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Sleep escaped you tonight. No matter how many sheep you counted, how much you tossed and turned, sleep remained just out of reach.
You sat up in bed and gently pushed the duvet away, careful not to wake the large man still sleeping beside you, his soft snores filling the room. When your bare feet touched the hard-wood floor of your apartment, you winced, and hurried to your wardrobe to retrieve the warmest pair of socks you could find.
Padding down the hall and to the kitchen, you began your little ritual of putting the kettle on, grabbing the biggest mug you could find, and looking through your stash of tea.
Earl Grey seemed like a good choice for tonight.
10 minutes later and your tea was warming your fingertips as you perched in a chair on your tiny balcony overlooking your street. It was mid-november, and London’s usually bleak climate turned frigid and unbearable very quickly after Halloween. You were bundled in a wool blanket to keep yourself warm, and you could faintly see your breath in the air, mingling with the steam emanating from your cup.
“You’re up late”
Nearly jumping out of your skin, you turned to face the speaker.
“Christ, Simon”
He chuckled softly and came to join you on the balcony, sitting in the chair next to yours. He was dressed in just a thin t-shirt and his boxers and you shivered, thinking of how cold he probably was. However cold he might be, though, he didn't show it. Instead, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered you one. You took it.
“I couldn’t sleep,” you said. “Did I wake you up?”
He shook his head as he lit his cigarette and handed you the lighter. You weren’t a heavy smoker, and neither was Simon, but sometimes you needed the buzz. You also liked the way you could feel the smoke curl in your lungs, warming your chest from the inside out.
It stayed quiet between the two of you for a while. Not in an uncomfortable way. Simon was probably the only person in the world you felt comfortable sharing this kind of silence with. The only noise that could be heard were the cars and taxis passing by down below.
When you finished your cigarette, you stamped it out and rose from your chair, Simon trailing behind you soon after, an unspoken agreement between the two of you that it was time to head inside to the warmth of your shared apartment. He silently followed you into the kitchen as you placed your teacup in the sink.
You felt Simon’s warm hands snake around your torso and his chin rest on top of your head, pressing a light kiss to your hair.
“Come back to bed, love.”
You turned your body around to face him, still held in his grasp. Your hands came up to rest on his chest and you nodded. How could you say no?
He led you back to the bedroom and you hurriedly crawled under the covers. Simon crawled in behind you and gently but firmly pulled you back into his warm embrace, wrapping his arms around your waist and pushing his hands up beneath your shirt to rest on your tummy and trace little circles against your skin.
Eventually, your eyes drifted shut and you fell into the sweet embrace of sleep beside the man you loved most in the world.