As Newsnight ended, Lewis looked down at the woman who was curled up in his lap…and who was undeniably fast asleep. He smiled to himself, and gingerly reaching out for the remote, flicked over to the football highlights. She murmured something incomprehensible, and snuggled in closer. He stretched back against the soft fabric of the sofa and experimentally put his feet up on the coffee table. It seemed stable enough…
Another hour passed, and he realised that a decision would soon have to be made about going…or staying. It was nearly midnight, and he knew that they would both need to be at work in the morning. Gently, he caressed her cheek with his hand. She smiled in her sleep, leaning into his touch, but hardly stirred. It seemed a shame to wake her. He knew she was a terrible sleeper but he hadn't got the heart to just leave quietly without saying goodbye.
The small clock over the mantelpiece ticked over to midnight, and fire had all but burnt out. Robbie sighed, knowing it was time to do the inevitable. Very, very carefully, he lifted her upper body from his lap, and twisting painfully, he placed her back gently on the sofa, and wrapped the blanket around her. Giving small thanks for the fact that he had earlier removed his shoes, he padded silently across the carpet and out into the hallway. It was dark, but he knew the house well enough to feel his way to the stairs. His hand wrapped around the cool wooden banister, and he hauled himself up as quietly as possible.
The door to her bedroom was ajar, and the lamp on her bedside table cast a warm glow over the room. He'd never been in her bedroom before, and he couldn't help smiling…it was exactly as he'd imagined. Crisp white linen, muted greys, purples and cornflower blue. Entirely Laura. He folded back the duvet on the right hand side, next to the table with the lamp and a small heap of books, and, checking the floor quickly for obstacles, padded back downstairs.
She stirred slightly as he picked her up, but soon settled against his chest as he began to climb the stairs. His back would protest in the morning, of that he was sure, but at least she was relatively light. He smirked to himself a little…the second unconscious woman he'd had to carry in as many days… maybe he did deserve a medal for his gallantry, after all? Rounding the corner carefully, he stepped into the room and gingerly laid her on the turned down bed. She immediately snuggled her face into the familiar pillow and he pulled the covers up over her and clicked off the light.
He sat for another long half hour in the living room, half watching the telly, unsure what to do. The fire was entirely out now, and although he'd wrapped the blanket around him a little, it was chilly sat there in his shirt and trousers. He yawned loudly, and, looking at the clock again, knew he had to make a decision. Stay or go. If he went, he would probably regret it. He didn't want Laura to think he'd just left her. But if he stayed. Should he sleep on the couch? The idea didn't really appeal. She probably had a spare room up there…no…she definitely did, because Ellen had stayed for a few weeks. But again, that wasn't what he wanted. He shivered slightly, partly from the cold, partly from the decision he was about to make. Aw…get a grip of yourself, man…
When he reached the bed, he realised that she was fast asleep now, murmuring to herself, dreaming. The curtains were slightly parted, and the faint moonlight spilling in meant that he could navigate his way to the other side of the room without incident. Noiselessly, he slid in under the duvet, and, without being entirely aware of it, held his breath. She didn't stir. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by a desire to giggle, but he managed to stifle it. Stop behaving like a bloody teenager… He rolled over carefully, onto his side, and moved experimentally closer to the centre of the bed. It felt strange to be lying there fully clothed, but he was so exhausted he hardly cared. Carefully, he bent his leg a little, getting comfortable, trying not to move too much. She murmured again, and rolled over in her sleep towards him. She was so close that her forehead was almost touching his, and he could feel the soft rush of her breath against his neck,
"Robbie…"
His breath caught, and for moment he wondered if she had woken…but no. Very carefully, he wrapped an arm around her waist, his thumb lightly caressing her back, and drifted off to sleep himself.
The cool morning light was being to creep through the curtains as Laura Hobson opened her eyes. Immediately, three things struck her as curious. Firstly, it was well after 7am and she felt rested and well-slept. Secondly, she seemed to have gone to bed fully clothed. Thirdly, and most curious of all, she wasn't alone. The unmistakable weight of a man's arm was wrapped around her waist. Not that these three observations particularly concerned her, not at all. Turning over slowly, careful not to wake him, she propped herself up on her elbow. He was still sleeping, and she was immediately struck by how much younger he looked. Not that she ever really thought of him as old. He was always moaning about retirement, had been for years, but there was something innately youthful about him. He was also wearing his clothes in bed. Of course he was. She vaguely remembered him carrying her up the stairs, of waking in the middle of the night curled up against him. She was pleased he'd stayed. She hadn't meant to fall asleep so quickly and would have felt terrible if he'd left and gone back to his flat alone.
He was still sleeping, and she found she couldn't resist stroking her fingers down the side of his face. He murmured softly, and she smiled, her thumb caressing his lower lip. She felt a light pressure as he kissed the offending digit, before opening his eyes and looking at her sleepily,
"Are you trying to wake me up, woman?"
She grinned mischievously, her eyes playful,
"No…"
He gently bit the soft pad of flesh, before making what sounded suspiciously like a growl,
"Good…"
She felt his arm slid up her back, pulling her down towards him, and then his hand was in her hair, her lips against his,
"Laura…"
As he kissed her, Robbie wondered whether he was awake or still dreaming, and then decided he didn't really care. He had imagined this feeling many times, but as their kisses grew more passionate, as his hands wrapped around her body, pulling her closer, he knew that reality was far preferable to his fantasies. Laura felt herself sinking in to him, his hands stroking across her back, lifting to cup her head and pull her closer still. Her hands were on his chest, and soon she was lying on top of him.
The sharp, insistent beep of her alarm clock intruded on the moment though, and groaning she tore herself away and scrabbled around on the bedside table. He turned as she did, and as she reached out to switch the light on, a warm arm wrapped around her, a firm body curled against hers.
"Please tell me that you set your alarm stupidly early and that I have at least several hours to make love to you slowly before I let you go to work…"
His voice was low and gravelly, and his lips against her ear sent a shiver down her spine. She'd always wondered if he would be nervous, whether memories of Val would make this hard for him, too awkward. Obviously not. Her mischievous eyes sparkled a little and she suppressed a smile. Slowly she turned to face him,
"Do you want the bad news, or the bad news?"
He groaned and pressed his lips to her forehead,
"Well, seeing as you put it so positively, I'll have the bad news please…"
She grinned, and rubbed her leg against his,
"It's nearly quarter to eight.."
He groaned loudly, and she giggled…
"And the other bad news?"
He pulled her to lie on his chest again, determined to secure at least one more kiss, before reality began to seep in,
"I don't sleep with anyone on a first date"
He grinned, and kissed her nose,
"How about on a second date?"
For a moment she pretended to consider it…before shaking her head carefully and replying with perhaps more seriousness than she intended,
"I can't say there have been very many of those, Robbie"
He ran his hands down her back smoothly, and ever so carefully turned them both so that she was lying on her back, before kissing her tenderly,
"Is it terrible that I'm very pleased to hear that?"
She smiled, kissing him back lightly,
"No…to be honest, I think you were probably a pretty significant factor in it"
They kissed again, both aware that the time for getting up had long passed…but both knowing that it would be several days before this moment would happen again.
Twenty minutes later, they were stood in her hallway, and Laura was expertly arranging Robbie's tie. Both of them were quietly shocked at just how very normal this felt, this closeness. Although there was an undeniable spark of tension between them - just as there had always been - the overwhelming feeling was one of familiarity. As if they had been doing this for years. Standing back to observe her work, Laura expressed what they were both feeling,
"I wish I wasn't going to Suffolk tonight… I doubt I'll get that kind of wakeup tomorrow"
He snorted slightly, trying not to laugh
"I should bloody hope not!…unless there's something you've not been telling me about Ellen…"
She hesitated and raised an eyebrow suggestively, her voice deliberately nonchalant, as she carefully turned down the collar on his shirt,
"Actually, I have snogged Ellen…but in my defense it was after at least a bottle of very dubious wine and I was about 20"
His eyes widened noticeably, and his arms swept round her shoulders possessively, pulling her against him as he stepped towards the front door,
"After that little revelation…which we will need to discuss, probably in extensive detail, when you get back…" he tapped his finger against her lips, knowingly, ignoring her smirk, "I'm not sure that I should let you go unchaperoned…"
She grabbed her bag and keys as he led her through the front door,
"You know that we'd eat you alive, don't you?"
He waited on the path as she locked up, weighing up his options,
"True…"
She smiled cheekily and, unlocking her car, looked over her shoulder back at him,
"Next time"
He grinned, and stepping up behind her, wrapped his arm around her waist,
"Definitely"
He kissed the back of her head, and she turned,
"Are you going to let me go to work now?"
He noticeably tightened his grip around her waist and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips,
"Maybe"
She smiled against his lips, and pulling back attempted a glare of mock irritation,
"I still haven't had a cup of coffee and I'm dying here"
He grinned, and kissed her again,
"If I bring you coffee later, will I be forgiven?"