Chapter 7: She Woke Up Needing Her, Nothing Else Mattered II
Jules pressed her lips at the soft skin of Aria's inner thigh, leaving a slow kiss before drawing her tongue in a delicate trail upward. The sensation made Aria's whole body tense and then jolt, a sharp sound slipping from her throat — half whimper, half plea.
Jules pulled back just enough to let Aria breathe, her lips glistening faintly in the low light. She stayed close, her hands sliding upward with deliberate care, tracing the gentle line of Aria's hips before resting at her waist. Her palms were warm, open, and steady, grounding Aria as her body trembled under her touch.
Aria's fingers curled tight into the sheets, and she managed a shaky whisper, her voice breaking through the haze. "Jules…"
Jules lifted her eyes, holding Aria's gaze as though to steady her. "I know," she murmured softly. "I've got you."
"I love how you taste in the morning," Jules said lowly. "I think I'm addicted."
Aria reached for her, still panting. "Then get up here. I wanna kiss you."
Jules leaned forward, letting their mouths meet again. This time, Aria didn't hesitate with her tongue. She pulled Jules into her mouth like she needed her to breathe, licking her own taste off Jules lips, moaning into it like it was everything.
The heat between them never faded. Jules' hand slid back to Aria's chest, fingers brushing her points again and watching Aria arch into her with a soft, needy sound. Jules kissed down her neck, slow and lingering.
"You're already this sensitive?" Jules teased.
Aria whimper softly, breathless. "I haven't touched anyone since you. My body… remembers you."
That made something in Jules snap. She moved down again, dragging her mouth across Aria's stomach, teeth grazing over skin. Aria's fingers threaded in her hair like instinct, thighs parting on their own.
"God," Aria whispered, "you make me feel everything."
"You make me forget I should stop," Jules murmured against her skin.
She slid two fingers inside without warning, and Aria gasped — not in pain, but in desperate surprise, like her body had been begging for it.
Jules kissed her again as she moved her fingers slow and deep. "I just wanna feel you for a little longer."
Aria's breath hitched. "Don't stop."
Their mouths found each other again as Jules continued moving, her rhythm patient but unrelenting, her thumb sliding over Aria's pleasure point until she was arching off the bed again, breath catching with every pump of Jules' wrist.
And when Aria came again, it was messier. Louder. Her body jerked beneath her, her legs tightening, her voice breaking open.
"Jules — Jules — Jules —" she cried out.
Jules moaned softly into her neck, loving how Aria clung to her.
Aria's body still buzzing beneath her, chest heaving, flushed from the high and the crash. She turned her head and looked at Jules with this dizzy smile, eyes glassy and soft. "That was… definitely not a dream."
Jules laughed gently and kissed her forehead. "You okay?"
"I'm spent," Aria whispered, cheeks red. "And I don't even care."
They stayed pressed together for a long moment, skin against skin, breaths mingling, hearts thudding in unison.
Jules reached up and brushed damp strands of Aria's hair from her face, her fingers lingering just a little longer than necessary. Then she kissed her again — softer, slower, deliberate, letting every second stretch between them.
"I missed you," Aria whispered, voice catching slightly.
Jules held her gaze, eyes dark and steady. "You didn't say anything."
"I didn't know how to ask," Aria admitted, cheeks warming.
"You don't need to ask," Jules murmured, her thumb brushing along Aria's jaw. "Just show up like today. Knock. I'll always open my door for you."
Aria reached up, cupping Jules' cheek, thumb brushing against her temple. "Even if it's stupid early?"
"Especially then," Jules said with a small, reassuring smile.
They kissed again, warm and close. Aria's hand dragged along Jules' arm, nails grazing her skin lightly. She leaned back against the pillow, exhaling deeply. For the first time in days, she felt less hollow.
"You looked like hell when you came in," Jules murmured. "You okay now?"
Aria's smile wavered, the corners of her mouth trembling before falling away completely. She stared up at the ceiling, fingers twisting in the sheet. "I had a nightmare…" Her voice was soft, almost guilty. "But I don't remember it. Just the feeling."
Jules tilted her head, watching her closely. "What kind of feeling?" Her thumb continued tracing light patterns against Aria's skin, small soothing loops meant to keep her anchored.
"Like… something inside me was trying to wake up." Aria's brows knitted, and she pressed her palm flat to her sternum. "It was so strong I thought I'd split apart."
"That sounds intense," Jules murmured. Her touch followed the shape of Aria's hip, slow and deliberate, before gliding up to draw faint circles along her ribs.
"It was," Aria said quietly. She tapped her chest again, a little harder. "I felt it here. Like something cracked open and didn't close."
Without hesitation, Jules leaned over and pressed a slow kiss to the spot Aria had touched, her lips warm and steady. "Well, if anything tries to break you," she said against Aria's skin, "they gotta go through me first."
Aria let out a soft sigh that was half a laugh. "You always say that like you're a knight or something."
"I might be." Jules' eyes flickered with a playful glint. She brushed a lock of hair away from Aria's temple and tucked it behind her ear.
Aria rolled onto her side to face her, the corner of her mouth tugging up. "If you're the knight… what does that make me?"
Jules smirked, low and teasing, but her eyes stayed warm. "The queen. The sorceress. The reason the kingdom exists."
Aria groaned and snatched a pillow, tossing it at her chest. "Shut up, that's cheesy."
"You love it," Jules countered easily, catching the pillow before it slipped from her hands.
Aria grinned despite herself, leaning closer until their foreheads almost touched. "I really do."
They stayed curled up in bed for a while, letting the world outside fade away. Aria didn't want to check the time. She didn't want to think about the shop or the strange feeling still lodged somewhere under her chest.
But eventually, reality started seeping in.
"Can I borrow your hoodie?" Aria asked.
Jules kissed her temple. "Take whatever you want. The gray one's on the chair."
Aria got up slowly, legs still weak. Her body buzzed with aftershocks, but it was good. Clean. Needed.
She pulled on Jules' oversized hoodie and slipped her underwear back on. Standing in front of the mirror, she noticed something strange — a shimmer at the edge of the room, near the window.
It didn't look like light. More like a ripple. Like static.
Her brows furrowed. She blinked, rubbed her eyes.
The shimmer was still there, flickering faintly, like the edges of something trying to take shape.
"Jules?" she called, voice tight.
Jules sat up in bed, watching her. "What is it?"
Aria didn't look away from the shimmer. "Do you see that? Over there?"
Jules stood and walked over, standing behind her. "See what?"
Aria pointed. "By the window. It's like the air's… broken."
Jules squinted. "I just see light."
Aria stared harder. For a second, the shimmer shifted — like a figure behind glass, thin and too tall. It blinked, then disappeared.
Aria staggered back a step.
Jules caught her by the arm. "Hey. What did you see?"
Aria shook her head. "I… I don't know."
Jules watched her carefully, concerned. "Are you okay?"
"No." Aria swallowed. "Something's wrong with me."
Jules brushed her thumb over Aria's cheek. "You're not broken."
Aria looked at her reflection again. Her eyes were the same. Her mouth. Her skin. But something inside her felt… cracked. Not in a way that hurt — more like something new was pushing through.
"You said you felt like something was waking up in your dream," Jules said softly. "Maybe it wasn't just a dream."
Aria blinked, remembering the child from the day before. The voice. They're waking up.
She whispered the words aloud without meaning to.
Jules looked at her. "What?"
"Nothing," Aria said quickly, forcing a smile. "I'm just tired."
Jules didn't push. She just wrapped her arms around her and held her again.
And even though the shimmer was gone, Aria knew deep down — something had changed.
And it wasn't going away.
********************
She woke needing heat more than language,
a body remembered before the mind could argue.
Touch became an anchor, breath a vow,
and for a moment the world narrowed to skin and pulse.
But when the room learned how to flicker,
and the air forgot how to stay whole,
she understood the truth settling in her chest —
something had opened, and it was watching back.