Allison’s eyes slowly opened to the serene darkness and warmth surrounding her. The only light came from the first rays of the sun as it began its ascent into the sky, giving it the faint glow of ultramarine that signaled the coming of a new day. Seeing the beginning of the end of the night was as beautiful as it was depressing, a thought that urged Allison to push the coming dawn from her thoughts every morning. She instead chose to give her energy to thoughts of the beauty of the night before and remind herself that, when the sun set, she would find herself there again.
Speaking of beauty…
With a smile, Allison peered into the darkness as she felt a gentle stirring beneath her. Remy briefly shifted in her sleep before settling into place and resuming her slow, deep breathing. Allison could only make out the most basic features of Remy’s face in the dim early morning light, but that was more than she needed to be able to appreciate what was in front of her. She’d spent more time than she was willing to admit studying Remy, and she’d long ago memorized every facet of her appearance. Even in the dark, Allison could easily envision the expression that looked as if it had been carved from granite, calm but determined even when she was at rest…if it could be called resting. She was rarely still for long, often tossing and turning throughout the night and seemingly only calming at Allison’s concerned caressing of her face and the gentle kisses that soothed her back to sleep. It was once a cause for concern, but it gradually became a source of comfort. Everything about Remy’s presence created peace that brought sleep, from the feeling of arms wrapped around her to the slow, rhythmic beating of her heart just beneath Allison’s ear. Every movement she made was a reminder of her presence, each one as soothing as the delicate touches she returned.
The sound of birds singing outside served as another unwelcome reminder that Allison’s time in Remy’s arms was coming to an end. Her stomach suddenly churning uncomfortably, she reached out to her bedside table for her phone and repressed the urge to grumble audibly when she confirmed the time. She had less than thirty minutes before the alarm would start ringing, just enough time to fall into a deep enough sleep to not hear it. She briefly considered the possibility of allowing it to happen, then found herself stifling a chuckle when Remy stirred again, as if in unconscious response to the thought. Even if she’d been seriously entertaining the thought rather than just finding comfort in the possibility, Allison knew that Remy would put an end to it immediately. Dereliction of duty was a violation of her nature; no amount of cuddling would tempt her away from her responsibilities for even a day, and it wasn’t likely that she’d let Allison off without a lecture, either. Already able to hazard a guess as to what Remy would say to such a suggestion and knowing that she’d be right, it hardly seemed worth bringing it up in the first place. With a quiet huff, Allison slowly worked her way out of Remy’s embrace and pushed herself to the edge of the bed, resigning herself to starting her morning under protest. She softly grumbled as she worked her way from beneath the heavy duvet, and she quietly cursed as the chill of the morning air reached her skin.
“This is your daily reminder that you actually like your job.”
Hearing the sleepy voice behind her, Allison looked over her shoulder into the darkness and saw Remy’s silhouette slowly turning to face her. She smiled in spite of herself as the chill in the air and the coming dawn suddenly faded into insignificance. “I’ll like it more when the sun is actually up. Probably.”
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Pushing the duvet aside, Remy crawled across the bed and wrapped her arms around Allison, leaning against her back and kissing her cheek. “All the more reason to get moving. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish.”
“Actually…you know, we could always—”
“Not a chance.” As Allison had expected, Remy threw off her morning fatigue entirely in her haste to stand her ground. “We have to go to work. Both of us. Besides, you know you’ll be miserable all day worrying about how they’re getting along without you otherwise.”
Allison turned with a huff. Knowing what Remy would say didn’t do anything to make hearing it any less disappointing, and the fact that she was right only tinged that disappointment with frustration. Too tired to think of a counterargument and too familiar with the situation to not already know that it was pointless, she crossed her arms in frustration as a pout took shape. Somehow aware of it without being able to see it, Remy kissed Allison again, this time just behind her ear as her tone softened.
“Come on…let’s get up. Think about the coffee.”
The mere mention of Remy’s coffee immediately tested Allison’s determination to remain grumpy for the remainder of the morning. She turned away from Remy with another huff, unable to avoid noticing that the sound rang hollow when it reached her ears. Remy seemed to notice as well, pressing her advantage by placing another kiss on Allison’s jaw.
“I’ll cook today. Breakfast burritos?”
Allison put the last of her resolve into pressing her lips together to keep from responding. She wasn’t nearly done being irritated with the burden of having to get up, but Remy was too familiar with her weaknesses to not know how to brighten her mood. Allison desperately clung to her annoyance, but even her fatigue was waning in the face of the prospect of breakfast burritos.
“Extra. Bacon.”
Before Allison could think to resist, her stomach gave a treasonous grumble. Remy gave a sleepy chuckle at the sound and delivered another kiss, this time to the side of Allison’s neck. A shiver ran through her entire body, momentarily pushing aside all other thoughts as she savored the sensation of Remy’s lips lingering on her skin. Feeling her morning lethargy suddenly vanish entirely, Allison turned and gently pushed Remy back onto the mattress. She didn’t even bother trying to hold back her mischievous laugh as she leaned forward, straining to see the delicate curves of Remy’s face in the darkness. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wanted to be annoyed that she’d been so effectively coaxed out of both the bed and her bad mood. That small part of her was quickly drowned out by the sense of comfort that came from the fact that Remy was able to manage it. This thought was also brief, however, quickly overtaken by realization that as long as Remy was in a mood to placate her, there was at least one more thing she wanted. The sudden shift in the direction events were taking wasn’t lost on Remy. She began to protest, but with a noticeable amount of effort.
“Come on…we really do have to get up.”
Allison smiled as she returned Remy’s earlier kiss, placing one just beneath her ear as she spoke in a deep whisper. “Not for another half hour, we don’t.”