Love Like Ours

By: SilverLunarStar

Chapter Eight: A Lifetime Filled with Tight Embraces

AN: Err...surprise? XD I'm sooooo sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter done. I honestly can't believe it's taken me this long. I was done with it a few months ago, but real life is CRAZY BUSY. Chapter 9 is already complete, BUT I have no plans to post it until chapter 10 is complete (WHICH already has a little less than 1,000 words). Before y'all take my head off, I WILL be working on it this weekend and once THAT'S done, I'll send ch. 9 to my DARLING friend and beta, Fogsblue, who has still stuck around after all this time despite my awful roadblocks). The reason for this is...well, things are about to get rocky, my dear readers. So, really, this chapter is a breather with no cliffies. And smut! If smut's not your cup of tea, feel free to skip from 'a wink and a smile' all the way to the next break. Sorry, guys, but I didn't feel like editing out the smut this time as I usually do. A HUGE thank you to all my ladies for helping me through this chapter which tried to kill me, I swear it did. And a big hug to my lovely Callistawolf who is just plain awesome at introducing me to movies I'll love, especially when they'll help with my stories. Anyway, enjoy! (By the by, I do NOT own Sleepless in Seattle.)

"I can't believe you didn't tell us!" Amy smacked John on the shoulder.

"I can't believe Will didn't tease him all throughout dinner," Rory quipped.

Rose laughed as the two continued to poke fun at her boyfriend.

When he finally escaped their continuous jabs, John stepped behind her and wrapped his arms securely around her shoulders.

Sighing, she cosied up to him. "I hope your grandpa survives an evening with my mum and our neighbours."

He kissed her neck, and rumbled, "He'll be fine. I'll have you know, Rose Tyler, that us small-town folk know how to party with the best of them."

The line moved and they with it. Rose turned her head and pressed her lips against his cheek. "Is that so?"

"I've got the moves, but I wouldn't want to boast."

Before she could retort, the doors opened once more and the group of four were let into one of the many rowdy clubs in London, ready to celebrate the New Year. She caught Amy's gaze and winked before taking John by the hand. Rose led him to the dance floor after checking in their coats, twisting this way and that to avoid colliding into the crowd. "You've got moves," she quirked a brow, "show me your moves."

John opened his mouth to reply, but let out an oomph instead when someone bumped into him, causing him to stumble forward.

She took this opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with his thick hair. Rose hummed, pleased, when she felt him shudder.

Soon, both were sweating, the crowd and dancing working them into a frenzy.

'I could think of a better reason to work up a sweat,' Rose thought and she recalled the night concluding last term. They hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other, much like now, except John hadn't danced with her then. Waking up in his arms the next day had been one of the best feelings, though. They hadn't spent much time together in the past week, taking the time to catch up with their families, but they sent each other various texts throughout the day.

"Pretty snazzy DJ, wouldn't you say?" John murmured in her ear, grinning as he slipped his thumbs just underneath her shirt to caress her skin.

She giggled, amused by his choice of words and the fact that she was just a wee bit ticklish on her left side. "Snazzy?"

"What, no one says snazzy anymore?"

"Not that I'm aware of, but that's alright. Snazzy," she enunciated carefully and laughed at his pout. If it were possible, she'd hold him closer. Instead, she reached up and nibbled at his lower lip, her body continuing to move smoothly along with the beat.

If someone had told Rose before starting uni that she would find someone to truly love, she would have scoffed at the idea. Growing up and watching her mum go through heartbreak after heartbreak taught her a couple of things, but the most important lesson was that one couldn't ever count on a man. Oh, sure, when she was younger, she'd allowed herself to be swept off her feet. But that didn't mean she let Jimmy Stone walk all over her.

The knowledge she had gathered from her mum's relationships, along with her dear mentor, Sarah Jane, helped her to put a stop to her relationship with Jimmy before it could get worse. After that, she was determined not to let any foolish fancy get in her way.

But John was more than a fleeting fancy. She loved him. Sure, she had thought she loved Jimmy, but with John that was no maybes. Rose knew she loved John Smith, slightly awkward, klutzy, and eccentric professor. She wouldn't have him any other way.

Looking up at him, her breath caught in her throat at the way he gazed at her. There was no doubt in her mind that he loved her and she had never been happier to have found what she had once considered impossible with John Smith. Love had been something Rose considered unattainable, a fanciful thing that either broke a person or changed them utterly. With John, she realised it could be more, that she could be more, that they both could be more.

As people around them began to count down, Rose counted the heartbeats under her palm and looked up when cheering burst throughout the room. She knew exactly who she wanted to spend this year, next year, every other year, with after that. Through the good and the bad, in the arms of one John Smith, that's exactly where she wanted to be. Forever.

Rose sighed happily, cuddling further into John, who had his arms wrapped around her. The holidays were over and they were now two weeks into the new term, her final term. In a few short months, she would be a graduate from the University of London.

"Soon I'll be thrown into the real world with the wolves," she'd joked and John snorted.

"That's quite an astute statement and a little ironic, Little Red," he winked and had tweaked her nose. "Still," he continued, "I think Rose Tyler is more of a she-wolf than a little girl lost in the woods. You've beat the odds just by attending university, giving the two-finger salute to the statistics. I have no doubt that you'll do the same in the business world."

His words lifted her spirits and she had, of course, rewarded him with a thorough snog.

Although at one point Rose felt like their relationship was going too fast, in other aspects, they were strolling through, enjoying the view, and smelling the roses, as they said (though, sometimes John would smell her, which made her giggle). They were both fine with that. The two were pretty busy with their classes and in a few days, she would begin her internship.

She'd had a phone interview each with the companies in Edinburgh and New York, and an in-person one for the company in London early in December. Rose thought they all went well and even had second interviews with those in New York and London. However, just before winter break, when she heard from all three companies, only those in Edinburgh and London were willing to take her in. Apparently, the company in New York had had some financial issues and had to cut off their internship program that year. She'd been slightly disappointed as she'd thought that was the place she could earn the best experience, what with her focus in International Business.

Feeling John shift next to her, she smiled. Maybe it was for the best. Everything happened for a reason, she told herself. Next week, she was starting her internship here in London, where her mom, friends, and John were. She couldn't help but think there was no place she'd rather be.

Rose came home and immediately kicked off her shoes, groaning as her feet sank into the plush rug by her bed. She had just finished her first week at her internship and she felt drained. There wasn't a lot to do at the office and that's what made her exhaustion worse. It was a sort of lethargic state that made her mind numb and her body feel like a ragdoll. Dropping onto the bed, she allowed her eyes to close and promised herself that she'd get back up in a few minutes.

When she finally awoke, it was to the sound of rain pattering on her window. Rose blinked and turned to look at the clock on her nightstand, sitting up quickly and swearing. It was already 5:15. She'd promised John she would be at his flat at 5:30 for dinner. Fiddling with her phone, she discovered three missed calls, all from him. Before she could type in her passcode (his birthday) and call him, though, there was a knock at her door.

Walking the few steps towards it, she checked through the peephole first and grinned, a bit bemused. "Hello," Rose murmured when she opened the door.

"Hello." John smiled right back, his arm looped through a basket and a dripping wet umbrella with a handle in the shape of a question mark held in his other hand. When she had first seen it, she laughed, but it was so him that she'd wrapped her hand around the one gripping the handle and kissed him underneath it.

"I thought we were meeting at your place?" she wondered, gesturing him inside once the memory faded.

"We were," he paused, for dramatic effect, she was sure. "But the rain kind of ruined my plans for tonight. I had a picnic planned, on my balcony under the stars." He glared past her shoulder, right at the windows that were being smattered with heavy raindrops. "Plus, you know, first week at a new work environment. I thought it'd be best if we had a picnic here?" he ended, somewhat hesitantly.

Instead of answering verbally, Rose took his brolly, her fingers grazing his, and carefully placed it into an empty bucket she had for her own. She took the basket and placed it on her tiny table before pulling him close to her.

John responded immediately, wrapping his arms around her and capturing her mouth with his. Like any time they kissed, Rose felt herself melting into him, their bodies pressed close together. Her hands made their way up, to dig into his thick mop of hair, short nails lightly scratching the back of his neck. His hands, however, were pressed against her back and waist, trying to bring her as close to him as possible. Mouths opened and soon they became lost in one another, Rose rubbing against the planes of his chest, a hand wandering to his back, taking a fistful of his shirt and trying to bring him closer still. She could feel his long, bony fingers dig into her hip and couldn't help but moan at the pressure.

After a few minutes, they finally broke apart, gasping for air.

"Chips?" came John's high-pitched voice.

She couldn't resist leaning in and kissing him one more time. "Sure, just let me get out of this thing." She gestured at her skirt suit ensemble and could have sworn his eyes darkened as he took in her rumpled form. It took all of her willpower to resist the urge to drag him into her bed, dinner be damned.

He nodded mutely and went to her closet to grab a blanket to throw over the floor.

Just before she entered the bathroom with a set of soft jimjams, she saw him tilt his head in contemplation. She wondered what he was thinking before shrugging and entering the loo, changing quickly and making sure she smelled decent before stepping back out into her small sitting area. In the time it took her to get ready, John had already spread out the blanket, food and one maths professor laid out on it. Well, to be fair, he was only sitting, legs crossed, and leaning against the frame of her bed, staring up at her guiltily with a chip in his mouth.

She'd had never seen anything more attractive. By the appreciative glance he gave her, even in just her simple shorts and ruffled short sleeved shirt she garnered his attention. Rose flushed, her chest contracting, as well as something else a bit lower. Shaking her head mentally, she told herself to get her mind out of the gutter.

Rose gingerly sat down next to him, kissed the corner of his lips, and grabbed some chips for herself, along with a few pieces of fish. She moaned happily at the fried goodness before grabbing the remote sitting atop her mattress and turning on the small telly she'd set on her dresser. "What're you in the mood to watch?" she asked John.

He simply shrugged. "Anything's alright with me."

They settled on Sleepless in Seattle and Rose had almost forgotten what a romantic John was, though how it slipped her mind, she wasn't sure. He was always going out of his way to do something wonderful for her, whether it was bringing her a simple order of fish and chips after a long, tedious week or giving her a beautiful orchid for Christmas. She hadn't realised he was paying much attention to her when they went shopping for Amy's flowers; Rose had lingered at a small section with several potted orchids, taking in their delicate petals. Now, her own plant was settled on the small table she had by her dresser.

Currently, he was singing the lyrics at the beginning of the film, completely off-key, but it made her heart race all the same. "A kiss is still a kiss."

As soon as she finished swallowing a chip, she leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips.

"The world will always welcome lovers, as time goes by." He returned her chaste kiss with one of his own. They grinned at each other silly before giggling at the cheesiness of it all.

They returned their attention to the film, making comments here and there. They spoke about the sadness of the movie, how difficult it must be to find someone else after spending so long with someone they loved (John kissed her and held her close when they got to the part where Sam was imagining his dead wife). There was laughter, at how John himself was like Sam in some ways: courteous, old-fashioned, gentlemanly - all things Rose assured him she loved about him.

(Though she did keep her thoughts on Jonah being the biggest lie Hollywood had ever told to herself. No eight-year-old was that adorable. Her cousins were menaces at that age and would never have done what that kid did. She knew how much John actually liked kids, though, and she imagined he'd have made a great primary school teacher, assisting any student who needed a bit of help with their homework.)

This was one of their favourite things about watching movies together. Neither of them minded talking during it and, if it was a new film, they'd just rewind if either one missed something. They'd gone to the cinema all of one time sometime in November when they were 'just friends' and had been unable to hold the compulsion of whispering comments back and forth. Luckily, they hadn't been kicked out, but they'd received their fair share of dirty looks. After, they'd simultaneously agreed they could wait to watch a movie in the comfort of either flat. Another bonus of doing so was snuggling together.

After John came back from throwing the rubbish, humming along to 'In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,' she instantly curled up to him. Sides pressed together from her head on his chest all the way to where her bare feet just barely grazed his own, his arm wrapped around her, their right hands intertwined, it felt…

"Like magic," he whispered in her ear, winking at her when she turned to face him.

Corny though it was, she knew the sentiment to be sincere. She felt it too. It was like magic and she counted herself lucky to have found that with John.

As the movie went on, John continued to whisper-sing the songs in her ears and she sighed in contentment, the day's tensions slowly melting away. She felt herself drifting after he finished one of her favourite songs, "Just the sound of your voice, the light in your eyes, we're so far away from yesterday, together, with a wink and a smile. We go together… like a wink and a smile."

She nuzzled the fabric of his shirt unconsciously, this one a simple white Oxford, his braces scratching her cheek slightly. John had removed his jacket, but kept the braces, knowing how much she adored them. However, his trademark bowtie was loose and she wondered if she'd be able to pull it off with her teeth. At that thought, she shifted and buried her face in his chest slightly as her cheeks heated, feeling him turn to look at her.

"Tired?" he murmured, pressing his lips on the crown of her head, feeling the warm hand that was threaded through hers caressing her thigh even with the barrier of her jimjams.

Rose gulped. She had been tired, but the heady rush she felt earlier coursed through her once more. "Not really," she mumbled, turning further into him, a hand coming up to wrap around his braces, the other on his shoulder as she leaned up to take his lips. She was not disappointed when he responded immediately, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her onto his lap. Her hand released the strap with a snap and she moaned when his hips thrust into hers, her fingers delving into his soft hair, tugging him closer. Rose grinned when a warm hand reach under her top and she hummed happily as it spanned across her ribs, fingers dancing under her breast.

The fingers only hesitated for a moment before encompassing it completely, squeezing gently. At least, until she pulled her lips from his to rain kisses down his jaw and neck. She began to unbutton his shirt, forgoing trying to remove the bow with her teeth and simply tugging it away to get at more skin. Her head fell back when he pinched at her nipple in retaliation, hips undulating and fingers gripping at his shoulders. Her mind was filled with nothing but pleasure at his ministrations and when she felt his other hand cupping her arse through her thin shorts, she took him by the collar and their mouths crashed together once more. Busying herself with the buttons of his shirt, she almost cried in triumph when they were all undone.

John pulled back, moving his hands away from her, reluctantly, she thought, judging by the way he created blazing trails over every inch of her skin until he brought his arms loosely around her. She felt him fiddle with his cuffs, but stopped him when he almost shoved his braces down with his shirt. Instead, she kept her eyes on his bright green ones, eyes that had caught her attention the moment they first bumped into each other. Ever so slowly, she grazed the surface of his chest, whether his shirt covered him or not, with the back of her knuckles until she reached the loops of his trousers where his suspenders were hooked into. She unlooped the one on her right, then the left, hands pushing them up, then off, along with his Oxford.

It was only then she broke their gaze, scooting back a bit to take in the sight of his bare chest, the light, sparse hair that covered it, darkened nipples, tightening under her observation. Rose's fingers danced over territory, unseen before tonight. Sure, she'd had her hands under his shirts and vests plenty of times, and as he'd had his hands under hers. They weren't shy, but for some reason they had never crossed the line.

She was certain that was about to change when she felt John pull down the front of her loose shirt in order to capture a nipple in his mouth, the other once again being teased by his fingers. Gripping his forearms, Rose gasped for breath as her heart picked up the pace, her hips undulating over him again and again. She wanted to come so badly, her mind hazy with lust, barely managing to put together a few thoughts on how they should move up on the bed so they could shag each other rotten. Rose had never been more thankful that they'd had the 'talk' early on (she was on birth control and they were both clean, so there was no need to worry about anything unexpected). A whimper was torn out of her as his thigh pressed up against her centre and suddenly, finally, pleasure coursed through her.

As her breathing began to slow down, becoming more regular, Rose realised she was just straddling one of his legs, her knee grazing the hardness between them. She looked up, taking in John's blown pupils, hardly able to see the ring of green even with the glow the telly's screen. Unable to tear away from his gaze, she slid down his leg, before standing up. Seeing his face contort in confusion, she smiled gently and extended a hand, her grin widening as he took it, though he mostly used his legs to push himself up rather than her hand.

Taking advantage of his slight unbalance, Rose pushed him towards the bed where he landed with an 'oomph' and a bounce.

John finally broke the silence. "That was not nice, Tyler." He mock-glared at her, the image ruined with his fringe hiding his eyes, serving to further heighten the lust she felt.

"Never said I was nice, Smith." Her gaze travelled down his bare chest and arms. Thin though he was, he hid a deceiving amount of muscle under his Oxfords and beloved tweed jacket. Unconsciously, she licked her lips as her eyes focussed on the front of his trousers before being distracted by the slightly damp patch on his thigh. She could feel her cheeks heating up, but refused to be embarrassed. It just showed how wet she was underneath her shorts and knickers. Looking back up at his face, and judging by John's smirk, there really was nothing to feel shy about. That smirk just had to go, though. Dropping to her knees, she situated herself between his legs and pressed her lips right against him, letting her warm breath caress the hardness underneath the scratchy layer of his trousers.

"Rose!" John cried out, his hips pulling away from her. He put his hands on her shoulders, but didn't push her away. Tilting her head and laying it on his thigh, she watched the rise and fall of his chest, waiting. "I, that is, I just... Not that. I would. But right now? It's too much."

Instead of putting her off, it made her want him more. Before she could decide what to do next, pull her clothes off, take care of his trousers, or just crawl into bed with him, he hauled her up so she was sprawled on top of him, and he was snogging her like they'd never get a chance again. Teeth nipped at supple flesh, tongues fought for dominance that neither were quite willing to give yet, though it was a close call when she took his lower lip and sucked at it, hard. Her hands ran across the expanse of his chest, nails scraping slightly. Rose gasped for breath as he made his way from her jaw to her neck, nuzzling the fabric of her shirt just over her breasts.

Before she knew it, she was on her back, and how he managed that in her tiny bed, she'd love to know, but not now. Oh, not now, when he was pulling off her shorts, knickers and all, the cool fabric adding an extra sensation to the fingers trailing down her legs. When he came back to capture her lips once more, it was gentle this time, and it made her shake. Feeling the fabric of her shirt still creating a barrier between them, she made to remove it when he pulled back. Shivering at the intensity of his gaze, she sat up, making him lean back a little, and peeling her shirt off. Her breath caught as his hands smoothed up across her ribcage before capturing her nipples between his fingers, pinching and rolling them carefully, at first, then a little harder and, at her cry of pleasure, he gave a "Ha!" of triumph.

Not one to take things lying down, Rose brought a hand to the waistband of his trousers when she was unexpectedly once again on her back, hand pressed into the pillow beside her head. Staring up at darkened eyes and thin lips now full and red from all the snogging, she tilted her chin up, daring him. To do what, she wasn't sure, but it seemed he knew exactly what he wanted. A moan escaped her as he took a nipple in his mouth, sucking with just the right amount of pressure and she had a fleeting thought, how pinching her earlier must have been his way of getting the right calculations. It was gone in a gasp as she felt him trail over to her other nipple, her free hand coming to grasp his mop of hair. This caused him to suck harder before letting go with a pop. Rose would never admit to the whinging sound she made, small though it was, as he made a trail down her belly, finally letting go of the hand he had trapped, licking and nipping away.

A groan reverberated through her entire being when John found himself right between her legs and licked her. Her hips shot up and he had to bring a hand to each hip to press her down as she squirmed under his thorough investigation. The world became a blur as Rose gave into the feelings of his tongue caressing her, his head wiggling between her thighs, hair tickling her abdomen as he sought what made her squirm. The heady lust coursing through her entire being was beginning to be too much, and she felt a rush of wetness. She gasped loudly and sat straight up when he sucked her clit. Never had she felt this sensitive. Rose blinked when she was suddenly being guided to lie back down. Her legs touched flesh and she wondered when he'd taken off his trousers, but soon that didn't matter.

"You ready, love?" asked John, out of breath, but his tongue still coming out to swipe at his glistening lips and Rose felt her heart was ready to burst out of her chest at his tender gaze.

Instead of replying vocally, she reached between them, caressing his erection from base to tip before guiding him towards her. As his head nudged at her centre, she tipped her hips to take him in. Then, his hand was around her wrist, pulling her away, only to have his lips press a kiss on each of her digits as he thrust in the rest of the way. It had been a while since Rose had had sex with anyone and, though it was slightly uncomfortable at first, stretching to accommodate him, the rush of love she felt made her whole soul sing and she knew that nothing would ever compare to being with John.

After what seemed like eternity, he finally began to pull out, only to thrust in again and, after that, they were completely wrapped up in their own little world of push-pull. Moans and groans filled the small dorm room as her muscles quivered when he'd come out, only to squeeze around him when he thrust back in. Their hips weren't the only parts moving. Hands caressed everywhere they could reach. At one point, Rose's fingers found their way through John's thick hair and when she tugged at the strands, her hand was once again next to her head on the pillow, a harder thrust making her see stars, even as fingers moved from her wrist to intertwine with hers.

Her other hand made its way to his back, her short nails scraping down, and she leaned up to whisper, "Harder," into his ear, pressing a chaste kiss on his jaw.

The hand he had on her hip gripped her so hard she was almost certain she'd bruise, but that didn't matter as his thrusts became shorter and harder. Her muscles convulsed around him and, finally, she shattered, crying out his name, his groan following shortly afterwards.

John collapsed, just barely managing to lean to the side so he didn't fall on top of her and for that, she pressed a kiss on his chin, feeling the soft tickle of tiny hairs. She cuddled close, sighing as he wrapped his arms around her.

"We should get under the covers," she murmured into his chest, shivering as the sweat they'd worked up cooled off.

He hummed, his fingers caressing her back and bum, stopping just between the joint of her legs. "You get in, I'll be right back." He pulled at the covers as he climbed off, heading towards the loo. Not a minute later, he was back, a washcloth in his hand.

Her heart swelled at his thoughtfulness. After he dropped it in the hamper and she reached towards her nightstand for the remote to finally turn the telly off, she tugged him closer, resting her head on his chest, their legs tangling together.

"I love you," she whispered.

Lips were pressed against the crown of her head. "I love you."

A few days later, they were having lunch with Rory and Amy, sitting across from the other couple, as usual. Thigh was pressed against thigh, fingers wiped at bits of crumbs, and they shot each other inconspicuous looks.

Or, at least, they thought they were inconspicuous.

"Oh, my god, you two finally did it!" Amy exclaimed, loudly enough that if anyone had been walking by, they most definitely would have heard.

"Amy!" John stressed out, mortified.

"What? I'm just stating the obvious. You two can hardly keep your hands to yourself. I thought it was bad before, but now!" She gestured at the two of them, practically connected by the hip.

Rose blushed, but she could feel a stupid grin take over her face. "So, is everything all set for August?" she asked and, just like she knew it would, the subject of their friends' upcoming nuptials magically changed the subject.

"Isn't that Professor Smith?"

"Yeah, I had him for stats my second year. What do you think he's doing here?"

Rose tried not to let the whispers get to her. She'd heard mutterings before, when she went over to John's classroom, especially the first week of the semester. Though usually the remarks were more offhand, made by his students about how they couldn't believe 'the geeky and awkward professor' had 'snagged' a 'hottie' like Rose. Here, she could almost feel her classmates' eyes on them, looking and judging. Not that she cared what they thought, but it made her uncomfortable that they even cared in the first place. It's not like she and John were doing anything wrong. He wasn't her professor, never had been, and they were two, consenting adults.

Amy told her she was being paranoid, but Rose could have sworn that there was more whispering than usual. While she had learned to mostly ignore the gossiping voices, it still grated her nerves.

That day, she actually heard someone say, "Bet she's only doing him to pass his class," and she almost snapped, but before she could even utter a sound, her redheaded friend whirled around.

"Considering Rose is in her last semester of class and my mate, John, isn't teaching any upper level maths to business majors," Amy spat out, glancing at the blonde in apology, "obviously she's not in any of his classes. So why don't you and your little friends shut the hell up, and take your petty jealousy elsewhere. I can promise you, John would never have given you two harlots the time of day." She paused. "But you probably already know that." With a smirk, she turned back to Rose, grabbed her hand, and dragged her away. "Come on, your boyfriend and my fiancé are waiting for us."

Though it wouldn't be the last time she heard people talk behind her back, quite literally, Rose was never more thankful for her friends and no matter what, she would never regret choosing John.