She frowned a little in surprise, but it quickly shifted to a reassuring smile, two tiny dimples on her cheeks as she leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, her lips still brushing his skin after she had parted. "Of course it's alright, Abes," she murmured quietly. "I'm just not used to this much affection from people. You're going to have to forgive me."
She laughed a little. Her laughter was a bit of an enigma. She always seemed surprised that she had found something funny, or that someone else had made her laugh. It posed a stark contradiction to her joyful, eager character. Her fingers intertwined with his and she looked up at him, her eyes soft with affection. "Of course I'm sure. I feel like I could never be close enough to you."
He visibly relaxed, the expression on his face easing into peace as he pulled a pillow over, resting his head on it so he could hold her with both arms, pulling her over and hugging her, his body warm and the familiar smell of linen and cologne in the air.
She slid over easily, her arms tucked neatly under his and bracing against his back as she buried her face in his shoulder, her loose black hair brushing his skin. Her limbs were relaxed but constant, and she slowly rubbed the knots out of his back muscles with her palm, falling quiet for just a moment. "You don't need to worry about me so much all the time, you know," she mentioned after a moment, her tone soft.
His eyes were closed, but they opened momentarily when she spoke, glancing at her half-lidded as he kissed her temple in thought. "I can't help it.. It's not something I can control."
"But you know I would tell you if something were wrong," she replied, looking up at him, her neck fitting with the curve of his chest. "And... Abel, I am so happy with you. I feel like..." She hesitated before looking down, shaking her head. "I don't know."
He looked down at her curiously, shifting his hand from around her waist to tuck back her hair carefully. "Hm? What do you feel like, O..?"
Her hand came up instinctively and fit around his hand. She cupped his fingers, considering them thoughtfully, brushing her hands over his knuckles before kissing them softly. Despite the sweetness and tentativeness of her actions, he would be able to tell that she was hesitating, her posture tense and uncertain. "I just... I feel like... I feel like I could be with you forever," she managed after a second, looking extremely conflicted. "I can't imagine a future without you in it." She looked up at him suddenly, her brow furrowing. "Don't panic. That doesn't mean anything scary."
He watched her, quiet for a very long moment before a slow smile crossed his face. And he brought a finger up to his lips as if he were telling her to be quiet. "Now, don't panic," he said with a playful but charming wink, "but I picture a future with you in it too."
Something akin to relief washed over her nervous little face and she paused, holding the wrist of his hand that was near her face before she reached up and kissed him. It was gentle and reserved at first, her fingertips resting on his jawline, but she pushed it forward, deepening it for just a moment before she pulled away, her forehead resting against his. "I adore you," she told him tremulously. "Really, Abel, I... you're the best part of my day."
He was watching her the whole time, his gaze filled with adoration as he closed his eyes when their lips met, and stayed closed as she spoke. He opened them, that look still on his face. "That's.. high praise, from you. You're so important to me, O. Seriously."
She gave that laugh again, slipping her arms around his waist, her hand deftly brushing past the hem of his shirt to curl against his skin. "That shouldn't be high praise," she replied quietly. "I'm often frightened to be overly..." She paused, biting her bottom lip as she chose a word. "Effusive, I guess. That's not a state of being that I'm comfortable with. But you, Abel... you are everything to me. I'm sorry I don't make that more clear."
He hugged her gently against, resting his forehead against her temple as he was quietly thinking. His skin was warm on her hand. "Being the best part of your day.. is high praise to me. The fact that it's you saying that.. It makes me so happy. I love you so much."
She turned her head to look at him, her nose brushing his as her eyes fluttered closed instinctively. Her hand traced small circles, tiny planets along his spine. "I love you too. More than I could say."
He tangled their legs distractedly, the movements gentle and thoughtless. "Let's sleep, okay? We'll do work in the morning."
Her shoulders shook a little as she chuckled, leaning over and planting soft kisses on his collarbone. "You're an excellent leader, you know. Yeah, that's a good idea."
He pulled apart from her momentarily to pull up the blanket and flick out the light, before returning to her side, resting his chin over her head. "Hm.. Goodnight."
She closed her eyes, her face buried in his neck and her arms tucked neatly under his shirt. "...goodnight."
He said nothing more, and quickly started to fall asleep as the work from the day caught up with him.
