Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
The early morning light was just beginning to peek through the curtains when Amelia stirred, still nestled into the warmth of Jo’s bed.
She smiled as she listened to everything around her.
The quiet breathing beside her, the occasional creak of the building as it adjusted to the rising sun.
But most of all, she focused on the comforting weight of Jo’s arm slung over her waist.
God, she didn’t want to move.
She tilted her head and glanced up at Jo, her face soft with sleep, and those delicious lips parted slightly.
Her chest rose and fell in a rhythm that calmed Amelia more than anything else had in weeks.
She was so beautiful like this. Unburdened.
Unaware of the time. Relaxed and free from the turmoil they’d faced both together and apart.
And for once, Amelia didn’t feel the usual compulsion to slip away without being noticed.
She didn’t feel ashamed of being seen or being held.
But reality was beginning to edge back in, and she knew she needed to go home. She had work piling up and emails she hadn’t answered. She had clients waiting, and a version of herself that needed piecing back together, even if it was just for a few hours of professionalism.
She didn’t want to go, but she had to.
She slowly pushed the blanket back and slipped out from under Jo’s arm. She reached for one of Jo’s hoodies and slid it over her naked body, bringing it to her nose as she smiled. It smelled like her. Warm. Safe. Home.
Creeping out into the living room, she grabbed her phone and started to scroll through the notifications she’d ignored since Friday.
A reminder about her weekly check-in call with a business partner, a text from a contractor she’d recently hired, and a missed call from Evie.
Nothing from Callum, which was both surprising and unsurprising.
She sat quietly on the couch, phone in hand, trying to resist the pull of anxiety that always hit after a moment of calm.
Today would be hard, not because she didn’t want to face work or Callum or the world outside Jo’s flat, but because she had to leave this.
Because for the first time in a long time, she’d found somewhere that she didn’t feel like a guest.
“Hey…”
That soft, gravelly voice behind her pulled Amelia out of her thoughts.
She turned to see Jo leaning against the doorframe, her hair a mess and one eye squinting against the light. She rubbed at her face, yawning, and shuffled towards the couch with the energy of someone not ready to begin the day.
God, I love her.
“You weren’t in bed,” Jo muttered as she dropped down beside Amelia and curled into her. “I hated it.”
Amelia laughed as she wrapped an arm around her. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“You should have. I had plans.”
“Oh, really? And what were those plans?”
“To trap you under the covers until noon.” Jo smiled against her. “Then coax you into the shower. Maybe lunch in bed after, followed by another nap. Possibly a more convincing shower the second time around. It was going to be very productive.”
Amelia sighed and pressed her lips to Jo’s hair. “Sounds like a dream, but unfortunately, I have to go home and face the real world.”
Jo groaned. “No. Stay. Hide with me. You can work from here, right?”
“I can, and I will. But I need to get some things…clothes, laptop, the will to live when I eventually bump into Callum.”
Jo lifted her head, her eyes half-lidded but shining with love. “Fine, but you are coming back tonight.”
“I am.” Amelia tucked a strand of Jo’s hair behind her ear. “If you still want me.”
Jo frowned. “Are you serious?”
“Only a little. I think a part of me still expects you to change your mind.”
Jo leaned forward and kissed Amelia slowly, but with enough certainty to answer every doubt. “I’m not changing my mind, babe. I’m in this with you.”
That hope bloomed in Amelia’s chest once again. “I’ll be back later. I promise.”
Jo gripped the back of Amelia’s neck and pulled her in for another kiss. Sleepy, warm, and slow. A goodbye that neither of them wanted to face.
Once Amelia had brushed her teeth, splashed her face with water, and gathered her things, she met Jo in the living room again, pouting ever so dramatically as she snuggled under a blanket. “If you’re trying to make me feel bad for leaving, it’s working.”
“Then that means you just have to stay. Tough.” Jo shrugged, but that glint was in her eye. “There’s plenty of room for you under this blanket.”
God, Amelia wished she could, she really did, but work wouldn’t wait for much longer.
She’d already had enough to get through before the shit had hit the fan.
“Then save me a space for later.” Amelia leaned over the back of the couch and kissed Jo’s forehead.
“You should get ready, too. You’ve got work. ”
“Yeah, yeah.” She flopped back against the cushions. “Don’t remind me.”
Amelia gave her a look. “And for the love of God, brush your hair if you have any video calls today.”
“Nope. If anyone asks, I had wild sex with the woman I love last night…and I’m not even sorry about it.”
Amelia both softened and lit up at that.
Jo hadn’t outwardly said she loved her since the dark room.
“I’m so grateful to have you, Jo.” Amelia lingered for another moment, then slipped out of the door, her heart lighter than it had been for as long as she could remember.
As she closed the door and pressed her back to it, Amelia angled her face towards the sun and smiled.
Life…is changing.
Jo strolled around her flat, freshly showered and with a coffee in hand, a very unprofessional bun sitting on top of her head.
She’d promised herself she’d start work twenty minutes ago—she usually started earlier since she had nothing else to do with her life—but instead, she was staring at the last message from Amelia and grinning like a fool.
This morning had been…delightful? Terrifyingly real? All she’d ever wanted…
Home. Already miss you x
Jo had read it seven times. Maybe eight.
She flopped down at her desk and finally opened her laptop, pulling up a half-finished gallery for a new client she was working with. The couple had insisted on a lavender filter and pastel overlays, but Jo would probably have a word with them. They looked like ghosts in every photo.
Her phone buzzed again. She reached for it instantly.
I’m bored now. Save me from myself x
Jo smiled. She couldn’t believe Amelia had just spent the last two nights here at her flat with her. That was something she’d only ever imagined in her wildest dreams.
I’ve just sat down to work. I also need saving x
A second later, Jo sent another message.
Any sign of ‘you know who’ hanging around?
She hoped Amelia had been free to roam her own home this morning, but you never knew with Callum. He said one thing, then did another.
No sign of him this morning. I haven’t checked if he’s taken everything. I was too busy thinking about you x
Jo took her bottom lip between her teeth, fighting back the smile desperate to break out. She’d spent every second thinking about Amelia since she’d left, too.
Crazy, isn’t it? Where we’re at with one another now x
Jo sighed and rested back against her chair. She couldn’t focus on work this morning, but at least it was her photography work and not her full-time job. She couldn’t afford to start slacking there.
I prefer to call it insanely beautiful x
Jo groaned. Amelia was insanely beautiful, and she knew it. She had to.
Did you brush your hair? x
Jo laughed and shook her head.
Are you saying I didn’t manage to seduce you with my feral morning look? x
God, she could sit here all day long texting back and forth with Amelia.
I’m saying if I didn’t need clothes, I would have cancelled the world around me and stayed. Does that give you an idea? x
Jo’s heart warmed.
Maybe you should come back over as soon as you’re done there. I don’t even care that I’m feeling extra needy today. It’s your fault! x
Jo set her phone down, picked up her coffee again, and tried to look at the screen without instantly switching back to their thread. She managed all of five minutes.
What if you came to mine tonight? I know you’re off tomorrow, so I shuffled a meeting to Thursday. We could do dinner and wine. Spend together tomorrow and maybe enjoy more of whatever last night was…
Jo’s stomach fluttered. She wanted to. God, she really wanted to. And not just for the sex, though that had been…well, incredible. But because she liked the quiet between them…the teasing. The way Amelia looked at her like she was someone who mattered.
You shuffled a meeting? For me? I feel special x
Amelia had always been one of those women who made sure you knew how she felt about you. Only now, they meant so much more to one another than they had just a few days ago.
You are special. Don’t make me come back there and tell you to your face x
Okay, that was it. Jo couldn’t concentrate on anything other than Amelia for the rest of the day. Maybe she should just sit with this instead. Maybe she should just enjoy feeling wanted by a woman who meant so much to her.
I accept your offer, but you’re cooking! I still haven’t recovered from the risotto you made me a few months ago x
Jo exhaled a deep breath and closed the lid of her laptop.
I’ll make something better. It’s a date x
A date. God, a date with Amelia Loughlin.
She stared down at those words, her breath catching when they sank in. She hadn’t been on a real date in a long time and certainly not one with someone like Amelia.
Can I bring anything? x
Glancing at the clock in the corner of her screen, Jo rose to her feet. This was an important evening for them, and she wanted to be ready the moment Amelia gave her the go-ahead to go over there.
Just yourself. Maybe…an overnight bag and a toothbrush x