Borrowed Time Part 2

Chapter 203

"Really?" She asked, lifting her head as they chuckled, nodding. Their eyes sparkled when they looked at her, they always had... She was pretty sure her heart would shatter if that sparkle ever went away, it'd destroy her from the inside out and then she'd probably just have to commit an insane string of crimes to make up for it.

That's what people who lose the loves of their lives do, right? Crime? That sounded right, she was sure that there was a statistic on that... Not important.

What was important was being held by Esme now, and she didn't want to take her focus away from that for even a moment.

"Of course... God, you make everything worth it, baby." That was possibly the sweetest thing that anyone had ever said to her, and she'd had some pretty sweet things to her said in this very room multiple times this year.

But knowing that she made everything better really took the cake, it was probably the most amazing statement on the planet, it made her feel like she was on top of the fucking world.

"I'm so glad." She leaned up, kissing them softly, slowly... She already had their lips memorized, and each touch that they gave her felt as familiar as ever, but there was always new things to discover, even better things to all in love with, such as the sigh that Esme always let out when they broke apart, the way that they paused for a moment at the end of each kiss as if they were anticipating another one... It was artistic, stunning... it made her feel like their love was one that was destined to be put into art someday, or on the screen, something like that. She cleared her throat, toying with the collar of their shirt. She wanted to help them get ready for bed, they needed their rest. "Can I help you get out of this?" She asked, and Esme chuckled, smirking as they leaned in to kiss her quickly again before pulling back.

You don't have to stop... Kiss me as many times as you possibly can, please. Like... Please... Was that a little embarrassingly desperate? Yes, but it was also exactly what she was thinking in that moment, that being kissed by Esme was something that she wanted to have done all day every day until the day that she died.

"Are you trying to get me naked, Juliette?" They asked, and Juliette sighed, rolling her eyes with a smile as she shook her head, tracing her fingers over their jaw. Them being naked was obviously a perk, but she had no ulterior motives right now - she just wanted to take as much pressure from the day off of them as humanly possible, that was part of being in love was making life easier for the person that you're lucky enough to love. Esme did that for her constantly, and it was only fair that she do the exact same - it was something that she wanted, something that she needed to do so that she could feel close to them during a time when they hadn't gotten to spend nearly enough time together.

"No, I can get you naked by simply asking you to do so." She said, and Esme's face flushed as they looked away from her, scuffing their shoe across the ground. She placed a hand on their cheek, drawing their face back to her as she traced her thumb over their lips, feeling them press a quick, gentle kiss to the pad of it, their hand coming up to cover hers and hold her there, suspended in time for just a moment before Juliette forced the passage of it - she needed to keep talking. "I want you to not have to think about getting ready for bed, I'm gonna help you with it." She said, and Esme's expression softened impossibly, their wide, crooked, perfect smile spreading across their face in a way that took her breath away - they were always doing that, it could become a real problem someday if her asthma ever got any worse.

"Really?" They asked, sounding a bit too disbelieving for her taste - she did her best to help them whenever she could, was she not doing enough? It was entirely possible, but she hoped to God that that wasn't the case.