She woke up because of the cool night air when she knew she'd shut the window.

She opened her eyes slowly and saw him laying next to her, watching her sleep.

She knew he was there before she even woke up.

She listened to the quiet sound of the boat moored in the canal outside her house as it bumped against the piling it was tied to in the current.

They shared each other's air for a long time.

He slowly inched forward until his mouth barely touched hers.

"I love you," he breathed.

Her eyes went wide and he laughed. He propped himself up on one elbow.

"You know, I thought love was just that crazy happy feeling," he said quietly, "but it's not." He reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear so that he could see her eyes.

"It's what we are," he said, running his thumb gently across her cheek. "It's you staying when you want to run, and it's me knowing you won't ever leave for good. It's me always fighting for you when you need me, and even when you don't. It's us doing what we say we're going to do." He said this with confidence that he hadn't had before.

He lay back down on his arm, still facing her, and looked over her whole face slowly until she was blushing so badly her face tingled. He grinned at her and wrapped his arm around her and pulled her so close she was cross-eyed trying not to break his gaze. She traced his cheek right by the bridge of his nose where he had a few faint freckles from how much time he spent in the sun.

"I'll try to never hurt you again, Lucy," he said quietly.

She stared into his dark eyes. "Me too," she said slowly.

They rolled onto their backs, fingers of the hands between them laced, and listened to the quiet night. They listened to the wooden boat occasionally bumping the piling in the current.

"I love you too," she whispered, looking at the patterns the moonlight reflecting off the water cast on her ceiling.

He smiled so bright it was blinding.

"Obviously," he rolled his eyes. She scoffed with a crooked grin and slapped his chest, then rolled over. He wriggled under the pink comforter and glued himself to her back, arm wrapped tightly around her waist and leg hitched over hers. He threaded his fingers through her hair and his mouth tickled her shoulder.

"You make me crazy," he breathed against her skin.

Her body broke out in goosebumps.

"Big deal," she muttered, "you're always crazy."

He laughed and pressed his forehead against her back down under the covers. She smiled so wide her cheeks hurt.

"All I want is to be around you," his voice came muffled, but she felt it through her body, "all day, every day. You're all I can think about sometimes. You make me crazy." She grinned even more dopey than she already was.

"Obviously," she drawled.

She felt him smile against her back.

"Obviously," he said.

She rolled over and wriggled down under the covers and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Third time was the charm.