𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅 𝐀 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓, jeremiah fisher

bonus chapter.

warning: spoilers from the books

7 years later

THE SUN IS glaring down toward the earth at its full intensity. Even through the curtains, the sunlight pours in through the bedroom window and onto the man beside me.

His tan skin glows from the light, making him look ethereal. His curls fall just above his eyebrows, and his eyes are closed peacefully. His long lashes are splayed over the top of his cheekbone, and I can't help but reach out and softly trace his face with my thumb.

His arms tighten their hold around my waist as he snuggles into me impossibly closer. I can feel every inch of his body against mine, every curve, every muscle. No moment has ever felt as perfect as this one here, or every other time I've woken up with my face shoved into his warm chest, inhaling his sweet scent.

Leaning my head forward, I press my lips to his nose. When I look down at his mouth, the corners of it are tugging up.

His hands press harder into my back, and I smile. My head dips down again so that I can place my lips on the corner of his mouth, kissing his smile.

He exhales softly, his warm breath caressing my face and immediately making me feel at peace.

"Ellie," he says quietly in that rough morning voice I love so much.

One of my hands slips behind his head and into his hair, my fingers intertwining with his curls. I pepper kisses all over his beautiful face, my lips brushing every inch of his skin apart from his lips.

My other hand goes to his bare chest, sliding down until I reach his chiseled stomach. My lips leave his face and move to his neck and then his throat. My teeth graze his skin immediately followed by the flick of my tongue.

He groans lightly, finally opening his eyes, and in a move so quick I don't realize what's happening, he rolls us over so that he's hovering on top of me. He pins me with a look that tells me I'm in trouble.

I grin up at him.

He narrows his eyes and starts running his hands over my body, stopping when he reaches the hem of my shirt. Or rather his shirt because why would I wear anything of mine when I can walk to the other side of the closet and just grab his clothes that smell like him?

He nudges the shirt, his fingers sneakily slipping underneath and slowly making their way up my ribs, my stomach. I let out an involuntary whimper at his touch, and it's his turn to smirk down at me.

His head leans down as his nose skims my jaw, his lips less than half an inch away from my skin. His nose moves over my jaw, my throat, my cheek. But his lips never touch me.

I groan in anticipation, and I feel rather than hear his chuckle against my skin.

"This is what you get for teasing me, babe."

I've never particularly liked that pet name, but the way Jeremiah always calls me that so mockingly because he knows I don't like it always messes with my senses.

His smile turns so soft, so fond, so affectionate. And fuck. It never fails to make me feel all warm inside. He looks down at me with so much love that I don't know how I could possibly live without him.

And in an instant, his eyes turn dark, his smile turns dangerous. His mouth comes closer and then his teeth latch onto my bottom lip, his tongue swiping over it. I moan into his mouth as he finally attaches our lips, molding our bodies together.

I'll never get over it. Ever. The feeling I get when he's this close. The feeling I have when I think about how this man is mine.

My phone suddenly rings, "Long Live" by Taylor Swift sounding as my alarm. I glance over and see that I'm late.

"Shit!"

I try to roll away from Jeremiah, but he doesn't let me. His hands hold me tighter, his lips moving over my throat.

I push at his arms. "Jere! C'mon, I have to go. Belly's waiting for me."

He groans onto my collarbone, his hair tickling my chin. "A few more minutes."

I sigh but don't argue. His hand is warm on the skin underneath my shirt, his fingers splayed over my stomach. I reach up to wrap my arms around his neck and tug him closer to me.

He rests his head on my chest, and I just hold him there against me. Seemingly at the same time, we both let out sighs of content as we tangle our bodies together even further. We stay like that for a few minutes, just taking in each other.

Another alarm rings, because this happens every morning and I need the second alarm to remind me of what I need to do that day before I forget like I always do when I'm in Jeremiah's embrace.

I unwrap my arms from him and cup his cheeks. He smiles down at me and his hand brushes away a strand of my hair.

"You always do this. You're so annoying," I tell him, knowing that he knows I don't really mean it at all.

His smile widens as he leans down to peck my nose.

I push his chest a second later. "Now, get off me. My sister's getting married, and if my phone wasn't on silent, I'd bet anything that we would hear all the calls and texts she's no doubt sending right now."

His chuckle is low and deep, and he finally slides off of me after pressing another kiss against my lips.

He sighs and pouts. "I already miss you."

I roll my eyes but grin as I throw a pillow at him after getting up from the bed we share in our apartment only about ten minutes away from the house we grew up in every summer.

"Ugh, I guess I should go help out Conrad too. He's probably freaking the fuck out right now."

I laugh. "I don't doubt it."

He gets up and crosses the room to kiss my forehead before he smirks and runs down the hallway, yelling, "I call first in the bathroom!"

I smile to myself.

Life couldn't get better.

✧ ✦ ✧

FOUR MONTHS AFTER Belly and Conrad were married, Jeremiah proposed.

I said yes.

Obviously.

Partly because he brought me to a Taylor Swift concert and did it there, but mostly because he's the love of my life, my soulmate, my best friend, my everything.

And I knew, from somewhere up in the clouds, Susannah was smiling down at us and silently cheering. Our number one supporter.

𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 !

here's a lil bonus chapter since it's valentine's day <33

i hope everyone's doing great!!

if someone proposed to me during a taylor swift concert, specifically during love story when she says "is this in my head, i don't know what to think. he knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said marry me juliet," i would have no choice but to say yes.