And then, then it is just us.
Just the rapid beat of our hearts.
Just our heavy, deep breaths.
Just the sound of our soft moans and whispered names.
Just me and Luke.
I am drowning in him now and it feels unbelievably perfect.
∞
Afterwards I lie with my head on Luke’s chest, listening to his heart beat slow down. He has pulled the covers to our waist and is running his fingers slowly up and down my spine. It’s making my body hum.
"Are you okay?" he eventually asks.
I lift my head to look at him and smile. "More than okay," I say. And I mean it.
He leans forward to press a kiss to my lips, whispering against them, "I’m glad."
We lie in silence for a while, my skin still tingling from the touch of his fingers moving over it. I lightly trace the lines of the tattoo on his side, watching the tiny goose bumps that follow my path. Up close I can see what it is now, lines and musical notes dancing all over his skin, down the side of his body. It’s beautiful, just like him.
"How come you always stared at me when I first came back to work?" I suddenly ask him.
I feel his silent laugh. "Because I think you are beautiful," he answers, dragging his fingers down my spine in a way that feels exquisite.
It’s exactly the words and reason I want to hear. I touch my lips to his chest and feel his warm skin beneath them. "But you never talked to me, never said anything to me for so long?" I ask.
He flattens his palm in the small of my back, his fingers tantalisingly close to disappearing under the covers. "Because I was shy," he answers quietly.
I can’t help but laugh, at the idea that Luke, borderline rock star or Luke, man who bared his soul on stage tonight, could possibly be shy.
I feel his hand tighten at my waist as he continues. "And I knew you were grieving and I didn’t want to add to that."
I lift my head again, surprised but strangely grateful for his honesty right now. "Thank you," I whisper, looking right into his blue eyes. "Thank you for my song," I kiss him. "Thank you for everything."
Wrapping his arms around me, he pulls me completely on top of him as he whispers back, "Thank you Asha," before pressing another kiss to my lips. Smiling he adds, "And just so you know, it drove me crazy with how much I did want to talk to you, crazy with how much I wanted to kiss you. Every time I saw you, I just wanted to do this."
And then he kisses me all over again and my whole body starts to sing.
∞
The first thing I feel when I wake up is fear.
It’s all come back to me now and I’m suddenly very afraid. As I start to feel the panic rising, surging through me, there are gentle fingers on my back, moving over my skin. I feel the soft warmth of Luke’s body under my cheek. Hear his steady heart beat under my ear. He is okay, I am okay. I lift my head from Luke’s chest and see he’s awake and holding a book, reading while I sleep on him.
He looks down at me. "Hey," he whispers softly, his hand gently running up my back and smoothing the hair back from my face.
I push my fears away. Force them somewhere else. Bury them with every other painful emotion I know is in there. I don’t want to feel them right now. There are other things I want.
I take the book from his hand, dropping it on the floor as I slide my body up his. I see his beautiful smile as I press my lips to his, and I feel his hands move under the covers as I push myself against him. I silently wish that he not let me go, and it’s like he hears me, because when he kisses me back, he pulls me tighter against him and doesn’t.
Whatever I was expecting when I started all of this last night, or when I woke up just now, this level of comfort and intimacy, is not it. Yet surprisingly, it’s exactly what I do feel. Everything about being here, about Luke and lying in his arms, kissing him, and all of the things that have happened between us, it all feels so completely amazing and perfect. It all just feels so very right. And I don’t want any of it to stop.
I place soft kisses along Luke’s jawline and feel his smile, rather than see it. "Hey," I finally whisper back to him.
He turns his head on the pillow so he’s facing me, softly kisses my lips before whispering, "Hey beautiful."
Shivers run down my spine as I lift my eyes to meet his beautiful blue ones. "What are your plans for the day?" I ask, my hand brushing lightly over his soft hair, hoping he doesn’t have any.
He smiles at me then and whispers, "Hopefully spending it all with you."
My heart flips at his answer. It’s exactly what I wanted him to say. It brings a smile to my face now, and the words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. "I don’t want to go home."
He smiles again, kissing my neck as he whispers, "Just stay."