ANIMALS

2 - Marcus Therapy Part One

When I woke up the next morning, I was tucked into my bed, under the sheets, with a snoring Marcus beside me. His arm was draped over my waist, and I decided I didn't want to get up just yet. I smiled and snuggled closer to Marcus. I don't think I've ever had a crush on him, but lying here, feeling his warmth, his arm around my waist, I felt content, warm and safe. He's such a good friend. I don't know what I'd do without him.

I dared to bury my face in Marcus' shirt and take in his scent. He always smells like the woods and musk, even if he hasn't showered for days. Nevertheless, I like it. I don't know what it is, but I've always relied on people's scents for different things. Marcus' scent calms me and, now that I think about it, it's always played a huge role in relaxing me whenever I'm going through drama. Mum's scent smells like family, and makes me feel safe and secure. Tristan's scent made me feel daring, and it made me trust him so much more. Maybe I just have a more acute sense of smell than others.

I decided I wasn't going to get out of bed until Marcus woke up, so I lay there patiently. Before long, he stirred, and I watched him as he fluttered his eyelids, stretched his arms and groaned, before he looked at me and smiled.

"Morning." he said.

"Morning." I replied.

"Your eyes look red. Have you been crying?" Concern began to cloud his features. I didn't want to worry him, so I replied with a believable answer.

"No, no, I just had a rough night's sleep. Must be showing this morning, huh?"

"Hmm. Well, it's not your fault. You had a rough day yesterday. Come on, let's go get some breakfast. I'm starved!" And with that, Marcus leapt out of bed and zipped down the hallway, humming to himself. I slowly made my way out of bed, shivering slightly with the sudden absence of warmth, and pulled on a hoodie, some slippers, and made my way to the bathroom to brush my hair.

Minutes later, I was standing in the kitchen, watching Marcus make bacon and eggs for breakfast.

"You trying to fatten me up, Marc?" I said jokingly.

"Oh yes, I need a nice plump child to bake in my pie!" he replied, turning around and winking. I allowed myself a small smile.

"But who would want to buy a Bethan flavoured pie?" I chuckled.

There was a moment of silence, before Marcus spoke up. "Werewolves." he said with a wicked grin. I rolled my eyes. Marcus has a weird fascination with werewolves. He has every book under the sun that's written about them. He has these weird posters stuck up on the walls of his bedroom that kind of freak me out a bit. He even has werewolf bed sheets.

"Gosh, you and your werewolves." I said with a small grin.

"What can I say? I love them." he said with a shrug. I chuckled again.

"What's that?"

"What?"

"That . . . That thing, in the corner of your mouth . . ." Marcus touched the corner of my mouth softly with his finger. "Is that . . . A smile?!" Marcus gasped over-reactively, throwing his hands up in the air. I laughed, and Marcus soon joined in. A full minute passed, and my stomach was beginning to get cramped up from laughing so hard. Marcus and I made eye contact, and for a second, I felt something. I don't know what it was, but it was something, like a butterfly in my stomach fluttering its wings. I'd never noticed how wonderfully green Marcus' eyes were. Like grass in the morning, with dew covering each individual blade. Maybe it was the soft winter sunshine coming in through the kitchen window, but his eyes looked . . . Different today. For the first time in my life, I wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Plant my lips on his soft, pink ones . . .

I looked away quickly, ashamed that I had just thought such a thing. I felt my face grow hot, and the silence dragging between us began to get awkward.

Suddenly, Marcus spoke up. "So, you hungry?"

"Yep, starving." I said, as I looked at him shyly and smiled. He smiled back.