Authors Note: Thanks to my trustee beta for doing gods work, once again. Same disclaimer, still broke. RR leave me some love. Enjoy :)
Olivia woke from a restless sleep, taking a quick glance out the window at the glowing, radiant sun peaking above the horizon. It extended its vivid light across the deep crimson sky, painting such a beautiful scene that Olivia turned slightly, allowing another look at its dazzling, inviting rays which flowed through the window, casting warmth across her clothes-less body.
She rolled over to her side of the bed, taking the white cotton bed sheet that hid her nude body. Her disheveled, chestnut hair was messily scattered across her pillow, and every breath she exhaled smelled faintly of ammonia and eviscerated, rotting corpses.
Slowly, the fatigue of the long journey was seeping out of her, half thanks to the welcoming rays of sunlight that she was still bathed in. It was relaxing to both her, and her body.
Though, with the sleepiness fading from her consciousness, it brought with it more awareness to her surroundings, and her stomach dropped at the sense that she was alone.
She shifted once more, rolling over to the opposite side of the bed to confirm that she was, indeed, alone.
It was no cause for worry though, so it was only eventually that she got out of bed, stumbling rather blindly to the other side of the bedroom.
Evidently, the drowsiness had still not left her.
"Good morning" Olivia yawned out, coming down the last few stairs and then stepping into the kitchen. "Coffee?"
"Hot and ready." Amanda replied, standing in front of the stove and cooking scrambled eggs.
Amanda chuckled softly as she took in the messy haired brunette shuffling past her like a zombie, clad in black sweats and a long t-shirt.
Though she did try to refocus on the task at hand-breakfast-Amanda still found her eyes drifting back over to the older woman.
"Breakfast is almost ready", Amanda threw over her shoulder, small smile gracing her lips.
Olivia, mug in hand, crossed the floor back to the table in the corner, sitting at the same spot she'd been in the night before. Amanda, slightly amused, supposed the brunette had claimed it as hers. "What are we having?"
"Scrambled eggs, bacon and leftover potatoes" Amanda answered over her shoulder as she quickly plated the food.
"Sounds yummy."
With breakfast plates in each hand, Amanda padded over to the table, rather enjoying the sight of her still sleepy girlfriend.
To Amanda's amusement, Olivia's brown eyes widened like a child on Christmas when her plate was placed in front of her, the scent of the bacon sending a sharp pang of hunger through her stomach.
They ate their breakfast slowly, enjoying the savory taste as they talked about their plans for the day.
There was a trail along the back of the house that Amanda wanted to hike but, much to her disappointment, Olivia wanted to stay in and read her book next to the fireplace.
In the end, though, they agreed to do their adventures separately, agreeing that Amanda would take her hike along the trail shortly after breakfast, while Olivia would stay back and wash the dishes before setting into the large brown couch across from the fireplace to indulge in a romance novel.
Amanda stood in front of the couch where Olivia sat comfortably, the roaring flame of the fire warming her.
Amanda had gone on and changed, now wearing black thermal running tights, a white, long sleeved turtleneck, a thermal running top underneath her mustard colored, waterproof jacket, and of course, her 'look' wouldn't be complete without her running shoes, and her blonde locks up in a ponytail. "Are you sure you don't want to join me? It's really nice outside."
"I'm sure" Olivia sighed, closing her book, "I wouldn't be any fun. You go and enjoy your run down the trail, just, please, don't get lost."
Olivia smiled when the younger woman stepped closer, placing her slender hands on Olivia's shoulder. The blonde's lips were firm against hers, but the kiss remained soft, gentle, slow. Olivia smiled into the kiss, allowing her mouth to fall open slightly, giving her girlfriend silent permission for more.
Amanda's ever gentle fingers brushed back Olivia's loose, brown locks, fingertips tracing the older woman's jawline. "I love you" Olivia whispered so softly against Amanda's lips as they pulled away, that she wasn't even sure if Amanda would've heard her.
Her brown eyes followed the petite blonde, watching her head out as she closed the front door behind herself.
Sighing, Olivia allowed herself to sink deeper into the couch, pulling her gray, cashmere blanket up to her chest. The fire blazed along the wood, hissing and crackling, its rich, oaky smell permeating the room, wisps of silver gray smoke curled and danced their way through the thick, hazy air as if excited to escape the gentle pull of the chimney.
She inhaled the smooth scent of the burning wood, allowing it deep into her lungs, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment.
Olivia appreciated the little things, such as burning firewood. The smell of the oak wood brought her back to her childhood, where she wished she'd gone to camp with her friends during the summer. Her life had been always been chaotic, even as a young girl, having to babysit her drunken mother while being left to care and fend for herself. The simple things like burning wood and reading a book without being interrupted by her cell phone...well, that's her bliss.
She was engrossed in a tense moment in the book, where the lovers were having a heated argument, when a sudden soft thunk in the kitchen caught her attention.
Her head snapped towards the direction of the kitchen when another thunk sounded, only this time louder. Shaking her head, she turned her head back to her book.
"it's just the ice maker" She mumbled to herself as she focused her attention back on her book.
The floorboards creaked behind her, quiet and gentle...footsteps? Yes, footsteps.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she sat, frozen. She was able to hear her own rapid heart-beat thudding in her ears as a chair in the kitchen screeched, as though someone had shoved it back while sitting in it. She closed her eyes tightly, not at all wanting to see death itself coming her way, because surely, she wasn't alone and there was only one way into the house, that being the front.
A shiver ran through her body like an electrical current and her skin was covered in goosebumps. Her ears rang, a screeching pitch, and she covered her ears in an attempt at making it stop. Her breathing was shallow, bordering on nothing more than gasps as the footsteps behind her became louder, and closer. She felt the sensation of a presence behind herself, and it did nothing for the ice that was practically filling her veins at this point.
"this is it" Was the one continuous thought in her head. The steps came closer, became louder, the sound of a man's work boots stomping harshly on the wooden floor, demanding attention.
"'Liv!"
Olivia hissed a swear as she nearly leapt out of her skin, her book and blanket falling to the floor with a clatter. Her chest heaved as she sucked in a sharp, greedy breath, as though she'd stopped breathing. Amanda had practically bounded through the front door, loudly, bringing Olivia back from whatever trance she had been lost in.
"It's so beautiful out there, I found this great little pond-" Amanda exclaimed, slipping her coat off, completely oblivious to Olivia's state. "I wish Frannie and Noah were here, they would have loved it." She finished, now standing in front of her shaken girlfriend.
She bent down to pick up the book and blanket off the floor, placing it onto the couch, when she finally really looked at Olivia and caught the fear in the brunette's eyes.
Panicking slightly, Amanda stepped forward, gently taking hold of Olivia's slightly trembling hands, "Baby, what's wrong?"
Olivia licked her dry lips, shaking her head as her eyes closed. It was all in her head, it was a- "nightmare, I must've fallen asleep reading."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I- uh- I have a headache." Olivia stammered, stepping forward slightly as though she'd forgotten how to walk for a moment, and causing Amanda to step back, allowing the older woman space. Olivia allowed her fingers to rake through her hair, shaking her head, "I'm...I'm gonna..I'm gonna go take a nap."
"Alright..is there anything you need me to get you? I think there's ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet upstairs." Amanda's voice was much softer, concerned, and it didn't go unnoticed by Olivia, sending a pang of guilt to the pit of her stomach as Amanda's small hands ran up and down her arms in soothing motions.
"I'm okay, thanks." Olivia murmured gently, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she moved past her concerned girlfriend, sending her a small smile of appreciation.
Amanda's, still worried, blue eyes followed her the older woman, up until she disappeared up the staircase.
Amanda watched after for a moment, fighting the urge to follow her girlfriend up. She knew it was best to just leave the brunette alone.
Olivia's eyes fluttered open, taking in the darkness surrounding her, confusion as to where she was filling her for a moment, shifting and turning herself under the heavy blanket.
Her blurry vision slowly focused as a smile graced her lips at the small figure that was laid next to her. The soft snores and even breathing had become her favorite sound as she watched her lover's chest rise and fall with each breath.
The faint scent of vanilla on her lover's skin calmed her soul as her nightmares were quickly forgotten. Olivia fully turned onto her side, brown eyes taking in the of view in front of herself, her girlfriend sleeping peacefully next to her.
The blonde radiated body-heat, so close that Olivia could feel it beneath the blanket.
Olivia closed the gap between them, her chest pressing against the blonde's bare upper half, and her stomach did somersaults when she realized Amanda was sleeping with only her panties on.
They fit like a puzzle piece, despite their slight height difference. She pressed herself up onto her left elbow as her fingertips from her right hand traced her lover's curves, stopping half-way when Amanda shifted lightly. Olivia licked her lips slightly, gently brushing the smaller woman's blonde tresses away before placing a gentle kiss on her lover's bare shoulder, while inhaling the faint vanilla scent.
The tips of her fingers delicately traced the dip of Amanda's curves, following the smooth, cream-colored skin. Olivia's lips pressed softly against Amanda's warm skin, her tongue gently lathing across the expanse of soft skin between each kiss, drawing a low moan from the sleeping woman's throat as Olivia's fingers continued to trace her girlfriend's small waist, stopping at her hips, just above her panty line, daring to sink further down. Amanda shifted slightly as Olivia removed the heavy covers from the both of them, exposing their bodies.
Waking from the sudden cold that claimed her body, Amanda turned to her side, searching for the covers, her eyes still closed when she felt heat radiating from above her. She moaned when a pair of lips dropped to the side of her neck, leaving a trail of heated kisses.
Unconsciously, she spread her legs, Olivia being swift to take advantage of the motion, settling herself into the, quite welcoming, area. Olivia slowly, carefully, lowered herself onto of the petite blonde, her left hand running across Amanda's smooth stomach. Her fingernails gently, almost teasingly, ran back and forth across the skin.
"You're so soft." Olivia murmured against Amanda's lips. Their tongues tangled, dancing between their mouths, their moans being muffled and taken in, savored, by the other as their hands roamed and traced each other's bodies.
Olivia's right hand shifted up, caressing and feeling, marvelling at the smoothness beneath her warm hand which was trailing up, then claiming the breast that just begged for attention. Her hands trailed up Olivia's neck, fingers curling into her tangled brown hair, bringing her closer.
Olivia's stomach quivered when she realized Amanda's now cool hand went under her shirt, running across and feeling her stomach, daring to reach higher. The younger woman pulled away from the kiss, her breathing harsh, practically panting.
Amanda placed soft butterfly kisses across the jawline of her lover as her hands gripped the side of Olivia's shirt, gently pushing it up. "You're wearing too much." She husked against her lover's ear, pressing a warm kiss behind the brunette's ear. Olivia grinned, pushing herself up into a sitting position, taking each side of her shirt to pull it up and off.
A sudden sound stopped her from pulling her shirt with it already halfway off, loud footsteps sounding from the kitchen, catching her attention, and causing her to hush Amanda.
She jumped off the bed when there was the screeching sound of a kitchen chair being dragged across the floor. "Someone's in the house" She whispered to Amanda, eyes glued to the door.
"It's just us", Amanda reassured her, sitting up, her hand reaching to take Olivia's. "Come back to bed."
"You don't hear that?"
"'Liv, I don't hear anything, please come back to bed." She whined, pulling her girlfriend closer.
"It sounds like someone's in the kitchen" Olivia insisted, her heart practically beating out of her chest.
"If we go downstairs to check it out, will you come back to bed?"
"'Manda, I swear, there is someone downstairs. I hear someone walking around." Olivia hardly even noticed her girlfriend's attempt at a barter, panic overtaking her and clouding her thoughts.
Amanda quickly got out of bed, grabbing the hoodie she'd been wearing earlier, after her shower, and slipping it on. "Let's go"
Olivia squinted slightly in anticipation of what she was about to walk into as they walked down the last two steps of the stairs. Her eyes were painfully assaulted by the sudden brightness when Amanda flipped on the kitchen lights.
Olivia's skin crawled.
She thought she shuddered, but she wasn't sure.
Every cabinet, every drawer-they were all wide open, every chair pulled out from the table and the refrigerator door was open as well. "This isn't funny, Amanda", She snapped, emotion flooding her and taking form as anger. She was sure Amanda was pulling a prank on her, with her obsession with the paranormal and how badly Amanda had wanted to prove her wrong. She'd just...she'd just taken it too far.
Olivia's eyes stung, filling with tears that threatened to spill.
"Baby, I swear this isn't a prank or anything like that." Amanda assured her, keeping her voice calm, being very quick to note the fear in Olivia's eyes. Her lip trembled slightly, eyes turning red. " I-I must have forgotten to put stuff away or something like that. It was a long fucking day." She threw in a small chuckle for good measure, scrambling slightly to give a reasonable explanation. "I'm sorry."
Olivia pushed the the fear and tears away, taking in a deep breath to calm her undying nerves. "You promise you just forgot?" She choked out past the lump that had formed in her throat. Whether it was from the near crying or just the fear, now that was something Olivia didn't know.
"Yes, I promise." Amanda replied softly as she took Olivia's hands between hers, gently squeezing them as Olivia finally turned to face her, brown eyes meeting blue.
"I'm sorry." Amanda repeated, holding Olivia's nervous gaze.
"What about that noise? The-the footsteps?"
Amanda gave her a light, small smile to put her at ease,"All in your head. You're a city girl, and this is your first time spending a weekend out in the countryside." Amanda glanced over, shaking her head slightly and letting go of Olivia's hands to walk over to the fridge, shutting the door and looking at the cabinets. "I'll do those in the morning."
Amanda then looked back to Olivia, returning to the older woman's side and leaning in, placing a quick kiss on Olivia's cheek. "Let's go back to bed."
Olivia nodded. Even still, she glanced over her shoulder at the kitchen as they headed up the stairs, unable to shake that uneasy feeling.