Borrowed Time

Chapter 135

Light filtered in through the curtains, rousing Juliette slowly from her slumber as she stretched, lifting her head from Esme's chest with a content sigh, looking down at the beautiful sight that she was lucky enough to behold whenever they woke up next to each other.

She liked how their chest rose and fell, the look of the lines of muscle on their skin, tensing and untensing as they dreamed, the way that they covered their eyes with their arm... She liked how they smelt when they slept - peaceful and warm... It made her eyes droop even now, but she didn't want to look away from them, especially not when they stirred.

Good morning, prettyboy.

"Are you watching me sleep again?" Esme mumbled, a sleepy smile spreading across their face. Juliette smiled widely, tracing her fingers over Esme's upper chest and collarbones, marveling in their beauty, in the way that their voice sounded when they were hardly awake - beautifully gravelly, perfectly sweet...

God, she could just sit here and listen to them, watch them sleep... She could do that forever.

Shit, okay maybe that did sound a little bit creepy when she really thought about it, but she did mean it.

"Yeah." She leaned in, pressing a lingering kiss to Esme's cheek before she pulled back, fighting the urge to push their arm away from their eyes so that she could stare into them... She didn't want them to lose their peace, she wanted to enhance it. "You look so beautiful and peaceful when you're asleep, like nothing that bothers you in the daytime could ever possibly get to you at night." She murmured, and Esme chuckled, their arm falling from their eyes as they turned around and wrapped an arm around Juliette's waist, using the vantage to pull themself into her and rest their head on her chest.

She chuckled and sighed, feeling her heart swell with happiness as she ran her fingers through their hair... God, she loved loving them. It was just something that was so unique, something that was all hers.

Being in love with Esme Panchek was the single greatest gift that she had ever been given.

"Well, that's probably because most of the time, I'm dreaming about you... and the life that we're gonna get to live together when we're older." Esme said, tracing their fingers against her waist as they spoke. Juliette felt a smile spread across her face as really let that sit in... Good god, Esme had such sweet dreams about her, that was something that she considered to be the world's biggest gift.

How could she be lucky enough to be in love with someone who was so incredibly sweet?

"Really?" She asked, and Esme chuckled sleepily, like they couldn't believe that she was surprised by their happiness... And maybe there would come a day where she would get used to it, but she just couldn't see that happening.

"Mhm." Esme lifted their head, looking at her with a wide grin, soft and sleepy. Juliette sighed, brushing hair from their eyes... God, you're so fucking pretty. "Those are my happiest dreams... Sometimes I get my night terrors and shit like that... But most of the time I just get to dream about how wonderful it'll be to get to fall asleep and wake up at your side every day." They said, and even though Esme's words made Juliette's heart race in her chest, she couldn't help but point something out that had been missed.

She basically lived with Esme at this point.

"You already do that." She said, and Esme shoved her away, chuckling as they rolled their eyes. God, you're so fucking cute.

"Okay, smart ass... You know what I mean." They sighed, and Juliette nodded... Yeah, that was a good point she knew exactly what Esme had meant by what they'd said.