Just a small, fluffy chapter for you. Working on the next part now. The end of this should have you smiling :)
The woman returned a few minutes later, dressed in navy blue pyjamas.
"I miss your NYPD pjs," Alex stated, looking up from her seat on the couch. "They looked nice on you."
Olivia plopped down on the couch next to her, nodding in agreement.
"Thanks. I miss them too. They were comfortable. Too bad I can't get myself another pair."
"The Marshals might have a thing or two to say if they found out you had bought yourself another pair."
Olivia chuckled.
"Probably. Are you going to get changed too?"
"Yeah, I suppose I should," she said with a sigh. She felt lazy all of a sudden. "I miss my apartment," she said, forcing herself up and over to the staircase. "I didn't have to climb any stairs."
Olivia chuckled again, shaking her head. Alex smiled at her before disappearing up the staircase, reminding the brunette of just how much she had missed that grin. Alex always looked beautiful, but she was stunning when she smiled. That look…it made Olivia's heart melt. When the blonde asked her a favour and flashed that smile, there was no way that she could resist. Alex knew that of course, and she used it to her full advantage. Olivia had been suckered into moving furniture, fixing squeaky doors, or even just fetching a glass of water. She always gave the blonde a hard time, stating that after a favour, Alex "owed her", but the truth was, she loved it. She loved that the woman wanted her help, asked her to do things. And when she smiled like that at her, when she was so happy after Olivia did something, the brunette knew she'd do whatever Alex wanted all over again, happily.
"So, what are we watching?"
Olivia pulled away from her thoughts and looked over at Alex, smiling at her.
"Hmm?" The blonde asked again, making her way over to the couch. She sat down and pulled her knees up, leaning against the back of the couch.
"I'm not sure what's on," Olivia finally answered. She reached for the remote and turned on the tv, flipping through the channels. Not finding anything, she pressed the menu button and scrolled through the pages, looking at the various titles until she finally paused on one. "Oh, this is a good one. We should watch this."
"The Wedding Singer," Alex read. "I love this movie."
"Me too," she answered, pressing "ok" to start the movie. She glanced over at Alex. "So are you going to sit there all night?"
Alex smiled at her before crawling over and curling against Olivia.
"Much better," the brunette murmured against her temple. She laid a gentle kiss there before she wrapped her arm around Alex's side, resting her hand against the woman's hip. They stayed there cuddling, watching the movie, until the doorbell rang. Olivia quickly got up and paid for the pizza, making her way back and plopping back down next to Alex. When she opened the box of pizza, she grinned.
"It smells amazing."
She picked out the piece with the most cheese on it and handed it to Alex before digging in and grabbing her own. The women ate in silence, giving the occasional moan of satisfaction.
"It's still not as good as what you can get in New York though," Alex commented.
Olivia shrugged.
"To me, pizza is pizza," the brunette responded, reaching for another piece. She really wasn't fussy and this pizza was pretty good.
They only managed to eat half of it before they both gave up, too full to have any more. Olivia put the rest of the pizza in the fridge and returned to the couch, pulling Alex back into her embrace. She held the woman close, content to hold her quietly. She had waited for so long to get her back in her arms and now that she was here, it was like she had never left. She still fit perfectly in her arms, she felt just as good as she always had, and she smelled even better than Olivia remembered.
When the scene with Drew Barrymore trying on her wedding dress came on, Alex stroked her fingers against Olivia's knee. The brunette smiled, knowing how much Alex secretly enjoyed fantasizing about her wedding. She often flipped through wedding catalogues, imagining what dress she would wear. Olivia used to tease her about it because the blonde would get this smile on her face, and Olivia knew that she was lost in her little fantasy world. Back then, she thought it was such a "woman" thing to do but now, Olivia had to admit that the idea was appealing. She wanted that with Alex. She wanted to see her walk down the aisle. She had never given it much thought before, but being without Alex for so long had provoked a lot of changes in her, getting married being at the top of that list.
"What kind of dress do you want?"
Alex raised her eyebrows, surprised. Olivia had never asked her anything like that before. She teased her about her love of wedding dress browsing, but she had never before asked about it. Alex responded happily.
"Probably an A-line dress, very simple. Maybe a small broach or something at the hip or bust just to add a little décor to the dress."
"What the hell is an A-line dress?"
Alex smiled.
"It's a dress that's tight at the bust, but then flares out at the hips or the waist. I've seen some nice ones that flare out just under the chest too."
Olivia still wasn't sure she understood, but she nodded anyway.
"You'll look beautiful no matter what you wear."
Alex smiled against her.
"Thanks. Are you going to let me choose what you wear or have you already decided?"
"Oh, I'm not getting married," Olivia teased. "I'm just going to stay shacked up with you for the rest of my life."
"You think so, do you?"
Olivia grinned and leaned down to kiss her cheek.
"Get up," she whispered.
Alex did as she requested, smiling widely when she saw what Olivia had planned. The woman shifted so that she was lying on her back, and when she patted her chest, Alex eagerly obliged. They used to lay this way when Alex was in New York: the detective on her back and Alex sprawled out on top of her. She absolutely loved this position, not only because she got to feel the brunette's chest so deliciously pressed against her own, but also because every inch of their bodies were connected. It was such an intimate cuddling position and Alex loved it.
She quickly settled, laying her head just above Olivia's breasts and turning towards the television. However, instead watching the movie, she closed her eyes and focused on the way Olivia's body felt pressed against her own. It had been over a year since she had been able to enjoy this and she was going to savour every second of it.
Olivia felt Alex lips shift to a smile when she rested her left arm around her lower back. She moved her right elbow to rest against the back of the couch before burying her hand in the blonde's hair and gently scratching at her scalp. The blonde moaned her appreciation before sighing contently, just as Olivia had anticipated. She kissed the top of her head and closed her eyes, loving the feel of Alex's soft weight pressed against her.
Before she knew it, Alex had fallen asleep. Olivia chuckled when she realised that the blonde was sleeping, but made no move to wake her. She wanted to enjoy this. She turned her head back to the television, hoping that the next movie to play would at least be a good one. She was pleased to see that the next movie would be Independence Day, a film she had thoroughly enjoyed in her younger years. It had been ages since she had seen it last, so she was content to lay there and watch Will Smith kick some alien ass.
Olivia continued to stroke Alex's head until her arm got sore, then moving it to the woman's upper back and continuing her gentle touches there. Despite the fact that Alex was notorious for moving around in her sleep, she never moved a muscle when they cuddled this way. In fact, the blonde hardly moved at all when they cuddled, even in bed. If Olivia spooned her at night, sometimes they woke up in the same position the next morning. It made the brunette smile to know that when she held her, Alex never left.
The First Lady's identity had just been discovered when Alex finally began stirring in her arms. Olivia turned from the television and looked down at the blonde, who shifted groggily until she met her gaze.
"How long have I been asleep?"
"A while."
Alex yawned and rested her head back down, too tired to hold it up anymore.
"You should have woken me. I can get off-" when Alex made a move to get up, Olivia immediately tensed up and refused to let her move.
"No," she said softly. "Stay."
"Okay," Alex agreed. Secretly, she did not want to go either. "What are we watching?"
"Independence Day."
"Really?" she asked, clearly unimpressed.
"Well, I couldn't change the channel because someone passed out on me. Besides, I like this movie. It's good."
"Mhmm," Alex said, stifling another yawn. "Maybe I'll just go back to sleep. You're nice and warm," the blonde murmured, burying her face in Olivia neck.
The brunette smiled wider, wrapping her arms tight around Alex's body. The blonde slipped her hands under Olivia's back, scratching affectionately when they were successfully hidden underneath.
"I don't mind if you sleep some more."
"Good," she whispered softly, before falling back asleep.
Olivia hated to admit it, but by the time the second film had finished, her back was beginning to hurt. Reluctantly, she began rubbing wide circles on Alex's back, knowing that the motion would eventually pull the woman from her sleep. It took a few minutes, but then Alex began to stir. She once again looked up, searching for Olivia's gaze. When their eyes met, the blonde smiled sleepily.
"Are you ready for bed now?" the blonde asked, yawning.
Olivia nodded, unable to stifle her own yawn.
"Yes."
"Okay," she murmured, turning her head back and sighing softly before slowly getting up.
Olivia rolled over and got up as well, turning off the tv.
"I liked cuddling like that. I've missed sleeping against you."
Olivia turned to her and cupped her cheek, laying a soft kiss on her forehead.
"I've missed holding you like that too. It was almost like old times there for a minute."
The blonde nodded, turned against Olivia's hand, and kissed her palm. When Alex yawned again, the brunette reached out for her hand.
"Come on," she said, leading the way upstairs. She brought Alex to her room and wrapped her in a hug, giving one final squeeze before pulling away. "Goodnight, Alex."
She turned to go but the blonde reached out, gripping her wrist.
"Stay," she blurted out before she could stop herself. Her voice sounded unsure, shaky, but she meant what she had said. She didn't want to sleep apart from Olivia. She missed her.
"Alex," Olivia started, uncertainly filling her voice.
"Please don't make me sleep apart from you again. It's been torture having you just up the hall, out of reach. I want you to hold me, like you used to. I'm not asking for anything more. Just cuddling."
Olivia's resolve broke at Alex's pleading tone. She had hoped that eventually they would fall back into their old habit of sharing a bed, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon. She didn't want to push Alex or scare her off, so she hadn't asked.
"Are you sure?"
Alex took a step forward, nodding.
"Okay," she agreed, taking Alex's hand and following her into the bedroom.
Alex felt a rush of happiness flow through her body. It felt so good, so safe and reassuring to sense the woman's presence behind her as they entered the room. She grinned widely to herself when she felt the brunette's strong body press up against her back. Olivia slid her arms around Alex's waist, placing a gentle kiss against the woman's neck.
"I've really missed cuddling you at night."
Alex relaxed into her embrace, threading their fingers together against her stomach.
"I think that's when I missed you the most."
Olivia placed another soft kiss against her skin before gently nudging her towards the bed.
"Okay, get in. I don't want to wait another second."
Alex eagerly crawled in, lifting the blanket and letting it fall when Olivia slipped in behind her. She smiled widely when she felt Olivia's hands pull her close, loving the possessive grip she had on her body.
Alex had never considered herself to "belong" to anyone. In none of her prior relationships had she ever allowed the person to state that she was "theirs". She was no one's. She was not property. She belonged to no one except herself.
Until Olivia.
It had all changed when she had started dating Olivia. She had found herself thinking, and even enjoying the thought, that she was Olivia's, and that the woman belonged to her just as she belonged to Olivia. It was the first time that it had felt…romantic. Olivia very rarely became possessive of her, but every once in a while, especially at night, the brunette would climb into bed and yank Alex close, growling "mine" as she dragged her near. It was a playful game, one that at first had Alex slightly annoyed and rolling her eyes, but eventually had her giggling and then thoroughly enjoying.
She felt Olivia shift closer to her, wrapping her arms tight around her body. She tucked her hand under Alex's side, intertwining their legs and settling her head right behind Alex's. The last thing Alex heard before falling asleep, was the soft sound of Olivia's voice whispering, "mine."
(Are you grinning ear to ear? Cuz I totally was writing it)