SNOW ON THE BEACH 1.03 | it's coming down _______________________________
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THE MORNING LIGHT had barely begun to stretch across the horizon, a pale glow against the deep indigo of the lingering night. The world was still quiet, still drowsy, but Grace was not. She stood outside Jackie's door, the air crisp against her skin, her breath barely visible in the dim light. It didn't matter that it wasn't even five in the morning yet.
What mattered was that Jackie had called her, a soft, almost hesitant voice crackling through the phone, asking if she could come over before they had to leave for the airport. That was all Grace needed to hear.
Because if Jackie wanted something, Grace was going to make sure she got it.
And that was exactly why she was here now, settled comfortably in Jackie's lap, knees sinking into the plush mattress of her bed, fingers moving deftly as she worked. Jackie's hands rested lightly on Grace's thighs, her warmth seeping through the fabric of her sleep shorts. The room smelled faintly of vanilla and the lingering traces of Jackie's shampoo, the scent wrapping around Grace like an embrace.
She tilted Jackie's chin gently with two fingers, studying her face with meticulous care, her brush gliding smoothly across Jackie's cheekbone. "You don't even need makeup, you know," she murmured, her voice soft but certain, the words slipping out as easily as breathing.
Years of her mother's sharp-eyed criticism had turned Grace into something of a perfectionist—every stroke, every blend had to be just right. Whether that was a blessing or a curse was another conversation entirely, one she wasn't in the mood to have.
"You're already perfect," she added, a small, knowing smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she traced the pad of her thumb along Jackie's jaw, guiding her with an almost reverent touch.
Jackie's breath hitched slightly, her eyes fixed on Grace, wide with something soft, something unspoken. She could only shake her head, a half-smile forming as she rolled her eyes. "You always say that," she said, but her voice lacked any real protest. Instead, her cheeks betrayed her, blooming with the kind of warmth that no amount of makeup could ever hide.
"I know," Grace hummed, the amusement clear in her voice as she tapped Jackie's nose playfully. "And I'll keep saying it every single day until you actually believe it."
Jackie scrunched her nose at the touch, a reflexive little movement that never failed to make Grace's heart stutter in her chest. She looked impossibly adorable like that—like a rabbit caught mid-thought, all soft features and hesitant grins.
"If only you could do my makeup every morning," Jackie mused, her voice carrying the airy quality of a joke, but Grace knew better.
She knew that if Jackie asked, she would. She would drag herself out of bed at four in the morning every single day, bleary-eyed and exhausted, if it meant sitting like this—close enough to count the flecks of gold in Jackie's eyes, close enough to feel the warmth radiating off her skin, close enough to drown in the way Jackie looked at her, like she was something worth holding onto.
