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Judy was a cuddler. She was always an affectionate person, even when they first met. It took some getting used to-Jen didn't usually like to be touched-but they eventually became tactile, and Jen came to appreciate her hugs and want more...A lot more. But this was all before they started sleeping together.
Jen knew her new housemate was a touchy-feely person. But Judy was a cuddler. Jen had never seen anything like it. As soon as they were alone together, all she wanted to do was be held and kissed. Of course, she wanted sex too, but that almost seemed to come second to physical contact. It was amazing at first. She missed the closeness that came with having somebody lie next to her at night and the jitters a new relationship brought. Being with a woman was much different than being with a man, and Judy fit so well in her arms. Whatever they were to each other now was more delicate and more precious to her than anything and anyone that came before, because it was so new to both of them.
Jen was always the big spoon, a sleeping position that she did not envy her late husband for occupying when they were still intimate. She liked the feeling of Judy so close to her, but she didn't like how unbearably hot she got and how her arm would go numb after a while. No matter how quiet she tried to be, if she moved at all from her spot, Judy would wake up and Jen would curse herself out for disturbing her. Most nights were impossible for her to sleep all the way through. Jen loved when they would lie on the couch together and she'd pet Judy's hair, and she loved how stubborn and pouty she'd get when she tried to stop. She was not, however, a fan of the toll it was starting to take on her wrist. She liked playing with her hands and scratching her back and doing all of the little things that made her happy, but there seemed to be no end to Judy's need for her. It was flattering, but sometimes Jen felt like she needed a break. She wasn't used to an overflow of affection.
She didn't know how to bring it up without sounding like an asshole. She felt like one. Hey Judy, I know we're sort of together now, and I like you way more than I probably should, but do you mind not wanting me to touch you so much? Thanks. She was the bad guy in every aspect of her life and she hated that she had to be one here, but she disliked missing out on sleep almost as much as she disliked upsetting Judy.
She decided bedtime was the best place to bring it up. Judy had been coming up to the house at night and into her bed for the past few weeks, it was routine now. Sometimes she was even in her room before Jen was, waiting.
"Hey," Jen said one night after brushing her teeth, turning the corner of her room to see Judy in her bra and panties undressing.
"Hey." Judy flashed a smile and crawled over the bed on all fours towards her, squinting her eyes playfully and puckering her lips for a kiss.
Jen bent down and gave her a peck. Judy immediately flopped down on her back with her feet in the air, grinning widely and extending an arm towards her.
Fuck me. Why does she have to be so cute.
Instead of straddling her like she really wanted to do, Jen turned and started taking her clothes off, prompting Judy to get up and put on her pajamas.
"Listen," she said, pulling her nightshirt over her head. She didn't wear anything of Ted's anymore. "Is it okay if we kind of sleep apart tonight?"
"What?" Judy was sitting at the edge of the bed facing her.
"It's just..." she kept looking down at her pajamas as she was putting them on to avoid looking at her cute face. "It's hard for me to sleep, and I feel bad waking you up whenever I try to move."
"Oh! Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." She was doing that thing where she was overly emphatic.
Jen finished undressing, smiling as she pulled back the covers and settling in. "It's okay."
"I don't stay up, by the way. I fall right back asleep. But I didn't know you were uncomfortable, I'm sorry." Judy said, propping her head up on her elbow.
"You wouldn't have, it's okay." Jen wasn't used to this level of communication in a relationship.
She sighed and moved only her head towards Judy. "But in the morning too... I'm kind of touched out, you know? In general."
"Oh." The brunette looked taken aback for a second, absorbing what Jen said. "Oh."
"It's no big deal, just for a few days."
"I haven't converted you to a full-time cuddler yet have I? Alright, have it your way Harding," Judy said in a teasing tone. Her ability to adapt was one of Jen's favorite things about her. Any initial negative reaction she might have felt was completely erased in just a few minutes. She knew it was for her benefit, which made her feel even worse because everything Judy did was for other people.
"Don't be so dramatic. Goodnight."
"Night." Judy faced the wall.
One day. One goddamned day. That's all Jen could last. The next morning was business as usual, only instead of a 5-minute hug before work they quickly kissed goodbye after the kids left. Instead of lying on the couch together, they held hands for a second, and instead of hair-petting, Judy winked at her after dinner. At some point, Jen realized the sensation of touching wasn't what was important, it was about Judy. She missed her, and she missed being uncomfortable for her. But she felt stupid going back on what she said so soon.
As they got ready for bed for the night, Judy stuck to her side, eyeing her every few minutes while Jen read.
Finally, she relented, pretending it was for the other woman's benefit. "Oh for fuck's sake, come here."
Judy squealed happily and immediately climbed into Jen's open arms, pressing her little body against hers so hard that she fell back into the headboard and hit her head.
"Ouch". Jen laughed, her voice muffled by Judy's shirt. She could feel her head on top of hers and her arms and legs wrapped in a death grip around her. "You're smothering me." Judy leaned back a little bit, but only enough so that Jen could look up at her.
"I messed up your hair. Sorry," Judy said, pushing the blonde strands back with fervor, her hands brushing against her ears and chin.
"No you're not."
"You're right, I'm not. Mmmmmmm." She pulled Jen's head towards her chest and held it there tightly, smothering her again and rocking them both back and forth. "Resistance is futile."
"You messed my head up too!" Jen giggled once she let go, her hair even wilder.
Judy pressed Jen's forehead to hers and held her face in her hands, her thumbs stroking her earlobes. "I can't take credit for that."
"I guess not."
Both women grinned. Jen felt light-headed.
"You big softie." Judy said, reading her mind.
"I am not. Shut up." She was.
"You couldn't wait to touch me allll day. Why do I have to do all the work around here?"
"Work?" Jen pretended to push Judy off of her, the other woman responding by falling to the mattress dramatically. "Who's spooning who? Who's wrist is being sacrificed for the other's pleasure?"
"You like it too much to stop. Besides, our hands are both getting full usage." That was true. "If you want me to brush your hair just say so, softie. I'll do anything for you."
"Yeah, except top."
"Only because you're soo good at it," Judy tilted her head tantalizingly, crawling her way back into Jen's lap.
"You're just a lazy fuck. And, by the way, I'm implementing a rule." Judy had started to kiss her neck.
"Yeah?" she murmured.
"Yeah. Tonight is tonight. But TOMORROW," Jen raised her voice as Judy increased her amount of kisses and moved her way to her head, both women knowing damn well whatever she said wasn't going to happen.
"Tomorrow, you get one hour. We'll do one hour of cuddling before bed, and I get my arm back."
Judy stopped, looking at her thoughtfully and snaking her hands through her hair. "Okay. But tonight?"
"Get off of me so I can spoon you. But this is the LAST TIME. Do you hear me?"
Judy immediately rolled over onto her side of the bed and held out her arm behind her so that Jen could grab it as she turned.
"Softie," she said in a sing-song voice.
Jen smiled as they both settled in. For Judy, a few restless nights didn't seem too much of a sacrifice to make.