Bloodline [h.s.]

thirty-six.

Two hours before my alarm was set to go off, my eyes flew open. My body seemed to know that my time left Bridget was limited, not that I got much rest anyway. Residual pangs of humiliation tainted my sleep. 

The same flames that scorched my lungs yesterday plagued my dreams. I must have woken up at least three times wheezing for air. Thankfully, the nightmares never woke her up. I had put her through enough after I called her from the rooftop in the midst of an episode. The comfort of her back pressed to my chest soothed me back to sleep. She couldn't make any of it go away. I'd never expect that, but her presence grounded me. She was my anchor.

The golden waves blanketing my chest were a beautiful tranquility that had nearly escaped my memory. Her arm draped over my waist made it difficult to move from her grasp without waking her. It was an inconvenience that I loved having. Relishing in the return of her coconut scented glory to my bed, I traced the span of her hip down to her knee.

The faint twitch of a smile broke the unconscious serenity on her face as my fingers ghosted over her side. She rolled off of me to resume her sleep. Selfishly wanting time with her before the day's obligations parted up, I kissed her neck to ease her awake.

"It's still dark. You okay?" She asked in her half asleep state.

"Mhmm," I hummed.

"Good. Then, let me sleep." She grumbled, pulling the duvet higher over her chest.

"Can't, I miss kissing you."

As I continued peppering kissed along her neck and collarbone, she fought to stay sleeping, squeezing her eyes shut. My cold nose brushing her skin woke her up.

"Aiden," she whined.

I propped myself onto my elbows, hovering over her with our torsos still connected, "I wanted to see you before I left."

"You can't wake me up an hour before my alarm just to leave me." She pouted. Her hands pulled me down so she could reach my lips. "Skip the run today."

"Two hours." I clarified. She looked up at me confused. "Your alarm doesn't go off for another two hours."

"It's 5 AM?! Aiden, why?" She dragged out the last syllable through her smile.

The strike of a pillow knocked me off my elbows, flat onto her body. I promptly recovered pinning her wrists above her head, a position that never failed to make her squirm. Her cerulean eyes narrowed at me, faking an unbothered state. I stippled puckish kisses along her neck as if it was a Seurat pointillism painting.

"I am going to kill you!" She protested through a song of giggles and her dancing hips as my kisses tickled her clavicle. "It is too early for this. I need sleep!"

"Sleep can wait. I miss you." I cooed.

My paintbrush lips decelerated to strokes of the Van Gogh realism period. The laughter vibrating from her chest dwindled into little hums of approval. The smooth canvas of her neck felt like silk on my lips.

"I know you can to escape if you wanted to," I teased, pulling a sheepish smile to her face. She had mastered that skill the first day of training. "which  tells me you like this."

She positioned her knee between mine. I pushed down on her wrists tighter to not make it easy. I taught her a few different methods, so I was curious which she would use. As I prepared for the wrong one, her hips snapped upwards from the bed. At the same time, her legs wrapped around one of my mine, swindling my balance. I retreated, flat backed on the California king. She flipped onto me smugly. Her eyes glowed with victory. The taste of her pride sweetened my tongue as her beaming grin kissed my lips.