Between the sheets of us

Between the Sheets of Us
Jay traced lazy circles on Emery’s bare chest, her fingers moving in absent patterns over his warm skin. The only light in the room came from the city outside, neon blues and pinks bleeding through the blinds, casting shifting stripes over their tangled limbs. She loved this—this quiet space between them, where words weren’t needed, but emotions spoke loud enough.
“You’re staring,” Emery murmured, his voice thick with sleep but laced with amusement.
Jay hummed, her fingers stilling. “Maybe.”
He shifted beneath her, turning onto his side so they were face to face, noses almost touching. “Thinking about what?”
She hesitated.
There were a million things she could say how his touch felt like home. How his heartbeat under her palm was her favorite sound. How, sometimes, she got so caught up in the idea of forever with him that it terrified her.
Instead, she settled on the simplest truth.
“You,” she whispered.
Emery smiled, the kind of smile that started in his eyes and melted at the corners of his lips. His hand found her waist, fingers pressing into the dip of her back, anchoring her to him. “Yeah?”
Jay nodded. “Yeah.”
For a while, they just lay there, the air between them thick with something unspoken but understood. His hand slid up, fingers tracing the curve of her jaw, and when he leaned in, it wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t desperate. It was slow, deliberate—like he was memorizing the way she tasted, the way she sighed into his mouth, the way she fit against him like she was always meant to be there.
“I love you,” he murmured against her lips.
She smiled, fingers threading into his hair as she pulled him closer. “I know.”
Emery chuckled softly, his breath warm against her skin. “Cocky.”
Jay grinned, but there was no teasing in her eyes. Only warmth. Only certainty. “No,” she whispered. “Just sure.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips grazing her temple, slow and reverent. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”
She tilted her head, studying him. The soft glow from the city painted shadows over his face, highlighting the sharp line of his jaw, the curve of his lips, and the quiet adoration in his eyes.
“You loved me first,” she said, and that was the truth.
Emery had always been the brave one. The one who saw her when she didn’t want to be seen. The one who held out his heart before she even knew she wanted to take it.
“I’ll always love you first,” he said softly.
Jay’s throat tightened.
Sometimes, love felt too big to hold, too heavy to carry. But with Emery, it never did. It was weightless. It was air. It was home.
She curled into him, tucking herself against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
They stayed like that for a long time, listening to each other breathe, letting their hearts do the talking.
Outside, the city pulsed with life. But in their little corner of the world, time stood still.
And in the quiet hum of the night, tangled between sheets and whispered confessions, Jay knew she’d never need anything more than this.
Between the Sheets of Us (Extended)
Jay shifted against Emery, the warmth of his skin seeping into hers and the steady rhythm of his breathing lulling her into a sense of calm. His fingertips moved in slow, absentminded strokes over her bare back, tracing the delicate curve of her spine and the dip of her waist.
She shivered—not from the cold, but from the way his touch sent soft ripples through her body, a silent language they had learned so well.
Emery noticed. He always noticed.
“You okay?” he murmured, lips brushing against her forehead.
Jay tilted her head up to look at him. His eyes, dark and patient, searched hers, waiting for her to speak first. She didn’t always have the words, but tonight, she did.
“I just love this,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “Being with you like this. No noise. No distractions. Just... us.”
His arms tightened around her, pulling her even closer. “Me too.”
She shifted slightly, their legs tangling, skin on skin, warmth meeting warmth. She could feel his heartbeat against her, steady and strong, grounding her in a way nothing else ever had.
Jay slid her fingers along the ridges of his ribs across the familiar plane of his stomach. She knew every part of him by now—the rough calluses on his hands, the tiny scar on his collarbone, the way his breath hitched ever so slightly when she kissed the spot just below his jaw.
She leaned up on her elbow, watching him, studying him. “Tell me something,” she said.
Emery smiled lazily. “Anything.”
She hesitated for a second, then asked, “When did you know?”
His brows furrowed slightly. “Know what?”
“That you loved me.”
There was a slow, thoughtful silence between them. Then, his fingers brushed a strand of hair from her face, his touch featherlight.
“The first time I saw you cry,” he finally said.
Jay blinked, surprised. “What?”
He exhaled softly, his thumb tracing circles on her hip. “You always act so strong, like you don’t need anyone. But that night, when you let me see you break... I think that’s when I knew. Because all I wanted was to be the one who held you together.”
Her throat tightened. She remembered that night too well—the weight of everything finally crashing down, the walls she had built around herself crumbling. She had tried to hide it, but Emery had seen it right through her. And he hadn’t run. He had stayed. Held her. Let her be vulnerable without making her feel weak.