thin white lines | l. hemmings

43

You could imagine the flood of relief as Delaney turned over in his arms. Eyes fluttering open softly to look up at him.

His eyes never stayed shut for long from the moment he looked at Delaney. He couldn't bear the thought of falling asleep and not being able to protect her if needed.

"What time is it?" She mumbled, bringing her hands to rub her tired eyes.

"I don't know, but it's really early."

"Why are you awake, then?" She frowned, taking her fingers from her eyes and running them instead along the stubble on his face. For a second, he wondered why she was doing it. If it was a soothing action for her or an attempt to soothe him. 

"Just couldn't sleep."

"Do you ever sleep peacefully?" She said with a snicker.

No.

He just laughed with her.

"You can go back to sleep, love. It's still dark out." He wanted her to sleep for a long time now that he knew for sure she was okay.

"It's still dark out?" She repeated, perking up from where she laid to squint at the window, where the smallest splint of light from the stars peeked through the blinds. "What time is it?" She leaned over, tapping Luke's phone screen to see that it was between 4 and 5 am. "How tired are you?"

"What have you got in mind?"

"I want to go look at the stars. And maybe watch the sunrise if we're still awake."

"Okay, let's go," he agreed right away, grabbing her bicep gently, his hand wrapping almost right around.

"Really?"

"Really." He couldn't help but smile, only a reflection of hers.

"Okay. I'm gonna go pee. You grab us blankets and I'll meet you out there, okay?"

"Okay."

She practically jumped up from the bed, hit by a sudden wave of energy and excitement. Before leaving, she bent down to peck a kiss onto his lips, standing back up before he even had the chance to react.

As she said, she went to the bathroom while he dragged himself out of the bed. He was exhausted, without a wink of sleep that night, but still found himself more than happy to sacrifice the chance of sleep to do what she wanted.

He took the blanket that was just barely clinging onto the bed and took a detour through the kitchen to find two glasses. He grabbed a bottle of champagne and poured each of them a mimosa, gathering both glasses in one hand to take them out to the deck of the boat.

Delaney was already there, sitting cross-legged on the bed-like seat, and her face lit up once more at the gesture of the drinks.

She took the drink from him, clinking her glass against his. "You're an angel, Luke. You know that?"

Instead of replying, he slid onto the seat right next to her, slipping his arm around her waist and bringing his lips to hers, filling them both with warmth, even in the chilling night air.

"It is beautiful tonight," he said, once they separated. She giggled, knowing neither of them had really looked at the sky yet.

She scooted back to lean against the backrest, and Luke followed her, draping his arm over her shoulders. With her head resting on him, they continued drinking their mix of champagne and orange juice.

"I know you and I didn't have the greatest start, but I'm lucky we've gotten to where we are," she said, her voice soft over the sound of the water.