I woke up in the very early hours of the morning. I was toasty warm where I pressed against Brian's side and cold where my skin was bare and exposed. We'd fallen asleep entwined and completely nude on my couch. I slid my hand softly over his chest noting his own skins coolness. The early summer nights still turned cold sometimes.
I began slowly extricating myself from his arms. It was almost painfully slow as several areas of our skin were all but glued together with dried bodily fluids. I wondered at how his arm hadn't fallen off from lack of blood flow when I registered I'd been sleeping on top of one of the arms he'd kept wrapped around me in sleep. I began searching for my clothing and found my jeans and a tee which I thought was his but I was completely unable to find my underwear. I slipped into both affirming the shirt as his, not mine.
I groped my way to a chest I kept against one wall and pulled out a crocheted throw. I crossed the room and covered Brian carefully so as not to wake him. I debated waking and getting him to move into the bedroom but couldn't bring myself to do it. Mainly for the selfish reason of knowing I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep myself and wanting a shower so bad I could taste it. I imagined I could smell myself.
I felt a lump under one foot and fished up my bra. I began slow sweeps with my feet finding four socks, another pair of jeans, and his underwear but not mine. I scooped every thing up and carried it with me as I headed back to my bedroom so Brian wouldn't trip if he got up. I dumped it on top of the washer, shucking the jeans and tee as well as I went by the laundry alcove. I closed the bi-fold doors back to hide the mess and hurried into my bath.
The warm water felt like heaven and I lingered well past being clean, singing softly until I heard a throat being cleared loudly on the other side of the curtain. I turned the water off and opened the curtain enough to peek my head out. Brian was leaned in the doorway swinging my lost undies around one finger, arms crossed casually.
"I woke up alone, sticky, and all my clothes were gone." His voice was pitiful but his smile was wicked. "I found these though," his wrist flicked the panties in my direction. "I knew my Cinderella couldn't be far away."
I laughed. "Sorry I didn't wanna wake you. I thought you'd sleep in so I threw your clothes on top of the dryer." I grabbed my towel wrapping it around my front before pulling the shower curtain open. He stepped forward as I stepped out, leaning in to kiss me softly.
His hands took up the trailing ends of the towel and brisked them over the wet skin of my back. He didn't comment on my shyness with the towel and his hands were gentle as he worked. His eyes met mine and he smiled, hugging me close and rubbing his nose over mine. "You're adorable," I flushed in pleasure, "but I really am sticky." He slipped around me and hopped in the vacant shower.
I finished drying, bemused and distracted. I brushed my teeth and blew my hair dry quickly. In the bedroom I pulled fresh underwear out and smoothed a lightly jasmine scented lotion over my whole body. I dressed in jeans and a tunic style top.
I peered through the open bath door at the closed shower curtain. I dug a towel out of the linen closet and lay it on the vanity. I could hear him humming under his breath. I nearly choked swallowing my laughter when I recognized it as So This Is Love from Disney's Cinderella. I slipped out and off to the kitchen swishing down the hall with a spring in my step.
I pulled bacon and eggs out of the fridge, throwing a quick breakfast together. I slid two full plates onto the table and was turning to grab juice outta the fridge when he came from the shower. The towel I'd left was slung low on his hips and it came to me his bag was still where he'd dropped it by the front door. He didn't seem to mind, sliding in a chair at the table with a simple exclamation of "bacon!"
We ate, discussing plans for the day and settled on hiking back to a creek pool in the middle of my twenty five acres. It was really only a fifteen minute walk back from the house but you had to climb a short steep ridge. Brian stopped me when I started to get up to clear away dishes.
"We need to talk about my bag."
I was confused, his bag was beside the door where he'd left it last night. I pointed at it and he cleared his throat and elaborated.
"Where should I put it?" He seemed to want to say more but simply looked at me, waiting.
"Well you know where my room is," I said it slowly and I saw him exhale as I continued. "We already let the horse outta the barn I thought we might as well let it frolic in the field right? Unless you want your own room?"
"No your room. I just didn't want to assume. Things went, well better than we'd discussed and I dreamed," he smiled at me and my face flamed. "I want to frolic in the field with you but I'd go back in the barn if you needed that." His voice was teasing but I knew he meant it.
"Go get dressed. Almost all the drawers in the short dresser are empty." I hate folding clothes so I just hung every thing possible. I cleared the table and quickly did up the few dishes. I threw together some simple sandwiches. I dumped them with a couple of small bags of chips and trail mix in a bag I kept in the front closet with beach towels tucked inside. I filled four screw top plastic bottles with ice and water. I threw these in a small soft sided cooler with a couple of beers and all the remaining ice in the freezer.
I walked back to the bedroom to get into a suit and stopped in the door. Brian had thrown on a tee and pair of trunks and was closing his empty bag. I decided I was ready to go as is. "Ready?"
"Yeah," he said sliding his feet into a pair of sneakers.