Jill raised herself up slightly, turned on the small lamp and looked at the clock; it was just after three o'clock, and she hadn't slept. She smiled as she felt a pair of arms slip around her waist and pull her back down. Snuggling up to the warm form, she closed her eyes briefly as lips pressed onto the back of her neck.
When they had arrived at his house, they had stayed up, talking until almost one, when they then decided they should go to bed if they were going to be at all competent the next day. The idea had been that they would sleep, but two hours after they'd slipped under the covers, they hadn't even dozed, instead chatting and just enjoying being in each other's company.
"We should really get some sleep Gordon." She murmured, not really wanting to.
"Mmmm." He kissed a path from her neck to her shoulder.
She reached up and turned off the light, then turned around in his arms so she was facing him, and he tightened his arms around her, so she was firmly against his chest. "Thank you for tonight." She whispered, and then kissed him lightly on the lips.
"Thank you too." He paused. "I love you so much Jill, you don't know how happy I am that we're together."
"If it's anything like the way I feel for you, I do know."
"You're so amazing; your determination, your loyalty, your kindness, beauty, enthusiasm for all that you love…"
Tears sprung to her eyes, his words touching her deeply. "Gordon you're going to make me cry."
He laughed softly, and then pressed his lips firmly to hers. She responded, then after a few moments pulled her head back slightly. "Gordon, you mean more to me than anyone." Her voice was choked with emotion, and she couldn't stop a few tears escaping from under her eyelids.
He pressed his lips to her head and drew her even closer to him. She closed her eyes, tiredness finally catching up with her. She soon drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep and awoke the next morning in the same position; her head buried in his chest, and his arms still tightly wrapped around her. She felt a level of peacefulness and at the same time happiness that equalled no other at any other time she could remember. She gently extricated herself from his arms, careful not to wake him, and sat up. The shafts of sunlight filtering through the curtains allowed her to see that the clock read seven thirty. She groaned quietly, knowing she wouldn't be able to stay in bed for long if she wanted to get to work for Monday morning staff meeting at half eight. Just as she was thinking this, Gordon's alarm rang shrilly, causing her to jump and him to be startled out of sleep.
She reached over and quickly turned the alarm off. He groaned, rolled onto his back, opened his eyes, and then immediately shut them again in the light. She just sat without a sound and watched him, his chest rising and falling gently, the crinkles round his eyes which were scrunched up, the yellow orange light making the tanned skin of his ruggedly handsome face glow. She smiled, and watched him as he suddenly got up and padded over to the curtains, thinking his red and white chequered pyjama clad form very attractive. He threw the curtains open, allowing the glorious sunshine to fill the room, casting a blanket of warmth over her. She stood up, and still not making a sound, crossed the room over to him and slipped her arms around his waist. It was at times like that, when she could reflect without distractions, that she couldn't quite believe how lucky she was, couldn't believe they were a couple. He turned and wrapped his arms around her, one hand resting on the small of her back and the other sliding up over her shoulders to run through her tussled hair. She smiled, a slightly giddy feeling coursing through her, as she gazed into his eyes, her feeling of total bliss mirrored in his features.
"You're beautiful in the morning." He said, uttering the first words of the morning, his voice slightly croaky after sleep. "And you're beautiful in the day, and you're beautiful at night."
Her grin widened. "You're not so bad yourself." She tilted her head and her lips met with him, briefly at first, then they both deepened it. Eventually, reality intruded her thoughts and she pulled away. "We'd better start getting ready. It would look pretty suspicious if we both turned up late together."
He sighed but broke apart from her. "You're right."
Once they'd both washed and changed, they sat in the kitchen, identical smiles still fixed firmly on their faces as they ate breakfast.
"I'll pack my things after this, and then we can be off; we should get there in time."
"I don't think there's any need for that."
She looked at him enquiringly and took a sip of her orange juice. "No?"
"You might as well stay tonight. Make the most of it."
An elated feeling filled her. "I'd like that… No, in fact…I'd love that."
