The act of loving the one who loves you; the love returned in full (n)

Ivy slings her purse off her shoulder before collapsing on the couch. Fae bounces with the shifting weight of the cushions. She turns her head towards Ivy, eyes still glued to the words her fingers are typing. She peels her eyes from the finished thought on the screen. Her deep brown eyes meet Ivy’s emerald green. She smiles as she rests her head against the back of the couch. Ivy turns away from her and lies her head in Fae’s lap.

Fae places her laptop on the coffee table and begins stroking her fingers through Ivy’s loose, pink curls. “Long day?”

Ivy groans and leans her head into Fae’s hand. “It was,” she smiles at Fae, “but it’s better now.”

Fae laughs, a hearty laugh that fills the room. Ivy watches Fae’s face light up, her laugh warming Ivy to her core.

“You’re an idiot, Ivy,” Fae manages to get out between quick breaths.

“Maybe,” Ivy kisses Fae’s hand, “but you love me.”

Fae pulls her hand away with a dramatic gasp. “And who told you that?”

Ivy pulls Fae’s hand back, kissing it again. “I can just tell.”

“Oh really now?” Fae brings her face close to Ivy’s, their noses gently grazing. “What’s giving you that impression?”

Ivy brings a quick peck to the tip of Fae’s nose. “Now if I were to tell you, you’d stop doing it. I don’t want that.” Ivy’s eyes flicker to Fae’s lips for a breath. “I really don’t want that.”

Fae tucks a curl behind Ivy’s ear before closing the gap between them. Ivy can taste Fae’s afternoon coffee fresh on her lips. Fae can smell the ashy smoke stubborn in Ivy’s hair. Ivy brings her hands up to Fae’s face. She brushes her thumbs against Fae’s chin as they pull apart.

“Yeah, you definitely love me.” Ivy says with a smirk.

Fae laughs, warming Ivy’s soul once again. Fae rests her forehead in the space where Ivy’s shoulder meets her neck. Ivy leans her cheek against her.

Fae lifts her head just enough to meet Ivy’s eyes once again. Her focus bounces back and forth between Ivy’s eyes. There is a playful seriousness on her brow.

“You can’t tell me whether or not I love you unless you love me.” Fae shrugs. “Those are the rules.”

“I do.”

Fae sits up a little more. A nervous chuckle escapes her. “You do what?”

Ivy props herself up on her elbows. She locks her eyes onto Fae’s, her expression more soft and sincere than Fae has ever seen.

“Fae, I love you. I’ve loved you for, god I don’t know, a long time. I was just scared. I thought I might scare you away if I said it too soon, so I guess I subconsciously decided to just not say it at all. At least not until you did.” Ivy takes a deep breath. She takes Fae’s hand in hers. “But I’m sick of waiting.”

Fae’s nerves dissolve into excitement. Her brows unfurrow and rise high. Her chapsticked lips spread into a soft smile.

Ivy continues. “I love you, and I want you to know that. I will probably always love you.” She smiles big. “Baby, you’re my forever girl.”

Fae sits up completely. “Seriously? You had to make a shitty Avatar reference? You totally ruined it.”

Ivy kisses Fae’s cheek. “It wouldn’t have been us if I didn’t, and you know that that reference made that confession even better.”

Fae stares at Ivy, contemplating how long she wants to tease. She cups her hand on the side of Ivy’s face, pulling her lips to her own. The kiss is soft, and sweet, and says so much more than words ever could.

Ivy is the one to eventually break the kiss. She scans Fae’s face, trying to memorize every detail of this moment like a mental picture.

“As much as I know I know it already, I want to hear it from you.” Ivy brushes a clump of curls off of Fae’s forehead. “Do you love me too?”

Fae shakes her head. “Of course I love you, you idiot.” She kisses Ivy’s cheek and leans in close to her ear. “You’re my forever girl.”

Fae and Ivy laugh into another kiss. Ivy shifts to sit upright in Fae’s lap. Fae wraps her arms tight around Ivy’s waist while Ivy’s hands pull Fae’s face closer. They continue like that for their own mini infinity: pulling and squeezing, laughing and kissing, getting all tangled in the blanket Fae had draped over her legs, and saying “I love you” until the words should lose all meaning but never do.

When they eventually break apart and begin drifting into an intertwined sleep, Ivy and Fae both know at that moment that they love each other, and that nothing will ever change that.