19. Leyland

Leyland

Clementine’s sleeping frame was all I could focus on when I woke. Her presence had pulled me from my sleep earlier than usual. For a long while, I just watched her, taking in the gentle rise and fall of her chest.

As if she could feel me trying my best to see her soul, Clementine stirred and her eyes fluttered open to meet mine.

“Good morning,” I murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

A slow smile spread across her face.

“Morning,” she said, voice still husky with sleep.

My hand found hers and our fingers intertwined naturally.

“How are you feeling?”

I searched her eyes for any sign of regret or uncertainty.

“I feel good…” her smile widened. “Really good, actually. Last night was...”

“Yeah,” I agreed, understanding all she left unsaid. “It was.”

Clementine shifted, propping herself up on one elbow to look at me more directly. “I’ve experienced nothing like that before,” she admitted softly. “It was intense, but in the best way possible.”

“For me too, tiny. Being with you... it feels right. Like coming home.”

Her eyes took on a softer expression, and she leaned in to kiss me gently. I returned the kiss, pouring all my feelings into it, trying to convey everything I couldn’t quite put into words yet.

“What time is your brunch with Kayla?” I asked, mouth still against hers.

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Not for a couple of hours.”

“Good,” I said, pulling her closer. “Because I’m not ready to let you go just yet.”

Clementine laughed softly, the sound warming me from the inside out. Fuck. She turned me into a simp whenever we were together.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she assured me, snuggling into my chest.

We laid in comfortable silence for a while and I could feel her relaxing further into me the longer we stayed that way, her breath evening out.

“Leyland?” she murmured after a while.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for last night. Not just... you know. But for being there, for understanding.”

I tightened my arms around her.

“Always, tiny. I’ll always be here for you.”

She lifted her head to meet my gaze, her eyes shining with an emotion that made my heart race. “I believe you. It’s crazy how much I believe you, but I do.”

I sat up and pulled her even closer as if to prove I was here, and I wasn’t going anywhere as long as she’d have me.

“I’m glad you do,” I said softly. “Because I mean it with every fiber of my being.”

Her gaze lingered on mine, her lips parted slightly as though she had more to say, but instead, she exhaled a soft sigh and let her head rest against my chest again.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this... relaxed before,” she murmured. “It’s like my mind isn’t racing for once. No worrying about work, or expectations, or... anything.”

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the faint, familiar scent of her.

“That’s the only way I want you feeling when with me.”

Her lips curved against my chest, and I felt her smile before I saw it.

“Oh, and did I feel this way… before?”

I tipped her head back to see her eyes.

“I believe so,” I told her. “We were at a point in our relationship where you could voice if you weren’t.”

She stared up at me as we fell into a comfortable silence again, save for the soft rustling of the sheets as she shifted slightly in my arms. I couldn’t help but let my fingers wander, tracing the curve of her shoulder and slope of her spine. Each touch felt like a revelation, a rediscovery of something I’d only dreamed of until now.

“You don’t even realize how much you’ve changed my world,” I said softly, my voice breaking the stillness. “And it feels the same now, even when I thought we’d never make it to this after waking up.”

“What do you mean?”

I cupped her face in my hand, letting my thumb brush across her cheek.

“How can I put this?” I bit my lip for a second. “Even if everything before the last couple months wasn’t real, you still make me feel the same. I still see you as the woman I fell in love with and when I fell for you, it changed everything for the better. You changed me for the better.”

Her eyes searched mine, and for a moment, I thought she might look away. But she held my gaze and that said a lot.

“I didn’t realize how much I was settling until you... until us .”

Sensing the weight of what she was admitting, I didn’t press for more.

“What are we doing, Leyland?”

I rested my forehead against hers, closing my eyes for a moment as I gathered my thoughts. “We’re taking it one step at a time,” I said finally. “Don’t feel pressured to catch up to me. You’ll get there.”

“I don’t want to mess this up.”

“You won’t. We won’t .”

“You’re dangerous, you know that?” she said after a while, her tone teasing but affectionate.

“Dangerous, huh? How so?”

“You make me feel things I didn’t think I was allowed to feel,” she admitted. “I didn’t think it was possible.”

I stilled for a moment, the words settling deep in my chest.

“You’re allowed to feel, especially with me. Never think otherwise.”

“I’ll do my best.”

I took that for what it was and fell back, pulling her with me.

Minutes passed—maybe hours. Time felt irrelevant with her in my arms.

When Clementine glanced at the clock again, she groaned softly, burying her face in my chest.

“I really need to get ready.”

I tightened my arms around her playfully. “Or you could stay here forever.”

She laughed, swatting at my arm as she sat up.

“As tempting as that sounds, I think Kayla would hunt me down if I skipped brunch before our shift.”

I watched as she slid out of bed and paused for a moment, glancing over her shoulder at me with a small smile.

“I’ll come back,” she said softly.

I nodded, believing her.

“I’ll be wherever you need me.”

And as I watched her disappear into the bathroom, I couldn’t help but think that for the first time in a long time, the world felt exactly as it should.