mess of hair to block out the light of the lamp shining in her face.
But Mathias was insistent, and finished her off by pulling all the sheets off her body at once, leaving her vulnerable to the chilly air. "Hey! Give that back!" Kristen stared daggers at him and curled up to conserve her heat. He shook his head and flopped down next to her. "We can cuddle in a blanket outside." Kristen didn't budge. "And I made coffee." In seconds, Kristen was on her feet, however much she complained, and he smiled. He knew that would be what got her up.
•~•~•~•~•
Matthias walked out to the balcony where Kristen waited, huddled in a thick blanket on a bench. He handed her a steaming mug of dark, swirling coffee, which she eagerly accepted. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, my darling." He sat next to her and pulled the blanket around himself so that they were both bundled beneath it. "It's about to come up."
Currently, the sky was a purplish colour, with a very slight peach tinge resting on top of the horizon. The moon was still visible above, but quickly fading into space, to be admired in some other country in some other part of the world. It was pretty, but there was so much more beauty to come.
They sipped their coffee—Mathias's with cream, Kristen's pure black (How could she drink that stuff?)—in silence, their body heat mingling and keeping them both warm inside the cozy, fuzzy blanket. He put his arm around her waist, gently placing his fingers on her soft skin, and she curled next to him with her feet kicked up beside her, leaning her head on his chest. He kissed her nest of hair and smiled. He knew waking her up would be worth it, however irritated she may have been at first.
Suddenly, the colours that decorated the sky grew more vibrant and numerous until there was magenta and peach and cerulean and periwinkle and tangerine and they were all layered on top of each other, like strokes of paint on a canvas. Mathias couldn't help but draw in a breath and smile, while Kristen remarked, "It's so beautiful!" They grew more and more electrifying, so intense they must have been artificial. Then, the sun peeked over the grassy horizon in the far distance, a bright shade of sunflower yellow. The rays of light pierced the darkness that lay on the earth below it, tall things such as trees casting long shadows. The sun slowly rose higher until the majestic hues had faded into a light blue, and the light shone in their eyes. Kristen gazed at him with a rare smile gracing her porcelain face. "Thank you for this."
Mathias grinned. "I knew you'd love it. You're a sucker for pretty things."
She nodded slightly. "I suppose I am," she agreed. "But really, I probably wouldn't have done it on my own. I love sleeping in too much."
"I've noticed," he chuckled. She punched him softly, not enough that it would hurt in the slightest. "Just kidding," he assured her.
"I know." Kristen sipped a bit of her coffee and made a face. "Ugh, lukewarm coffee."
He smiled one of his charming half-smiles. "I can pour you more, you know."
"I know you will," she said. "But I can do it myself. I'll be back out in a minute." She reluctantly slipped out of his embrace and the blanket, and into the kitchen to pour another cup of bitter liquid.
As she was gone, it dawned on him how lucky he was to have this morning with her. It was such a beautiful thing, and he loved her so much. She could've chosen so many others, she certainly had enough admirers, but of all people, she chose him. He realized that maybe the sky was beautiful. One of life's little everyday blessings you were allotted. But she—she was even more beautiful. More beautiful than any shade of fuchsia. More radiant than the sun. She was so perfect to him. How lucky he was.
•~•~•~•~•
Kristen reappeared with a hot mug of her favorite drink and settled in next to him, the blanket around her and cuddled into him. Mathias half-smiled subconsciously as he looked down upon her. "I realized something while you were gone."
"And what would that be?" She leaned back to look him quizzically in the eye, dark blue meeting light.
He grinned in a goofy, dorky way. "You're more beautiful than the most amazing sunrise in all of history."
Kristen laughed and rolled her eyes. "You're so cheesy, you idiot." She shook her head before continuing. "But I love you." Before Mathias could take the opportunity to do so himself, she pulled him down by the collar of his sweatshirt and kissed him.
He smiled into the sudden kiss and placed his left hand on the supple skin of her waist, his right gently on her soft, round face. He stroked her cheek tenderly with his thumb, savoring the moment. Kristen reached up and ran her fingers through the messy golden hair she loved so much, handsome in a completely careless way, while her free hand curled behind his neck. Their lips tasted like coffee and sour morning breath, but neither of them cared. The moment was far too blissful to waste thinking about that sort of thing. The kiss was slow and sweet, full of love and gentility and intimacy.
Eventually, they pulled away, but they continued to look into each other's eyes. They felt each other's warmth and saved the morning in their minds, so that they might remember exactly how they felt years and years from now.
"You didn't let me talk," Mathias said with a grin. "I was going to say," he continued, kissing her nose, "that I love you too."