Craaven

Chapter 32: Mortemville, Montana 1986 June 23rd

I woke up the next morning to someone quite literally breathing down my neck. I wasn't sure what was going on at first until I looked over my shoulder and saw Steve's large shape laying directly behind me. He was practically pressed against me and trapping me against the wall but in my tired, barely awake state, I only turned to face him to be more comfortable. My hand found his hand, and without thinking, I took it and moved it to my face. The warmth from his palm was soothing and it felt as if I was being snuggled by a giant teddy bear. I wrapped an arm around him and, against my own will, I fell back to sleep.

When I woke up again, a few hours later, Steve was gone and I could faintly hear the shower running. I decided I'd wake up finally and slowly left the bed to get breakfast. I caught one quick glimpse of my arm as I was about to open the door and I stopped for a moment. I quickly grabbed my button up shirt from yesterday and pulled it on without buttoning and then I was able to leave the room without any discomfort.

Brian was already awake and cooking breakfast. From the smell, I could easily tell it was pancakes and bacon and it made my mouth water.

"Oh, morning, Ed!" Brian greeted.

"Morning..." I responded with a yawn and entered the kitchen to grab a cup of water.

"Sleep well?" he wondered and I nodded tiredly. "That's good to hear. I have pancakes if you want any."

I thanked him and sat at the dinner table with my cup of water, trying to wake up more so I could function properly. My mind was still obsessively stuck on how nice it was to cuddle with Steve. I'd definitely do it again if he ever asked, without a doubt. That was definitely what I needed to feel better.

I eventually secured a plate of pancakes and I ate them quietly while Brian continued to cook. The morning was peaceful and I enjoyed the serenity of it. I could hear birds chirping outside, as well as the occasional car that would drive past. It was a drastically different atmosphere than yesterday and I felt like I could finally give a sigh of relief.

Steve eventually came out of the shower and joined us after getting dressed for the day. He said good morning to us both and helped himself to the pancakes and bacon.

"Dude, Sam is out, I don't think he'll be waking up until the afternoon," Brian chuckled.

Steve chuckled as well with a bite of food in his mouth, "Poor guy."

I was quiet while they spoke, interested in the conversation they were having but too tired to engage.

"I don't think I'm gonna go into work today," Steve huffed as he leaned against the fridge while he ate.

"Why not?" Brian asked and leaned against the counter next to the stove. Why the two didn't sit down was beyond me but I'm not one to judge them.

"It's just one of those days where it's like 'nah... fuck that shit'," Steve explained. Brian nodded and agreed with him. It was quiet for a moment while we all ate until Brian finally spoke up again and said, "You're quiet this morning."

"Hm?" I hummed.

"I said you're quiet this morning," he clarified.

"Oh... I just don't have anything to say," I shrugged. He shrugged in return and started another conversation with Steve. They talked about work mostly and I only listened for the interesting stories Brian would bring up. I rarely heard about funny things that happened to him at his job so it was interesting to hear what he had to say.

When I finished off my plate, I set it in the sink quickly and sat back down to continue listening to the conversation. We had a few laughs on occasion and I eventually joined in the conversation to add a few comments here and there. We talked for a while longer until Steve eventually decided to go back to his room so he could call off for the day. Not knowing what else to do, I followed him to his room and sat back on his bed.