Summary: Allie has difficulty sleeping her first night back in Cordonia.
Note: Not canon.
Sleep eludes her on her first night back at the palace. Despite the jet lag and fatigue after being mobbed by the press after arriving back in Cordonia, Allie can’t fall asleep. She’s tense and on edge, half expects security guards to storm into the room, rip her away from Liam, and remove her from the palace again, even though her name has been cleared.
Allie feels bad for Liam, knows he’s just as exhausted as she is, if not more so. Every time she sighs and fidgets and tries to get comfortable, he stirs, tightening his arms around her and asking in a whisper what’s wrong. She reassures him, tells him she just can’t sleep, eventually slipping out of bed just before midnight and reclining on the chaise lounge near the window so that he can get some rest.
It’s a clear night, the stars shimmering overhead, a gentle breeze fluttering the drapes. Despite the bad memories, Allie is glad to be back, has waited and wanted for months to be back here with Liam.
“What’s wrong, Allie?” Liam’s sleepy voice stirs her out of her thoughts, his hand squeezing her shoulder before he nudges her over and joins her on the lounge.
She turns, sliding her legs over his and nuzzling against his neck. Liam runs his hand up and down her thigh, tilting her chin up to kiss her.
“It’s…stupid,” she murmurs, smiling as he presses soft kisses to her mouth again and again, his lips gentle against hers.
“It’s kept you up all night. It’s not stupid,” Liam says.
“I just keep thinking this can’t be real,” she explains, leaning into him. “I spent months wanting to wake up next to you, dreaming about you, and then waking up alone…and I don’t want to wake up alone tomorrow.”
“Allie,” Liam murmurs. His eyes are wet when she looks up at him. “You won’t wake up alone.”
He smiles as he tucks her in closer. “And I wish I could promise that you’ll never wake up alone again. But I know eventually I’ll be away for one function or meeting or another, and you won’t always be able to come with. But as much as I can, I’ll always be there when you wake up.”
His hands are soothing as they slide over her back, lulling her eyes closed. She doesn’t know if she’ll be able to sleep, but she feels better, accepting Liam’s hand when he stands a few minutes later.
They curl up in bed, his heartbeat a steady thump under her ear, their fingers laced together. Liam drops to sleep almost immediately, his breaths deep and slow, his grip on her hand loosening as he drifts off.
When she wakes, it’s nearly three in the morning. She’s surprised she was able to sleep at all. Liam has rolled on to his side facing her, his arm slung around her waist loosely. Allie watches him for a few minutes, his face relaxed. She doesn’t want to wake him, but she can’t keep herself from touching him, reassuring herself that he’s real, that she isn’t still sleeping and this all just some dream she’ll wake up from.
She traces her fingertips lightly over his bare chest, across the lines of his collarbones and up to his jawline. He shifts in his sleep and she stills her fingers, smiling at the slight crease that forms between his eyebrows. Smoothing it out, she lets her hand wander down his cheek and trace over his lips.
“Mmm,” Liam mumbles in his sleep, kissing her fingers. His arm tightens around her waist as he pulls her in to him, his eyes still closed as he brushes his lips over hers, soft and slow.
His eyes open slowly, and he blinks at her sleepily. “Did you get any sleep?” he asks in quiet murmur.
“A little. I’m sorry I keep waking you up,” she apologizes.
“Don’t apologize,” he says, brushing his lips over her neck. “I had a hard time sleeping the whole time you were gone. I’d wake up, convinced you were just down the hall or had woken up before me, and then it would all come rushing back.”
Liam tangles his hand in her dark hair, pressing his lips to hers. “Have I told you lately how happy I am that you’re finally here?”
She smiles, sliding her leg in between his and nuzzling into his chest. “You might’ve mentioned it a few times.”
“Only a few? That’s not nearly enough,” he says in mock indignation.
“You’ll just have to owe me,” she says teasingly.
“Good thing we have the rest of our lives for me to do it,” he whispers in her ear.
“I like the sound of that,” she whispers back.
Liam presses gently against her hip so she turns and repositions them so her back is against his chest. He brushes her hair off to the side and presses his lips to her bare shoulder, sliding his hand down her arm and tangling their fingers together.
“I love you,” he murmurs in her ear.
“Mmm. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing that,” she smiles, bringing their joined hands to her lips and pressing them to the back of Liam’s hand. “I love you, too.”
Her eyes drift closed, and when she opens them again, it’s mid-morning, the sun warm against her face. Before she even has time to register that Liam isn’t in bed next to her, the door quietly opens and he sits down behind her, setting something down on the nightstand.
“Good morning,” he greets her, smiling as she rolls over and leaning down to kiss her.
“Good morning,” she says, sitting upright and eyeing the mug of steaming coffee on the nightstand.
“For me?” she asks hopefully, remembering how dark and rich the coffee had been the last time she was here.
“Of course,” Liam laughs, handing her the mug.
“I promise I was going to wait for you to wake up,” he says. “But I really wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed.”
“You cook?” Allie asks in surprise.
Liam looks sheepish. “Well, no. I tried.” His cheeks turn pink.
“What happened?” she asks, an amused look crossing her face.
“I may have nearly started a fire.”
She starts laughing. “You started a fire?”
“No! I nearly started a fire. One of the chefs stopped it and told me not to touch an oven again.”
“Oh my god.” She sets her mug down before she dumps coffee everywhere, laughing so hard that she can barely get the words out.
“And the coffee?” she manages to ask.
“I helped make the coffee,” he protests, trying but failing not to laugh, the corners of his eyes crinkling.
“Helped how?”
“I measured the grounds out and put them in,” Liam says, then mumbles, “…after I put them where the water goes the first time.”
Allie is now laughing so hard that tears are streaming down her face. “Oh, Liam. You are, without a doubt, the sweetest man I have ever met.”
She smiles, sliding onto his lap and kissing him. “I love you.”
“Even though I can’t cook?” he asks, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
“Well…you’re a king, with a kitchen full of professional chefs, so I don’t think we’ll have to rely on your cooking any time soon,” she says, nudging him playfully.
“Excellent point. In any case…I’m sure I can convince one of the chefs to teach me to make something for you,” Liam replies, smiling as she leans in to kiss him again.
“Tell you what,” she says, “If the chefs allow you in the kitchen ever again, I can teach you to cook.”
“I’m fairly certain I’ve been banned for life. But let’s see if we can persuade them.”