Jackson awoke to nothing in particular. He just knew he was awake. All his limbs seemed to entagle with Ivy's, both of them sharing warmth and cool.
One on One - Romance - So very cliche because I need it right now
She was still asleep, the late night had murdered her energy.
He chuckled a little at her still slow breathing and set his head back down. He didn't want to end this quite yet.
Her makeup was light and unnoticeable from far away but up close, the dark bags under her eyes and stress lines were clear in her skin.
She still looked beautiful, each line just adding to the fact that he wasn't dreaming. This was the reality he lived in. One with the most beautiful girlfriend ever.
She woke slowly. She was terrible at taking naps. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at him. "Morning handsome."
He cracked a small smile and kissed her on the forehead. "Mornin' beautiful."
"Feel any better, love?" Her look turned worried. She couldn't help but care more about him than herself.
"I mean, sure." He smiled a little. "We'll go with that." There was an ache in his throat and his head felt like it might explode. "Better, yes. I'm feeling better."
She chewed on the inside of her cheek, still fairly worried. "If you're sure…" She hated feeling like there was something she could do and wasn't, it was awful.
He chuckled a little. "You're cute when you're worried." He paused. "Not that you're not cute when you're not worried, it's just that you're really cute, you know? I mean-" he caught himself and sighed. "Sorry. Yes, I'm sure." He could feel a little heat rise to his cheeks. Can't even compliment her. Wow. What a loser.
She smiled a little. "You're adorable when you're flustered."
He could feel even more heat rush to his cheeks. "I don't believe you."
"You should." Her smile brightened and she kissed his cheek.
"But I -I don't." He'd never thought anything of the sort about himself.
"Well, I do. And you can't do a thing about it."
"I don't. I…" He thought for a moment. "Yeah, you're right. You're pretty stubborn." He smiled a little.
"It's the one thing I'm good at."
"Uh, no! I know you're wrong about that! What about art?! You're amazing, Ives!"
"Nothing I make is ever good enough though! It's never perfect. It's always just…good. It's not horrible by any standards but it's not enough."
He took a hold of her hand, his shaking slightly. "So? It's much better than anyone else to do. Plus, looks perfect to me."
"What do you do when your work looks perfect to everyone except yourself?" She mumbled under her breath.
"You keep doing it." He looked to her. "You've seen your work a million times. You're used to it's beauty. While everyone else hasn't. It's like stargazing after living in the city your whole life."
"Is that why you fell in love with the stars?" She glanced up at him slowly.
He hesitated for a moment. "…Yeah…" He thought for a few more seconds. "I grew up in a semi-tight city I guess."
"Hmm. Interesting." She'd never left this town, no matter how much she wanted to. When Lillian would go back full time to college in a couple months and amy (the most wonderful woman in the world) would be working to support her, Ivy was going to be put into foster care. And she was dreading it.
"Yeah, I guess." His head pounded for a second and he winced a little.
"Actually…I need to tell you something…you probably won't like it…"
He looked to her. "Yeah?" The look on her face worried him. "Is everything alright?"
She chewed on her lip nervously. "In a couple of months, Lillian is going back to college full time and amy (the most wonderful woman in the world) will be working to support her. However, on her salary, she can't support three people so she's putting me in foster care. I don't know where I'll be but it won't be here."