Chapter Text
Marya’s eyes opened slowly, her vision still thick with sleep. Blinking, her mind slowly caught up with her body, along with the memory of her responsibilities. The warmth of the blankets, the sun shining through the window called her to stay in bed, to not think of work or her duties. But she could ignores those suggestions- what she couldn’t ignore was the arm around her waist, the soft skin against hers, the soft breathing in her ear. Her girlfriend was directly against her, holding her gently. Helene was still fast asleep- she didn’t need to get up.
Marya was content with staying their until noon, cuddled together. The warmth, the sunlight glittering through the glass, the charmingly sweet smell of Helene. She was content with letting her job slip out of mind, replacing it with soft kisses and intertwined legs. She was content with Helene; beautiful Helene, sweet Helene, loving Helene. But Marya needed to get up.
She moved slowly at first, edging her way off the bed. Helene’s arm began slipping farther away, her breathing becoming barely audible. Moving in millimeters, she was careful in her attempts to not wake Helene up. There was no sound, spare the light creaking of their mattress. She was so close to getting out, just a little bit more-
“Marya?” a drowsy voice broke the silence, and Marya sighed. She turned her head, meeting the gaze of a weary Helene. Her eyes were barely open; just enough to see her girlfriend inching towards escape and the cold world of work. A hand came up, lazily brushing Marya’s face and a few strands of hair.
“C’mon, can’t you just stay for a little while longer?” Helene pleaded, her hand wandering across Marya’s head and shoulders. The feeling of soft skin against hers made Marya desperately want to give in. But she stood her ground, albeit reluctantly. Stopping the hand in its tracks, she bent down and planted a kiss on it.
“No, my dear. I have to work so we have money so we don’t end up hungry and homeless.” She spoke, kissing the hand randomly throughout the explanation. Helene sighed, looking guiltily off to the corner of the room.
“...I’m sorry that I can’t help.” she said, barely above a whisper. Her eyesw were clouded with sadness, her finger rubbing together nervously. Helene hadn’t been able to get a job recently- she’d been going through burnout and could barely stand going outside alone. But that wasn’t her fault. Her father, he wasn’t the best. Or even good. He yelled at her, blamed her for things she couldn’t control, and denied her symptoms for most of her childhood. She had needed to go visit him two months ago, for three days, and that triggered burnout. After all the work she put in for Chanukah, Helene had been emotionally, and somewhat physically, knocked out. But Marya was more than happy to support her.
“Laney, that’s not your fault. I love you, and if I had to support you for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t hesitate.” Marya comforted her, slowly pulling her into a hug until Helene closed the gap. Marya was careful to not hug Helene quickly, in case she didn’t want one. But when she did want a hug, she loved tight hugs. So Marya held her fiercely, until the beeping from her alarm clock notified her that she was almost late.
She bounded to her closest, quickly changing into her uniform as soon as possible, her hair still messy. Helene kissed her goodbye, and once again Marya was running to her job, for the 4th time this week. But even with the stress and the pain in her legs, she was grinning. She had a beautiful girlfriend and an ok apartment and they would light Shabbat candles this evening and sing, and everything would be ok. Even though the heat of the bed and Helene were fading, Marya felt absolutely no cold.