Missing [ST]

Sixty Three

When Sunday morning arrived, Leah woke up on her stomach with her pillow halfway off the bed.

She could barely see because her hair was in tangles and flopped over her face, but she didn't need her vision to know there was no one lying next to her with an arm draped over her waist.

About to be filled with disappointment, she waved a hand behind her to make sure, but ended up slapping something instead. Someone's leg to be specific. And then that same someone's fingers were lacing with her own and made her elbow stay at a very odd angle.

From the hand alone, she knew it was Steven, who was also apparently dressed, on top of the bed, and not giving her a cuddle, which was all unacceptable behaviour in her opinion.

"Good morning, beautiful."

Groaning, Leah reclaimed her hand to push her hair from her face, but she didn't roll over to her wonderfully complimenting company. That involved too much energy, too soon.

"Sleep well?"

Hearing the smile in his voice meant Leah knew Steven already knew the answer to that question, but she also didn't respond because she was a little grumpy that she didn't wake up in his arms and couldn't laze around in bed with him.

Blinking at the daylight through the curtains and tracking the simple layout of his bedroom, had her imagining all of those scenarios with morning cuddles, and it made her want to demand a reason why he wasn't providing her with such privileges.

"Why're you-" She yawned suddenly with the back of her hand covering her mouth, and adjusted to the view of a freshly dressed Steven in jeans and a black long sleeve pushed to his elbows. "Why're you up?"

Instead of giving her an easy answer, Steven shuffled down on his side, and continued to smile at her. It wasn't exactly unappreciated to see his chin and moustache were perfectly smooth again, and his hair looked gorgeously soft and fluffy, but she'd just woken up, and he was avoiding the simple brain cognitive response that she could process.

"I have a two-year-old, remember?" Steven said, which only stretched his beautiful smile.

In dumb realisation, Leah's eyes dropped closed under an embarrassed frown, and her face disappeared into the pillow.

"Oh dear." He stroked back the intruding locks of her hair. "Not awake yet?"

"No," she groaned, retreating her legs upwards to curl into a ball.

Steven kept playing with her hair, knuckles brushing her ear, and when his slow moving hand smoothed down the side of her hair again, Leah caught it with one of her own and slotted her fingertips into the gaps between his knuckles.

Her sleepy smile showed the shame had passed, and she cracked her eyes open, glancing up over his chest.

"Whazza time?"

"Almost eleven."

"What!?" Leah bolted upright in such a fast motion, that the covers from her body dropped. And with the surprised, yet happy track of Steven's eyes partnered with a low hum of approval, she was reminded of her naked state.

Whining, she fell back down. Turned away from him, on her stomach, stuffed her hands under her pillow, and clutched it with curled fingers to wish the embarrassment away.

"I didn't want to wake you," Steven reasoned, shuffling beside her. "You looked very comfortable. Still do look very comfortable."

"How?" Leah whispered in despair, electing to ignore him. "I'm an early bird and this is just...weird."