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Emily stared at the ceiling, hoping the exhaustion in her body would catch up to her brain so she could finally get some sleep, but that was wishful thinking.
She turned to the right and saw you sprawled out next to her. Your head was on Emily's pillow, one leg wrapped around Emily's, and the other was almost hanging off the bed. Your arms were underneath you, and Emily wondered how you could sleep in such odd positions.
Honestly, she was jealous of your ability to fall asleep anywhere and everywhere. Even in a dusty motel in the middle of Nebraska, you were out as soon as you closed your eyes.
She brushed some hair off your face and kissed you gently on the forehead before extracting herself from the bed, trying to be as quiet as possible. The two of you hadn't been together long; it had been merely two months since Emily nervously asked you to be her girlfriend, to which you answered yes before she could even get the full question out.
Emily walked across the room to find her bag and pulled out a box of cigarettes and a lighter.
She made her way to the chair next to the window, curling her feet under her as she stared out the window.
She toyed with the cigarette box before reaching toward the window and opening a sliver. Just as she pulled a cigarette out and was about to light it, she saw your hand pluck the cigarette from hers. Emily froze, she hadn't even heard you getting out of bed.
"Busted," You chuckled sleepily as you grabbed the box and lighter from her hands as well, depositing them on the window sill.
"Couldn't sleep?" You asked as you stood in front of her.
"No. Sorry for waking you up." Emily said guiltily as she tugged you by the waist to sit on her lap. You giggled as you ungracefully landed on top of her.
"It's okay. I can't sleep without my heat source anyway." You said as you played with the ends of her hair.
"Is that all I am to you? A heat source?" Emily chuckled.
"Of course not! You're my personal chef, too!" You said, tapping the tip of her nose.
"You're spoiled rotten." She rolled her eyes, and you just smiled as you tucked her hair behind her ear, "Seriously though, Em, what's keeping you up? Anything I can do?"
"No, no, it's fine, sweetheart. You should go back to bed." She said, softly cupping your chin and giving you a quick kiss.
"I'm not tired anymore." You countered, which Emily knew was a complete lie because your eyelids were getting droopier by the second. And it was moments like this where Emily fell in love with you even more. Half asleep and insisting you weren't tired just so you could keep her company. What had she done to deserve you? Emily often wondered.
"We're like E.T. and Elliot. Whatever you feel, I feel." You added, and Emily chuckled as she pulled you further into her chest. "Only if I get to be Elliot," Emily said.
"Nope, you're older. You have to be E.T.," You said, poking her side.
"Hey!" Emily scoffed, and you laughed as you hid your face under her chin, "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"
"Mhm," Emily hummed as she ran a soothing hand across your back.
"I wish we had this view in D.C," You murmured after a couple of minutes, looking out the window. Stargazing was one of your favorite things to do with Emily. She knew all of the constellations and the stories behind them. She was like a never-ending spout of knowledge, and you could spend hours just listening to her talk.
"I know, right," Emily agreed quietly, "We see some of the most beautiful places for the worst reasons."
"Ironic," You murmured sleepily, trying your best to stay awake, but Emily was just so comfy.
"It is ironic; I mean, traditionally, beauty has been counted among the ultimate values of goodness, truth, and justice..." Emily continued, and you hummed in acknowledgment. You tried to listen to Emily's philosophical ramblings, but her voice and the light scratches against your back were a deadly combination. Something Emily knew very well...
"Hey! Stop trying to put me to sleep! I'm not tired." You said with a pout as you sat up slightly so you could be face-to-face with Emily.
"Honey, I promise you I'm fine." She said as she swiftly lifted you. You yelped in surprise, throwing your arms around her neck as she carried you back to the bed.
"You can go back to sleep," Emily said as she gently placed you on your side of the bed.
"Only if you join me," You said as you patted the spot next to you.
"Y/n..." Emily sighed.
"Trust me, please." You said, giving her your best pleading eyes that Emily could never say no to.
"Fine," She relented, and you just rolled your eyes at her dramatics.
You motioned for her to lay her head on your lap as you sat up. "Whenever we watch a movie, and I play with your hair, you always fall asleep," You said as Emily got her head situated on your thighs.
"That's because you insist on watching the same cheesy rom-coms over and over again," She mumbled as you started to lightly run your fingers through your hair.
"Hey! You don't hear me complaining whenever you force me to do a Lord of The Rings movie marathon." You argued back, scratching her scalp, and you were pleased to hear the soft hums coming from Emily.
"You little liar!" Emily laughed, "I do hear you complain, the entirety of the movie, I might add."
"That's not me complaining! I'm simply making commentary throughout the movie." You smiled.
"Sure," Emily appeased as she snuggled further into your lap.
You smiled as you spent the next couple of minutes playing with her hair. The sound of the rickety air conditioner was the only thing filling the quietness of the room.
"I should make you do this every night," Emily murmured after a while, and you were glad to hear the slight sleepiness in her tone.
"Now whose spoiled rotten?" You teased.
"Of course I'm the spoiled one. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." Emily hummed as she turned her head to look up at you. Your heart clenched at her words and sleepy smile. You didn't know how to voice the words that could encompass just how much Emily meant to you. So you stuck with, "I love you," and hoped that she could tell how you felt just from three words.
But it was Emily, so of course she could read you like a book. "I love you more." She smiled as she lifted her head off your lap and laid it on the pillow. She opened her arms, and you immediately fell into them. Your head placed in the crook of her neck, and your legs intertwined together. "You think you can sleep now?" You murmured, your lips brushing against her neck.
"Yeah, turns out you're all I need," She smiled as she kissed the top of your head.
"So cheesy," You mumbled as you snuggled closer.
"Just for you," Emily said as she closed her eyes and let the soft sounds of your breath guide her to sleep.
Emily may have been in the middle of Nebraska, but she'd never felt more at home than being by your side.