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As AJ listened to the birds outside, to the quiet, muffled chirping of the morning, with a gold sun cloaking Drift's dorm room in gold, the leaves shining, she, more importantly, didn't know why she ever left.
The bed was too comfortable, the sheets soft like skin. Drift's breathing tickled strands of hair around her shoulders. Air sat still between shelves, leaves barely moving, barely drifting. The soft glow of the room felt a soft balm over AJ's eyes, massaging her mind.
The Mage's eyes drifted down to Drift, whose mouth was slightly parted, drool collecting on the corner of her mouth. Their naked bodies were pressed against each other, the feeling mimicking satin and silk on AJ's skin. Her toes, for once, were warm, her fingers no longer numb — even just for a moment.
With the light grazing the bed, the air calming her, AJ had not one clue why she would have ever left this behind, why she would ever give it up.
Eventually, a number of lazy blinks later, Drift roused. She groaned slightly, pulling off from AJ's body with still-closed eyes. The Mage just smiled down at her, unable to help it. Nothing outside this bed felt real — nothing could hurt them, tangled up in sheets like this. "Hey, Open Book."
"Mm." Drift's sniffled, her eyes opening barely, before wincing at the brightness in the dorm. AJ just laughed in reply. "Hey…"
"How was your sleep?" She asked quietly, a hand moving to Drift's head, which was being slowly lowered back onto AJ's unclothed chest, her heart and Drift's head reuniting.
"Good. Yours?" She smiled softly, face still waking up. Her eyes were still mostly lidded, licking lips as AJ ran her fingers through her hair, feeling the softness flow between them.
"Perfect." The Mage looked at the ceiling. "Haven't slept that long in… a while."
It was true. Although, AJ didn't know whether it was Drift's presence, or the heinous amount of alcohol they both consumed which pur her dead to sleep.
…or the other things they did right before sleeping.
"Yeah?" A frown graced Drift's face. AJ suddenly regretted saying that. "You know you can come here… whenever, right? To sleep, talk— anything, AJ."
She tried to ignore the stinging of her eyes. "I know, Open Book."
Drift stared for a moment, before she seemed to give up, at least this time. "You better." She muttered.
Birds outside the dorm chirped louder, and AJ let her eyes flutter shut. She sat in a bath of light and warmth, of Drift, letting her bones relax, skin feeling vaguely rejuvinated.
The two simply laid there, together. An odd feeling that it had happened before sat right behind AJ's eyes, waiting and pulling on her brain, wanting just to remember.
The light eventually became too bright for AJ to keep her eyes fluttered close. Drift had adjusted herself slightly in the tangled bedsheets — the white blanket had fallen further down her back, with now most of her spine and chest revealed for AJ to see. Her breasts took AJ's attention first, medium and beautiful, a lighter shade of tan than the rest of her body.
Down Drift's spine, she became tanner, sunbathed, the traces of bones evident in the middle, almost whispering for AJ to run her fingers up and down, feeling the soft curves. Close to her shoulder was a small indent, about the length of AJ's pinky finger, running diagonal. It was clearly darker than the rest of Drift's skin, and AJ found it difficult to believe that she had never noticed it before.
"Where's that from?" She spoke, breaking the veil of quiet which had been tossed over the sleepy girls. Drift stirred, turning back to where AJ's gaze was for a moment.
"My scar?" The Earth Mage whispered back, sounding confused as to why AJ was asking.
"…yeah. On your shoulder." AJ tilted her head to get a better look at it, seeing how deep it truly was. As if a knife had been stabbed into Drift.
Her ex-girlfriend didn't reply for a moment. "You don't remember?"
"Remember…" AJ let out a small laugh. "what?"
Drift was staring at her now, eyes side, understanding, pitying. "I've told you about it before, AJ."
"What? When?"
"When we were… I don't know. Together." The sadness, the hopelessness, in Drift's voice made AJ turn away, slightly ashamed of how the issues with her memories always began to brought up. How no matter what she did, she couldn't hide the absence of half her brain. "You kissed it."
"Hm." The Mage hummed. "Must've been tired that day."
"…I don't think so." Drift was still looking at her. Unlike the other times they fought, Drift's voice didn't rise. She didn't get angry, upset. "My dad, um," She sniffed, and AJ frowned at her, "he caught me... kissing a girl in the stables, one night. She kissed my shoulder, that exact spot, so— he tried stabbing it out. Thought it would, I don't know, fix me, I guess."
The words sat still in the air, and AJ felt her chest suddenly constrict. "Open Book… that's horrible."
Drift only smiled at her. "I know. You said that."
"I…"
"You said that the first time I told you, AJ." No hate, no anger, sat in Drift's eyes. They shined, but held nothing else, besides a twinge of sadness, and a whole load of understanding. "You know what you did, too?"
There was no arguing with her. Not with the sun so warm, the sheets so comfortable, the girl so pretty. Drift knew, and she wasn't mad. "No."
"Hm. Well…" The Earth Mage slowly pushed up from AJ's chest, rearranging her so she faced AJ, thighs spread over her hips, their chests pressing against each other, as AJ eyes glazed over. "You told me to sit up. And said I would never have to go back to him. That I was safe with you."
"Yeah?" AJ asked, her voice soft and wet. It hurt to hear something she didn't remember saying.
"Yeah. And then, you leaned forward…" Drift leaned onto the pillows, letting AJ's face touch the top of her shoulder. "And kissed the scar."
Her lips moved on their own, pursing together as AJ's head leaned forward, just over Drift's over, placing the lightest of kisses on it.
AJ let go, smiling as Drift smiled, asking a question AJ knew she didn't want to ask. "You really don't remember?"
"…I was tired." Don't push further. Please. This is too nice — don't let me ruin it, Open Book.
"I know you're tired." A graceful hand touched the tips of AJ's face, caressing her cheek lovingly, as if it were made of porcelain. As if it was the most beautiful thing in the world, something to be treasured, loved. AJ couldn't point to the last time she felt like that. "You'll remember, AJ. Even if I have to show you all over again."
It was a half-accusation, AJ could hear it in her voice. With only her eyes, Drift said what AJ could not hear. I know you're lying and I know you're forgetting. I know you know, that I know. But I will look past that, to see the sunrise with you, again.
"Looking forward to it, Open Book."