I Do What I Do » John Taylor

XXIV

ERIN

I wake up to the smell of fresh air wafting into the room. The breeze comes in lightly, leaving a slight chill on my arm, which is now exposed. My eyes are closed, and I feel the top sheet from the bed being draped over my arm. It's John. He must be awake. I lie there for a little longer before deciding to open my eyes. He's lying very still, probably not to wake me, but I can tell that he is.

I finally open my eyes, turning my head up slightly to look at him. It still rests on his chest. He looks down at me and his lips pull into a warm smile. I smile back the same way. The two of us lie silently until he breaks it.

"Hello," he says quietly. "Did you sleep okay?"

I nod. "The best," I answer back with the same tone of voice. "Did you?"

"The best," he repeats with a giggle.

"Did you open the window? I don't remember it being open last night before we went to sleep."

"I did," he answers. "It was quite nice out, so I figured we could get some air in here."

"It's very nice," I tell.

"Good. Are you cold at all? I can shut it."

I shake my head. "It's perfect."

"Okay." He brings his hand up to gently play with my hair. I lie back down and allow him. His hand twirls my hair around and tugs slightly. "It's so pretty..."

"What is?"

"Your hair..." he answers softly. He continues to play with it carefully. "It's so soft."

"Aww. Thank you," I smile.

"Mhm..." He keeps on and I allow it, closing my eyes and getting comfortable. It feels nice, and I can tell that he's enjoying it himself. "How long have you been up?" I ask, my eyes still shut.

"A little while. I was reading your magazine, a matter of fact," he admits. "It's quite interesting...I think we need to be more spontaneous."

I giggle. "Why were you reading it?"

"I was waiting for you to wake up but I got bored. I wanted to let you sleep, so I just picked that up instead," he explains. "You looked too peaceful to wake up."

"I've been up for a little bit. Not long, but I was too comfortable to move. You could've tapped me, probably."

"You're an expert at pretending to sleep, then," he giggles, continuing to carefully stroke my hair. "I couldn't tell the difference."

"Now you know for next time!"

"Okay, but what if you aren't awake and I wake you?" he quizzes.

"It'd be okay." I open my eyes and look up. "I wouldn't mind being woken up if it were you," I giggle.

"I'd never try just in case, but it's good to know," he laughs.

I lean up and peck his cheek, then bring my head down to his shoulder. "I'm awake now, anyways. It's okay." My face stays close to his neck. His hand shifts and ruffles my hair. "Ack!! What was that for?"

"Just 'cause," he giggles. "You're so cute."

My cheeks start to flush red. "Oh...thank you..." It's now become blatantly obvious that I'm blushing. Like a maniac, may I add. "Heheheheh," I chuckle. Once I've composed myself a little, my head perks up slightly. "You know..."

"What?" he questions.

"When I first told Julie I liked you, she wanted me to just talk straight to her and tell her whatever I was thinking...so I did. It was some sort of weird therapeutic tactic. I started to just say whatever came to mind. Anyways, I'd somehow managed to slip out that if I'd let it go on any longer I would end up falling in love with you." I notice his smile turning to a slight grin. "I was honestly shocked when I said it, but...here we are."