Don't Catch Me!

Chapter 8 - Hunting and Gathering

Chapter 8 – Hunting and Gathering

I leant against my bedroom door closing my eyes.  What the hell was I supposed to do now? 

Through the wall I heard a string of soft curses, followed by a couple of shuddering thumps on one of the walls.   OK so maybe he did remember last night then.    

I was sort of hoping that he didn’t remember how thoroughly he broke last night.  How he had cried like a small child in my arms while I had soothed him.  I had seen him at his most vulnerable, at possibly his lowest, and people didn’t like that.  There was every possibility that he would push me away now, retreating either due to shame or embarrassment or just because of what I now represented.  His pain was so ingrain and he clearly associated it to me.

Hell.  Why did that make my chest tighten and my eyes sting.  He would be gone in a couple of weeks anyway.  Why did I care?  Did I care?  Damn. Yes, I did.

Dressed, I stood at the kitchen bench wrestling with the cereal box when I felt him behind me. I instinctively froze.  His hands hovered at my side, not touching me, and then they dropped away.

I said nothing, I turned to him and looked him in the face and waited.

He fidgeted and looked away, “I’m sorry.  I’m broken Cissy.  I’m all messed up inside.  It’s not fair on you...”

I reached up and gently cupped his face.  His eyes came back to mine, they were filled with... hope, yes they will filled with hope.  I smiled at him and he smiled back.

“Hmm, would this be presuming too much?” His arm snaked around my waist pulling me into him and his lips gently brushed mine, “now that we have slept together?”

“What?  We didn’t sleep together!” I growled into his amused expression.

“Short term memory loss?”

“We didn’t... sleep together, no like that!”

“Hmm, even better, so let’s get this right, we spent the night together not sleeping!”  His eyes gleamed with his laughter.

“You tell anyone, anyone at all and I will...”  I pulled away from him crossing my arms across my chest and giving him my stern look.

“Relax Cissy, like I would tell anyone!  But tease you, hell yeah!” 

He then handed me something.  I looked at it curiously.  It looked like a shirt.  Holding it up I realised that yes, it was one of my shirts. 

He leaned in and whispered to my neck, “You got to play with my hair so I get to dress you!”

I rolled my eyes at him.  “Dress, not undress.  And what’s wrong with what I am wearing?”

He looked at me and laughed.  “It’s inside-out for a starter, and trust me my love, you have graduated past Sesame Street.  You will look hot in this, go change!” he gently pushed me in the direction of my bedroom with sly smile he added, “Unless you want me to undress you?”

“In your dreams!” I said without thinking.

“Yes well, I think we have already established that fact,” he mumbled and looked at me from beneath his lashes.

All I could do was blush slightly and smile apologetically to him. 

In my bedroom I looked at the shirt.  Where did he find this?  How did he find this?  My clothing resided in piles on the floor.  So it was pretty much a lucky dip every morning.  I couldn’t even remember having this shirt.  I pulled Elmo’s face off my chest and replaced it with his selection.  Turning to look in my mirror I reluctantly agreed with him.  It did look better.