Sage

44

I really seem to have underestimated the heat today.

Heatwaves ripple across the large park as I sit on the quilt I'd found in Harry's utility closet. The denim shorts I wore were unbuttoned and my shirt was tucked under my bra, leaving my belly exposed. It baked under the heat of the sun, leaving my skin warm to the touch.

Yesterday, we stayed in and relax just as he wanted. I awoke before him, deciding to stay put and bask in the calmness around me. The city hummed its morning chorus of honking cars and construction beneath us, and the room was beaming with a sun that greeted us in the cheeriest way possible. It was when I finally opened my eyes that I realized he wasn't cuddling me from behind. Instead, my head was on his chest and his arm was wrapped tightly around my shoulder, keeping me pressed against him.

His dull heartbeat thumped against my ear and his skin was hot on mine. With each rise and fall of his chest, my face came with it.

As if having a mind of its own, my body shuffled closer to his and my eyes fluttered shut as I took a tired breath through my nostrils. My brain was too foggy with sleep to care that I was voluntarily cuddled up to him...and I didn't hate it.

Like he'd sensed this in his sleep, Harry's grip around me tightened as stirred in his sleep and groaned quietly. With my eyes still closed, I began to trail my fingers down his chest, feeling his warm skin under my fingertips as I drew mindless circles. His soft breaths told me that he was still comfortably asleep, and for this I was glad. I knew he had a long day at work on Friday so it was a good thing that he could finally get some rest.

It was when his work phone began to incessantly ring from the nightstand that he moaned in frustration and immediately opened his eyes. And the heat that rose to my face had nothing to do with the hot room.

"Were you cuddling me?" He smirked, his voice deep and husky from sleep. The sound has my chest feeling light as a feather as I shuffle out of bed. Partially to get away from him (and that strange feeling), and partially because I had to pee. I couldn't bring myself to meet his teasing eyes.

"Don't start,"

Now, Harry lay on his back next to me. His body is propped up on his elbows and his shades are over his eyes as he pops a blueberry into his mouth. I watch as his soft lips move over the fruit, chewing softly. His jaw tensed softly with each movement, completely oblivious to my fixation on his mouth.

I could tell the weather was getting to him as well. His cheeks were flushed a rosy color and his forehead was covered in little beads of sweat, leaving his hair damp along the edges.

The area on his armpits was slightly darker from the sweat as well, and so was a large blotch on his back. It wasn't just because of the heat though. He'd been playing football with a group of teens on the large field just minutes before. The only reason he came back was that he quickly became exhausted.

If you asked me, I'd say it was because they were beginning to annoy him with their constant teasing about how old and out of shape he was.

They still play as he rested, throwing occasionally glances toward us to which Harry shot them the middle finger.

"Stop being a dick," I slap his hand away, making him furrow his brows up at me.

"Tell that to those fuckers," He pointed toward them.

"They're children, dude,"

"And?"

I roll my eyes and reach forward to grab my water bottle. Harry continues to snack on the fruit he'd brought and I don't miss his steady glare at the teens. Knowing him, he's probably taken their comments as a challenge and only came over here to recharge before going back and calling himself teaching them a lesson. He's a very competitive person.