^((My first attempt in a very long time, feedback is welcome))
^(The original was too long to post, so here’s the first chunk. I might post the second…)
The ceiling was very ordinary: magnolia or white at least, the dark made it impossible to discern one shade from another. Lost in thought, the man lay still, head on an unfamiliar pillow, gazing straight up, resting in another’s bed. The mattress was soft, the duvet thick and he was comfortably warm. A breeze drifted in from a window ajar and outside the occasional vehicle could be heard travelling from somewhere to somewhere else. The man ran a hand down his beard out of habit, realised and took the opportunity to check his watch. 3:30am. He sighed and smiled to himself…the imminent day was either going to suck due to lack of sleep or maybe be great due to the company. Turning his head, he took in the sight of the girl next to him. She slept on her side, back to him, red hair once teased down into loose flowing waves now an unruly mass of waves and curls in the dark. He considered rolling towards her, snuggling into her back and throwing an arm over to embrace her flat belly. Was that the done thing or too intimate? This sort of thing wasn’t a regular occurrence for him; the protocol was unfamiliar. He settled on turning onto his side and resting a hand on the hollow of the curve above her hip. Well, even if he spent the day alone and knackered at least it had been a good night. He cast his mind back. A fucking good night. Because of her.