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When Alyssa wakes up, the first thing she notes is that the bed is cold. Emma isn’t at her side, and she finds herself missing her already. Years of being together, and she still doesn’t like being away from her for long.
She sits up, a yawn building that she lets out, and looks around. The clock on their nightstand tells her it’s past 1am. Slowly, she gets up, shivering a little in the cold air. She steps out of their room and down to the kitchen, where she sees Emma sitting on a stool by the window, looking out at the moonlight. She’s fidgeting with an unpeeled orange.
Alyssa says nothing as she takes a stool and sits down next to her. Emma has made no inclination that she knows Alyssa is there until she starts to peel the orange and hands her a slice before taking one for herself.
They eat their slices in silence for a bit, until it’s eventually broken.
“You know I love you, right?”
The question catches Alyssa a little off-guard. The response that comes is smooth though, as if she’s said it a million times. She’s sure she has. “I know. I love you too.”
Emma simply hums as she hands another orange slice to Alyssa and bites into her own, a little bit of orange juice dribbling down her chin that Alyssa has half a mind to wipe away. The moonlight, their only source of light, falls directly on Emma and she can’t help the way her breath catches in her throat at the sight.
Emma looks ethereal, highlighted by the moonlight that almost looks as if it's given her a halo. Alyssa thinks she looks lovely. She’s never felt more lucky.
“I love you more.” The words are out before Alyssa is even aware she’s thought them, much less spoken them. It’s a little thing they always did, a jab here and there, a competition. They both know there’s no way to quantify their love for the other.
Emma chuckles. “Nope, not possible.”
“Sure it is.”
“Prove it, then,” Emma challenges.
There’s silence for a moment, before Alyssa’s reply comes out as barely a whisper. “I have the rest of our lives to do that, don’t I?”
More silence. Emma hands her another orange slice. “We do, don’t we?”
“Mhmm. You’re never getting rid of me.”
Emma turns to Alyssa, smiling softly at her, the moon backdropped against her. “I would never want to.”
Another orange. Only two remain. Emma takes to picking at the peel, left forgotten on the counter.
“Come back to bed,” Alyssa whispers, soft in the dark room as the moonlight pools in.
Emma wordlessly stands, hands the last orange to her, and the two head to bed.
Alyssa curls up into Emma’s arms, the latter holding her close. She reaches up a little and the two kiss for a moment, just soft presses of their lips. Emma tastes like oranges, and Alyssa supposes she must, too.
And then Alyssa presses her head against Emma’s chest, and with the lull of her heart to sing her to sleep and the ever-familiar feeling of fingers carding through her hair, it’s not long before she drifts off.
Right before she does, she can’t help but think about how she’s so glad to have Emma with her. Even after everything they’ve been through, knowing she has a bed with Emma to crawl into, the love of her life to hold her and to share oranges with her, makes everything worth it.
They’ve still got each other. And nothing will change that.