The sky was fading rapidly, palest tangerine to burnished gold, bruised indigo at the horizon. The bite of fall was in the air, and Nancy could feel it even inside; she shivered as she tugged her hooded sweatshirt over her head. In a swift movement she tugged her hair from beneath it, snuggling beneath her usual fleece blanket again.
Then she glanced over at the other occupant of the couch. He was smiling a little, the next page already curving under his thumb.
And he looked beautiful. The light caught in his dark hair, tracing his profile, brushing the edges of his faint stubble. Even here, like this, she could make out the taut lines of his torso, his biceps.
Ned released a little sigh, gave himself a brief shake, and put a bookmark into the book. He stood and stretched, and his shirt rose, revealing a tantalizing strip of tanned, firm flesh to the cool air. The sight made Nancy's mouth water.
Ned chuckled as his gaze met hers. "Want anything?" He jerked his chin in the direction of the kitchen.
Nancy started to shake her head, then reconsidered. "Apple cider probably won't spoil my appetite."
"Chili tonight, right?"
She nodded.
"I can go ahead and put it on."
When he returned a few minutes later with a piping-hot mug of apple cider for her, she shook her head and smiled her thanks at him. He put his own mug on the coaster in front of him and relaxed on the couch with another contented sigh.
Nancy took a sip from her mug, cautiously, and felt the cinnamon-spiced delight of it warm her all the way down to her toes. She put the mug down and looked over at Ned.
"You're my favorite person," she said, her heart beating a little harder.
Ned laughed as he glanced over at her, but sobered when he saw her earnest expression; his eyes were still sparkling, though. "Oh?"
Nancy nodded.
"Your favorite person in this room? In the last fifteen minutes?"
"Those too, certainly, but you're at the top of the overall list."
"That's pretty impressive."
She nodded and picked up her mug again. "I thought you knew, but... just in case."
Ned took a sip from his own mug, just as she did. "In all seriousness, if you had asked me, I would have thought it was your dad."
"It was," she agreed. "He was. For a long time."
"So... why?"
"Well, you're pretty incredible," she replied. "And now I know that the honeymoon isn't just something that's gonna wear off. That you really are this sweet and considerate. And every morning when I wake up to see you beside me, I feel even more joy than I did the day before. Even though it should be impossible."
His gaze was centered on hers, and while she could feel some new sweet tension vibrating between them, she wasn't anxious about it.
"You're also the hottest guy on the entire planet. But you've never budged in that ranking."
Ned laughed. "I think I know some movie stars who would be startled to hear that."
"Only because they haven't met you." Nancy was grinning. "And I have it on the best authority, Bess's, that you are hands-down the most gorgeous male specimen possible."
He reached up and brushed the side of his crooked finger down her cheek. "Ah, but I don't consider her the best authority," he replied quietly. "Only you."
Their gazes held for a long moment after that, and she swallowed and glanced down. "You're home," she said, and glanced up at him again. "Wherever we are together, you're home to me." She chuckled briefly, softly, and glanced down again.
Ned reached for her hand and laced his fingers between hers. "And you're my home too," he said. "You know that, don't you?"
Nancy shook her head.
"All..." He smiled. "All the colors are a little brighter when you're around. And now... now that it's real... it was so hard, before. Knowing I'd found the woman I was meant to be with, and..."
Her smile was a little bittersweet. "And not knowing whether we would be."
He nodded, then raised their joined hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "You're my favorite too," he said softly, his voice deep, the sound of it sending a shiver down her spine. "My favorite of all time. I love everything about you and everything you let me be."
"Let...?"
His lips quirked up. "I don't even remember who I was before you," he admitted. "I know that my life wouldn't have been nearly as exciting. And I know there's no way I would have found anyone I would ever love, the way I love you."
She moved a little closer to him. "No one else would have been as patient with me."
"Not if they knew what you were up to."
She took a breath and touched his face, and the heightened awareness of completing the circuit between them, the glorious thrum of electricity, put a sparkle in her eye. She caressed his cheek, his jaw, and when she saw him swallow, she smiled.
"I'm so lucky I'm yours."
He reached for her, drew her onto his lap and enveloped her in a hug, and she relaxed against the warmth of him with a contented sigh. She slid her arms around his neck and cuddled against him.
"I'm so lucky to have this," he replied softly. "When I look over in the morning and see you, it still feels like an incredible gift. This life we have together. Even something as simple as cider and chili and cuddling with you on the couch."
"The kind of thing you would've had to tie me to a chair at Omega Chi to get through without something interrupting."
Ned chuckled, and the sensation vibrated against her chest. "Well. I just didn't have the right kind of... persuasive tools at my disposal, back then."
"And now you do?"
He nodded. "Sour cream," he said, his voice low and dark, so that even as she smiled, she shivered. His breath was warm against her neck. "Shredded cheese." He kissed her jaw. "S'mores."
"Oh, Mr. Nickerson. So decadent."
In answer he moved to look into her eyes, and then she was melting against him as he pressed his lips to hers. By the time he pulled back, she had definite stars in her eyes.
"There's nowhere in the world I'd rather be," he said, and kissed her cheek, "than with you." He kissed her other cheek, nuzzling against her in a lingering caress that quickened her breath and left her giddy.
She turned her head. "Me either," she murmured, just before their lips met in another kiss.